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Every Thursday I share three useful things to help you turn overthinking into expert thinking. Here are this week’s picks:

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1.

Rubber duck debugging is a simple method from Software Engineering for getting unstuck. There are two steps to this process and it works for more than just technical problems.

I discovered this on my 8-year career journey from Web Developer to UX Researcher to Transformational Coach.

There were times on that fraught path that I needed a person-sized duck to talk to. Or a duck-like person.

Here's what I learned about how to talk to ducks
(and how to be more duck-like for the benefit of others, too).

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2.

World-renowned graphic designer Paula Scher's 10 rules of play​

I love how all of these involve creating space or distance. Counter-intuitive but oh so important!

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3.

A wonderfully-resourced and quote-full long read on what makes a strategy great​

If you're short on time, here are the main sections:

A great strategy is…

• Simple: Reshapes complexity to be manageable and actionable.
• Candid: Dares to spotlight the most difficult truths.
• Decisive: Asserts clear decisions and accepts their consequences.
• Leveraged: Magnifies strengths into durable competitive advantage.
• Asymmetric: Defeats uncertainty with higher upside than downside.
• Futuristic: Solves for the long-term.

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Extra thoughts

​In last week's newsletter, I tried something new. Something I'd never seen done before. I cleared my Friday and opened a 1-day free coaching pop-up shop​

It was a huge success! Thanks to the many of you who went on this little adventure with me. I learned a lot and I know you got value out of it too. I'm so grateful. I'll definitely be doing this again, with improvements!

Lastly, I'd love to hear…what's been most useful in this email?
Kim

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​Kim Witten, PhD - Coach & Consultant

Hello! My name is Kim Witten and I’ve spent four decades overthinking absolutely everything. I’ve turned this ability into a super skill to get stuff done and now my mission is to help others do the same. Read more about my journey​

Staney Brae, Dunrossness, Shetland ZE2 9JG
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