This is a note from an old journal. It’s an interpretation of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 from a productivity lens. While I’m wary of presenting the Bible as a quasi-productivity manual, I think there are interesting things to draw from the story. It’s a contradiction I’ll have to live with for now.
It’s great to set goals. You’re probably halfway there if you’re clear about what you want to achieve. It’s as crucial for your career or a personal project. But if you work full time, doing the work necessary to achieve your goals may be daunting.
How about a social network for introverts — or those who want meaningful connections? I’ve been thinking about this for a while: Can a social network where users connect with only a limited number of connections, say between five to 12 connections succeed? I’m not sure if it could be commercially successful, but I think …
An education bond for Nigerian universities Could we create a long-term education investment bond where investors pool their money to finance university education and research in Nigeria? The quickest benefit to the participants, government and companies, would be access to better-prepared graduates in as short as one year. I could go on to unearth more …
As they do their other subscribers, DelanceyPlace.com sent me an excerpt from Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open some time ago. It captured his would-be coach’s advice to deal with his tendency for perfectionism.
Science, the practice of science, requires faith. I don’t mean faith in God or religious faith. I mean faith as an expression of one’s will to place one’s trust or confidence in the capacity of a system to deliver an outcome we desire.
1. Getting started “Many situations in life are similar to going on a hike: the view changes once you start walking. You don’t need all the answers right now. New paths will reveal themselves if you have the courage to get started.” 2. Attention “Most things are not as difficult as they seem—if you focus …
When you are tempted to start new things in an epic way, start boring. Start what you need to do today, right now if possible. You will lose crucial energy and time if you wait. You will gain crucial energy and time when you take action. Start small if it’s the only way you can. …
Your #1 job is to inspire confidence in your people, in your management. Inspire confidence in all you do, say, the way you appear. Don’t answer questions you have no answer to. Practice asking questions. Ask questions to help your people succeed.
Whatever is worth doing is simply worth doing, at least the first time. It’s inhibiting (maybe even damaging) to think of doing anything well if you’ve never done it before.