Emergent: January 2019
This month: Take baby steps, share your failures, The Art of Innovation, touchscreen gloves, and more 2019 productivity resolutions.
Emergent is a monthly newsletter that features Noah’s ideas, writing, podcasts, and other things that are capturing his attention. Subscribe here.
Welcome to 2019! Hopefully, you’re sticking to your resolutions in these first few weeks of the new year. Since productivity resolutions are usually on the list for most entrepreneurs, I thought I’d feature a few of my favorites this month. Some are new and some not so new, but still very applicable.
I hope you enjoy this month’s reading. If you like what you see or have some suggestions, drop me a line at noah@paloalto.com.
Thanks for reading!
Noah
1. This month’s productivity resolutions
For me at least, it can be easy to get into analysis paralysis. Am I making the right decision on hiring someone? Should I commit to a potential business trip or not?
It turns out there’s an easier way to handle these types of decisions, using a simple method pioneered by Derek Sivers. Essentially, Derek says that if you’re not 100% into an idea, the answer should be “no.” Check out his thoughts and read The New York Times’ take on the topic.
Making quick decisions can greatly improve your productivity as you cut out all of the analysis time. This framework has been a go-to of mine for quite a while now. Learn more now.
Big tasks can often be the most important things on my to-do list, but they’re the easiest to procrastinate. They just seem like huge mountains to climb, so it’s tempting to grab simpler tasks off the list instead. But, one way to deal with those big tasks is to break them up into much smaller tasks that are easy to accomplish.
This idea is sometimes called “micro productivity” and it can be the key to unlocking your to-do list. Check out this article on Trello’s blog about how to make this process work for you. Read it now.
To make your team more productive, start sharing your failures instead of your accomplishments. This can seem counterintuitive, but leaders who only talk about their successes tend to breed cultures of envy rather than admiration. Beyond that, failures teach lessons that your team can learn from.
There’s a great article in Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge that tells you exactly how and why you should share your failures to inspire your team. Read it now.
2. This month’s favorite book
If you’re looking to come up with new, creative ideas for the new year, then I highly recommend Tom Kelley’s “The Art of Innovation.” Kelley is the head of famed design studio IDEO, and his book details the processes his company uses to come up with innovative solutions to problems. It’s a framework that can be used by anyone in any business and I highly recommend it. Get it from Amazon.
3. This month’s best purchase
Want to keep your hands warm when you answer the phone, or send a quick text while out walking the dog during the winter months? A nice pair of touchscreen gloves is a worthwhile investment.
I like these ones from Black Diamond. They’re not the absolute warmest, but are perfect for chilly Oregon mornings. Check them out.
Thoughtfully curated and created in Eugene, OR.
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