WTF Almost Two Years!

Sad but true it has been a long time since my last post. I never achieved the fitness goals I set out but learned some valuable lessons. Goals are important, but become useless when writing is an end in and of itself. Action is a much better indicator of success because it shows immediate results. Sometimes doing something based on instinct is just as valid as a planned attempt.

So what is the latest Mental Beat?

Do something immediately to see how it will work for you. Build a plan out of the natural process of doing that action. The plan will be organic and thus better suited to your work flow, style, and preferences.

Planning something in advance is OK if the plan is short. Long estimates are best avoided or broken into short lists of tasks completed within a foreseeable time, like a week or two. Work days are best divided into production and administration.

Production is any work on principal projects or billable time.

Administration is everything else.

Don't Forget the Good Stuff.

It is said that creative thinking is one part inspiration to ninety-nine parts perspiration. The bulk is the process. The rest are serendipity. However when applied to a group the perspiration per person decreases while the inspiration increases.

So in theory, a team of four might look like this:

• i=4
• p=24

This is an oversimplification, however it illustrates how a group working on a shared goal can increase the chance for serendipity to occur.
How to apply this to your team project?

1. Communicate often.
   The more conversations on and about the goal positions the mind to make a map and thus connections.
2. Meet outside the workplace.
   Meals, drinks, events, etc. are great "Roads Not Taken" and are tangental by nature.
3. Record communication.
   All the conversations you have will hold value only when they are jotted down. Don't forget the good stuff.
4. Review
   Talk about previous conversations and refer to your notes to ensure clarity.
5. Paraphrase
   Its not enough to listen-active participation helps dissolve assumptions.

Enjoy!

Matthew, MB