Super Tardy Bumper Edition
I’ve been doing…
Hello… welcome to Braindump: Super Tardy Bumper Edition. I totally skipped doing a post last week (despite having had it mostly written up) and then I somehow managed to drift through till today (Monday) to write this weeks up. I suspect this is a result of some spectacular self-deception as I’ve been finding all manner of distractions and interruptions to avoid my usual weekly reflective routine.
I’ve found that the times that these things are really hard to write are normally also the times where it’s important to write them.. or at the very least contemplate why I don’t want to write them.
Instead of fiddling with my phone on the train to work this morning I made a conscious effort to stop and reflect on my non-reflection.
- My ‘work in progress’ pile has been steadily creeping up on me and I’ve been remiss in keeping it under control. It mostly consists of the not-urgent-and-mildly-routine (aka.. my own personal kryptonite). I suspect it’s exerting a good portion of demotivational drag.
- There are two bits of work that are currently on hold that I’ve realised I derive quite a bit of satisfaction and purpose from. I think I’m keenly feeling the absence of doing this work and as a result feel like I’m not learning as much and have less to reflect on.
- My mantra for this year is… ‘You can do anything, but you can’t do everything’. There are some non-work-related things that I’m trying to focus on. To make headspace to do these things it means I almost certainly have to stop doing other things because I feel I’m hitting the limit in terms of diminishing returns. I think I’m experiencing some discomfort from trying to change where my time is *normally* invested. I’m usually pretty good a tracking my progress work-wise, but less so for the non-work stuff.. which is perhaps why I’m freaking out about feeling like I’m drifting somewhat.
What can I do about this?
For starters, I need to smash that work in progress to get the ‘I ticked something off the list’ endorphins flowing again. If work has hit a bit of (hopefully temporary) lull in terms of challenge, I should probably embrace it as it’ll enable me to pour more of my time and energy into the non-work stuff that I intend to tackle. And lastly, I need to be better about tracking my non-work related goals because I’m liable to get fed up and resort back to old habits if I don’t feel progress is being made.
Apologies for subjecting you to that mini-counselling session. Here’s some interesting stuff to read to make up for it. 🙂
I’ve been reading…
- S02E09: Why do you write like you’re running out of time?
https://weeknot.es/s02e09-why-do-you-write-like-youre-running-out-of-time-3237dcab5999 - Feeling useful. Weeknotes s2e04.
https://weeknot.es/feeling-useful-3a9eef45127b
by Ben Cubbon. - Weeknotes S03 Ep05.
https://weeknot.es/weeknotes-s03-ep05-877e1766032e
by Sam Villis. - There are no perfect solutions, only trade-offs.
https://medium.com/swlh/there-are-no-perfect-solutions-only-trade-offs-8c8757d12d33 - How I sharpened up my flipcharts and you could too. https://medium.com/the-satori-lab/how-i-sharpened-up-my-flipcharts-and-you-could-too-319e45470001
by Ben Proctor. - Here’s how Finland solved its homelessness problem. https://medium.com/world-economic-forum/heres-how-finland-solved-its-homelessness-problem-568a077ac855
- Designing a team day on working to purpose.
https://medium.com/doing-better-things/designing-a-team-day-on-working-to-purpose-b2c0dce03e01
by Dyfrig Williams. - Universal basic income. It’s a human right to have enough money to live on.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/our-voices/battle-of-ideas/universal-basic-income-ubi-human-rights-money-poverty-help-living-costs-a8190326.html - Pathways towards economics security and universal basic income.
https://www.thersa.org/discover/publications-and-articles/rsa-blogs/2018/02/pathways-towards-economic-security-and-universal-basic-income-new-rsa-report - Weeknotes S3 Ep04.
https://weeknot.es/weeknotes-s3-ep04-f4b9cf93a20b
by Sam Villis. - How to innovate on the operating model of public services.
https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/how-innovate-operating-model-public-services - The house that spied on me.
https://gizmodo.com/the-house-that-spied-on-me-1822429852 - Quite enthusiastic about agile.
https://medium.com/digital-leaders-uk/quite-enthusiastic-about-agile-50770e9b3620 - Can you deliver a great customer journey without human contact?
https://medium.com/@PaulBromford/can-you-deliver-a-great-customer-journey-without-human-contact-dd355980c1ed - Bring your own software.
https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/2018/02/07/bring-your-own-software/ - Markets don’t work like they used to — and people are starting to notice.
https://wearecitizensadvice.org.uk/markets-dont-work-like-they-used-to-and-people-are-starting-to-notice-af00ed38014d - Innovating in public sector organisations — finding a path amongst the rules.
https://medium.com/@MelRayment/finding-the-breakthrough-path-amongst-the-rules-b4d19c5f87b1 - Reflections on being a service designer in the third sector.
https://louisemushet.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/reflections-on-being-a-service-designer-in-the-third-sector/ - Pre-work: Visual note taking.
https://medium.com/swlh/1-pre-work-visual-note-taking-38b1f27f7ef4 - No organisation can afford to be too busy for the luxury of play.
https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/2018/02/07/making-time-for-play/ - What’s the point of innovation labs? A #blabchat roundup.
http://www.bromfordlab.com/lab-diary/2018/2/6/whats-the-point-of-innovation-labs-a-blabchat-round-up
by Bromford Lab. - Three lessons from Doteveryone’s digital leadership program.
https://medium.com/doteveryone/three-lessons-from-doteveryones-digital-leadership-programme-af276a6f8d93 - Setting the foundations for a psychologically informed approach: A housing association perspective. https://serenamjones.wordpress.com/2017/11/25/setting-the-foundations-for-a-psychologically-informed-approach-a-housing-association-perspective/
- Do you trust this company? How to use UX design to safeguard users privacy.
https://uxplanet.org/do-you-trust-this-company-how-to-use-ux-design-to-safeguard-users-privacy-68e39aed9ba0 - New Years Eve 2017 Chatbot.
https://medium.com/@SmartLondon/new-years-eve-2017-chatbot-f5be2c851429
I’ve been listening to…
- The Economist: The World in 2018… Technology and us.
http://pca.st/SD1g - The Alternatives: how a Liverpool suburb upended its housing market. http://pca.st/jX2q
- WB-40: Working Out Loud.
http://pca.st/9yPe - Innovation Hub: 500 years of social network.
http://pca.st/DM6b - TED Talks Daily: Capitalism isn’t an ideology — it’s an operating system.
Bhu Srinivasan
http://pca.st/M6UK - How VR can change your brain (Jeremy Bailenson, author, ‘Experience on Demand’)
http://pca.st/Z8X7 - IWA Debate: Balancing technology and a tender touch. What should be the digital priorities for the Welsh NHS?
http://pca.st/q5G - Post work: The radical idea of a world without work.
http://pca.st/1yEM