Hold That Thought
3 useful things every Thursday to help thinkers of all kinds gain clarity, get unstuck, and make great progress on what matters most.
Eat your own dog food
Hold That Thought Bowl of dog food by jirkaejc from Getty Images This week I've been thinking about food. Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking: If you wouldn't buy what you're selling, why should anyone else? Eat Your Own Dog Food Your business is a menu, and yours might be overstuffed. Simplify your offers…with cake! by Ricardo Brito “Dinner resists optimization. It can be creative, and it can be pleasurable. None of this negates the fact that it is a...
Less smart, inside and out
Hold That Thought …with the help of this unsmart household device. This week I've been thinking about the difference between smarts and wisdom (and how to err toward the latter). While I didn't solve it, I now know this: it starts in our heads and in our homes. Here are three five things on that theme to turn mental energy into meaningful action: 3 fresh takes on what wisdom is, from Clearer Thinking The smart one is dumb, from Salmon Labs Function-stacking: a wiser way to use your stuff,...
Ditch your pro-con list; try this instead
Hold That Thought Time to stop going around and start exploring? Photo by Mark Angell from Getty Images. This week I've been thinking about decision-making. Here are three things on that theme to turn mental energy into meaningful action: Ditch your pro-con list; try this method instead. I've turned my Best of Both Worlds article into a free template in the Miroverse! Give it a try and then let's hop on a free call to chat about it. “Procrastination is often seen as a vice, but...
Change it up.
Hold That Thought What we do while we wait. Platform 6, Liverpool Lime Street. This week I've been working in a new environment…the Great Malvern hills! Getting there has involved intermittent periods of waiting. Here are three things on that theme to help you turn mental energy into meaningful action: Things to do while waiting, by Zachary Kai. What are some things you do while waiting? Finding yourself enduring something? Here's a reminder from my archives that nobody can waste your time...
Asbestos is a sleeping dog
Hold That Thought Sometimes the simplest solution is to let the sleeping dog lie. Photo of Terry the rescue pug by me. This week I've been thinking about keeping it simple. Here are three things on that theme to turn mental energy into meaningful action: Keeping it simple is often about knowing what kind of problem you're solving; a great list from Clearer Thinking: asbestos is a sleeping dog An older one from me, but perhaps worth revisiting as we continue through this season: different ways...
Tip of the iceberg
Hold That Thought Iceberg with underwater view by the-lightwriter from Getty Images. This week I've been thinking about what it means to have a something (and someone!) supporting our vision — even if we don't know what that is yet. Here are three things on that theme to turn mental energy into meaningful action: In this 5-minute video, Simon Sinek neatly sidesteps a language trap around Vision Statements to zero in on 3 things you must consider to make it meaningful. Bonus: take another...
Deeper than the dazzle
Hold That Thought Anatomy of a magic trick, from The Prestige This week I've been thinking about the uncomfortable process of growth. Here are three things on that theme to turn mental energy into meaningful action: In his post on the hidden cost of comfort, Sahil Bloom asks: What growth are you starving with the struggle you’re avoiding? Everyone seems to be turning to AI coaches to help them think through challenges. In some ways, it works. But AI falls short in a few others, one of which...
Progress on a goal-less year
Hold That Thought Shrödinger's Goal. Photo by choness from Getty Images Pro. This week I've been thinking about what it means to not have goals. Here are three things on that theme to turn mental energy into meaningful action: Progress on my goal-less year, six months in What are goals, really? Here's Tiago Forte's take on it…what's more important than the goal? Without goals, what's left? Tim Urban gives us a sobering but poignant reminder of what all of this is all really about. After all,...
AI, ankle breaker and crutch
Hold That Thought… Said to me by a medical professional before I demanded an X-ray. April 28, 2012. Reader, I knew. This week I've been thinking about Al as “the cause of — and solution to — all of life's little problems”. That quote was from Homer Simpson. He was talking about beer, but nevermind. Here are three four things on AI to turn mental energy into meaningful action: Many of us use AI to help us get started with writing. But I wonder, what if we tossed the crutch and got good at...
When 70% > 100%
Hold That Thought Ant on a climber plant. Photo by SuriyaKK from Getty Images. This week I've been thinking about perfectionism (and its circle of disruptive companions). Here are three things on that theme to turn mental energy into meaningful action: An “ant mill” is when a group of army ants lose their scent trail, get separated from their main colony, and begin to follow each other in a never-ending loop until they die of exhaustion. It's a horrifically apt metaphor for the thinking loops...
3 useful things every Thursday to help thinkers of all kinds gain clarity, get unstuck, and make great progress on what matters most.