23 hours agoZone of Genius — if only it were that easy (the problems with passion)Zone of Genius is enticing. Identify the thing that you’re really good at and like doing. The activity where you can enter flow. And spend the rest of your life doing it. That’s one step up from following your passions — but it’s not enough. The advice to follow your…1 min read1 min read
Feb 1It’s all in the mindset — one way to do things you don’t want toI hate cleaning. I’m using the word hate about something that’s good for me. Cognitive dissonance at its best — I like clean, I just don’t like getting there. But random strangers cleaning my bathroom I like even less. Enter problem-solving approach number one: seek advice. The Harvard Business Review…2 min read2 min read
Jan 25Are you addicted to activity?Checking is euphoric. Task completed. What’s the next one for me to cross off? For some it can go as far as placing everyday tasks on the list so there is something to strike through. I’ve been guilty of that. There’s (probably) nothing wrong with checking off tasks. Except when…2 min read2 min read
Jan 18The complex problem you and most businesses face — pricing (part 3)Byrne Hobart has a problem — but it’s almost manageable now! He writes The Diff on Substack — all about inflections in finance and tech. He has a free newsletter and a paid subscription for $220 a year or $20 each month. He often writes five articles a week. Byrne’s…2 min read2 min read
Jan 11The problem with passion — why most fiction authors can’t make a living and what that means for the rest of usBillions read fiction, yet most fiction authors struggle to make a living — why? It can’t be passion. Writing is hard. Editing is seldom enjoyable. To finish a book takes perseverance seldom found without passion. It can’t be skill. Or, at least, not only skill. Any best-selling list includes one…2 min read2 min read
Jan 4Why explaining ConvertKit to kids is easy and hard — part 3Nathan Barry, ConvertKit’s founder, can’t explain what his business does to his kids. But he almost can now. The last post covered all the steps in UEAR: Unhide requirements, Expose assumptions, Add limitations, and Respect constraints. …2 min read2 min read
Dec 28, 2022The problem with definitions: why introverts want to be non-introverts — or notStudies show that most introverts are introverted — you can quote me on that. Yet the conclusion the world takes from that is seldom right. Because a definition has a specific meaning in single context and quite another when generalised. …2 min read2 min read
Dec 21, 2022Just because it’s operational doesn’t mean it can’t be strategic‘Strategic Planning’ sounds highfalutin and names like that create their own problems. For a start, it suggests that strategic is a timeframe. But do you do plan annually? And does strategic mean two years or five, or even thirty? Naming the timeframes strategic, operational or even tactical just confuses. Just…1 min read1 min read
Dec 14, 2022Don’t have an agenda, have a purposeSo you’re about to setup up a meeting. Stop right there! Have you checked whether you actually need a meeting? Many don’t, but let’s assume you did. Now, your meeting — what’s it about? No, don’t tell me the agenda. That’s just a shopping list of topics. As Kristoffer growls…1 min read1 min read
Dec 7, 2022The key to your compensation as an employee — how much do customers want what you provideDo you have a job? Good. Here’s something you might not know. But you need to. You are a business. And your knowledge, experience and skills are the product. You ultimately have one customer — the organisation which pays you. …2 min read2 min read
