You don't need a peer-reviewed study to know that when people surf the web on their smartphones, they're not going as deep.
We swipe instead of click.
We scan instead of read. Even our personal email…
We get exposure to far more at the surface, but rarely dig in.
As a result, the fine print gets ignored. We go for headlines, not nuance. It's a deluge of gossip and thin promises, not the relatively more immersive experience of the desktop web.
And of course, the web was a surface treatment of a day spent with books and in uninterrupted flow on a single topic.
It's not an accident that blog posts and tweets are getting shorter. We rarely stick around for the long version.
Photokeratitis (snow blindness) happens when there's too much ultraviolet–when the fuel for our eyes comes in too strong and we can't absorb it all. Something similar is happening to each of us, to our entire culture, as a result of the tsunami of noise vying for our attention.
It's possible you can find an edge by going even faster and focusing even more on breadth at the surface. But it's far more satisfying and highly leveraged to go the other way instead. Even if it's just for a few hours a day.
If you care about something, consider taking a moment to slow down and understand it. And if you don't care, no need to even bother with the surface.
March 21, 2018
That's what makes it the beat.
There are other things that stop. That start. That go faster or slower.
But don't worry about the beat. We can't change the beat. The beat continues.
When we're watching it, it continues, and when we're distracted, it continues. Beat by beat, day by day, it continues.
Awareness of our forward motion, of the tick and tock as we move from yesterday to tomorrow… it gives us perspective and patience if we let it. Or it can stress us out. Up to us.
Look, there goes another one.
What will you do with the next one?
March 20, 2018
We know that the default settings determine the behavior of the group. Organ donation, 401k allocations, the typeface on our word processor–the way it's set to act if we don't override it is often the way we act. Because often, we decide it's not worth the effort to change the setting today.
Which means that examining your settings now and then is worth the effort:
Don't speak unless asked vs. don't keep quiet with a suggestion.
Look for the downsides vs. look for the upsides.
Do the minimum vs. do the maximum.
Don't ship until perfect vs. ship and learn.
The benefit of the doubt vs. skepticism.
Trusting vs. wary.
Inquiry vs. sarcasm.
Speed up vs. slow down.
Generous vs. selfish.
We all have defaults. Are yours helping you?
[PS it's definitely not too soon to mark the next altMBA on your calendar. It works. That's why every session we've done has been fully enrolled. Check it out if you can.]
March 19, 2018
In a physical economy in which scarcity is the fundamental driver, eating lunch means someone else gets less.
But in a society where ideas lead to trust and connection and productivity, where working together is better than working apart, where exchange creates value for both sides…
Then the efficient sharing of ideas is its own free lunch.
All of us are smarter than any of us, so the value to all goes up when you share.
March 18, 2018
That's a much more useful way to get feedback than asking if we like it.
We make first impressions and long-term judgments based on the smallest of clues. We scan before we dive in, we see the surface before we experience the substance.
And while the emotions that are created by your work aren't exactly like something else, they rhyme.
It could be your business model, your haircut or the vibrato on your guitar.
"What does this remind you of" opens the door for useful conversations that you can actually do something about. Yes, be original, but no, it's not helpful to be so original that we have no idea what you're doing.
March 17, 2018
The fact that we think the way we speak is normal is the first clue that empathy is quite difficult.
You might also notice how easy it is to notice people who are much worse at driving than you are–but that you almost never recognize someone who's driving better than you are.
March 16, 2018
Most of us say, "this is better, therefore I like it."
In fact, the converse is what actually happens. "I like it, therefore I'm assuring you (and me) that this is better."
March 15, 2018
The latest episode my Akimbo podcast is about hits. (Click then scroll down to see all the episodes, or, even better, subscribe for free…)
The hit that sweeps an industry, like a thresher through a wheat field. The one that everyone is talking about. The lines down the street, the box office record, the career maker.
Isn't that what creators dream of?
There are three ways a hit happens:
- Many people who love a particular medium (music, the theatre, books) coalesce around a single new title.
- Many people who rarely spend time in that medium make this title the one thing they're going to engage in.
- A few people consume that title over and over again.
It's rare to invent something that works on all three levels. Black Panther is not like the DaVinci Code which is not like the Grateful Dead.
You can build something that the cool kids love. You can build something that the bystanders love. Or you can build a cult favorite. Best to do it on purpose.
[PS we're going to record an episode of Akimbo today. The episode is going to be about 'live' and of course, we're going to record it live at 10 am ET. Feel free to tune in and join us.]
[Also, Bernadette's new book is now available. It's worth your time.]
March 14, 2018
Not stalling.
Pausing.
How many decisions or commitments would end up more positively if you had a five-minute snooze button on hand?
Esprit d'escalier* isn't as hard to live with as its opposite. The hasty one-liner, the rushed reaction, the action we end up regretting–all of them can be eliminated with judicious use of the snooze button. It's a shame there isn't one built in to our computers when we're communicating online…
When in doubt, go for a walk around the block.
*The feeling we get when we think of a witty response on the way home instead of at the dinner party, when it would have been the perfect put-down.
March 13, 2018
Yes, there are a few people who are mendacious, who are not seeking what you're seeking. And yet, most of the time, there are plenty of good people who disagree with you–they want a good outcome, but the narrative they bring insists on getting there in a very different way. They have different glasses on and are using a different map as well.
People don't believe what you believe, and they don't know what you know. Some of the gaps:
Authority–because the world works better when things are coherent and predictable and someone is in charge
Freedom–because people free to speak up and find their own path are able to weave a civil society out of chaos
Affiliation–because being in sync and engaged with others makes for a happier life
Conformance–because doing what you’re told is safer and telling people what to do is easier
Inconsistent–Change is fine if it makes things better, even if you want to call me a flip flopper
Consistent–Because it’s safer to stand for something and not reconsider it
Hero—Someone needs to save the day
Bystander–There's too much on the line, and I'm not the one to do it this time
What will they say?–keep an eye on those that are watching me
What will my mom say?–doing the right thing, even if someone is looking, and especially if no one is
Belief–because it’s a narrative to quiet the chatter in our head
Proof–because science works
Change–because things can get better if we let them
The status quo–because change is risky
Civility–because we’re working to keep it all from falling apart
Conflict–because if you can’t handle it, get out of the way
The long haul–because none of it is worth it if we poison ourselves
The short run–because the long haul manages to take care of itself
Service–because our heroes sacrificed for others
Profit–because making a profit is the market’s way of rewarding service
The strongest–because the pack moves fastest if the strongest are supported and rewarded
The slowest–because we’re only as good as the way we treat the weakest among us
The cusp–because progress is interesting
The middle–because proven is better
Family first–because you take care of your own
Community first–because everyone is in your family
Emergencies–because this pain needs to be addressed right now
The long game–because the emergencies never end
Show your work–because finding an error in my math helps us both, transparency pays
Opacity—I don't need you cherry-picking an argument with me
Pay it forward–because someone did it for me
Put your own oxygen mask on first–because I might not get another chance
March 12, 2018
