People tend to speak about 120 to 160 words per minute depending on the context. Typing 50 to 60 words per minute is a comfortable pace. That means the only thing holding back writing is the speed of typing. It shouldn’t be the speed of thought. Write like you speak and try to speak slowly in your mind so your…
Do you occasionally hate your own work?
Sometimes you’ll re-read something you wrote, listen to something you spoke, or otherwise reflect upon your work. And this is a very valuable thing to do, but, when you don’t like something you should take pause to consider against what standard you don’t like it. Often, I dislike–maybe even hate–things I’ve created that upon reflection, I find I had no…
Recognize that innovation is innate
The bedrock of innovation is improvement, improvement is something we all do automatically. Even my dog, Pax, knows how to improve. We go through countless treat toys, toys that have a treat pouch or other means to embed or lock away a treat, something that makes getting the treat a bit harder than snapping it out of my hand. No…
Don’t specialize
Specializing means you’re focused on what you can do. The problem with this is a specialized focus often narrows your vision so you no longer see what your customer needs and instead only see what you can do. Often times that means you might be an expert at something nobody wants to buy. I’ve always disliked the question: “What do…
Innovation requires orienting people toward the right goals
Part of the reason that innovation is innate is because our minds are hardwired to achieve a goal, when presented with one. It’s part of the lazy nature of our mind. Effort is expensive, therefore we seek to minimize effort. The goals we hold people accountable to, dictate the optimizations they create.
Innovation revolves around customer need
Without customers, a business wouldn’t exist. The purpose of a business is to create value for customers. It’s a creative capacity, not a consumptive capacity. Therefore, the right goals are goals that contribute something that the customer ultimately buys. Something that satisfies the customer. To make this tangible, imagine you were a part of a team that assembled a chair.…
Creating something from nothing
Jonathan found $7 while walking Pax a few days ago. Later that night, we passed a homeless couple near our house that I’ve routinely passed and never had any money to give to because I don’t keep it on me most of the time. I suggested we give the $7 to the homeless couple, we did. We felt good in…
Read a book during 9 to 5
When’s the last time you read a book, during 9 to 5? And not in a situation where you were searching for an explicit answer to something pressing at the moment. Also, not in a situation where someone else assigned the reading to you. When was the last time you decided to read a book to improve? Is it something…
Interview – Diabetes Waiting to Happen (Commitment to Value)
In June I sat down for an interview with the guys over at This Agile Life You can listen here: (Commitment to Value) Diabetes Waiting to Happen – Ep. 88
Project by project to salary?
Someone asked recently “how do we shift from a project-by-project cash flow mentality and process to being able to pay a recurring salary”? That’s a common occurrence for many small firms. Here are two things that immediately came to mind: #1 – One thing to think about, if you want to switch your mentality – is to imagine what your…