A month in nudenotes: Jan 2019
A monthly round-up of Dean O’Callaghan’s #nudenotes
Over at Night Sky Creative, I post a weekly roundup of all things nudenotes.
If you’re wondering what nudenotes are, everything you need to know is right here:
https://medium.com/night-sky-creative/the-nudenotes-revolution-2c1bbdec9d30
In this series of Medium articles, I compile a monthly summary of all things nudenotes, alongside my insights and some key takeaways.
Every Monday on my Instagram feed, I start the week by sharing some sketchquotes, to help us get over that bad case of the Mondays:
My favourite quote from this month was from Fabian Geyrhalter:
“Simplicity in design and depth in message are key to a successful identity design”
Fabian’s book, Bigger Than This, is an amazing read — I definitely recommend it for all those interested in branding.
I have made a series of booknotes on it which you can see here.
There is also a link to his website where you can download a high-resolution PDF of all my notes on his book.
Beware of These 5 Motivation Killers
From LifeHacks.org
Having motivation makes every task easier and more enjoyable, especially when you're at work.
These are five sneaky motivation killers — things that you can identify and stop before they kill your drive.
Keep your motivation safe and stay happy at your work.
Key takeaway: Don’t be afraid!
As I wrote in my nudenotes:
“Probably the single biggest obstacle to success- view obstacles as feedback and not a failure. Allow them to fine-tune your direction towards success.”
I believe a big part of the fear of failure is actually tied to the desire for perfection.
Nothing is perfect the first time around the quicker you are able to realise everything can be improved, the smaller your fear of failure becomes.
How to Finish What You Start
By Celestine Chua from personalexcellence.com
Are you like me, and have a tonne of half-finished projects?
It’s time to get those projects over the finish line.
Here are ten handy tips to ensure you see those projects to completion, no matter your fatigue, burn out or loss of interest.
Key takeaway: Just finish!
There will always be room for improvement; don’t let your perfectionism get in the way of progress.
Look for opportunities in your ‘minimal viable product’.
Finished is always better than not finished — learn to see your creative projects as a continuing process of learning, creating and developing.
How To Win Friends and Influence People
By Dale Carnegie, based on his book of the same name.
How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the best-selling books of all time, and I still can’t believe it was written in 1936!
There are so many crazy statistics about this book, it’s amazing — it went through 17 editions in its first year of publishing, has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and made number 19 in ‘Time’ magazine’s 100 most influential books in 2011.
I think I need to schedule some time to read this one again.
Are there any books that any of you have read that you want to read again?
Key takeaway: How often do you hear “they’re a people person”?
When I hear people say this, they suggest that people are born with the skill of being a people person, but this is simply not true.
It is a skill just like any other, it can be learned, developed and mastered — just like riding a bike.
No matter your personality type, introvert or extrovert, you too can master the skills of making friends and influencing people, and this book it a great place to start.
The KonMari Method
From Marie Kondo, based on an infographic from MakeSpace
I am obsessed with this new Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo — maybe you’ve heard of it (!).
It makes me want to reorganise my house for a better lifestyle — this idea is so appealing to my near-obsessive organising nature.
To help me sort out my house, I hunted down this concise six-step cheatsheet from MakeSpace.
HThis will keep me get to grips with the KonMari Method until I get my hands on her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
I hope this nudenote sparks joy for all of you and inspires you to start the spring clean a little earlier this year.
Key takeaway: Tidiness is the lubrication for living.
Okay, that sounds weird, but hear me out…
When everything is in its place, neatly organised in your home (or life), the process of living day to day becomes much easier.
Your house and belongs work at their best for you.
For example, when you get up in the morning…
“What do I wear?”
“Where is that T-shirt?”
“That T-shirt doesn’t go with these trousers!”
Mad panic ensues.
When your clothes are tidy and organised (Marie Kondo style), you can see everything you own clearly; making choosing clothes quick and easy.
No more mad panic.
The same applies to everything you do in your house.
The Four Keys to BOLD HR
By Josh Bersin, discovered via @tnvora blog
I found it interesting that all fourof the areas presented by Josh Bersin have a massive cross-over into the design process as well as creative leadership.
“Business leaders who are bold in their thinking are 11× more likely to succeed”
- Zenger Folkman Research
Key takeaway: Fortune favours the bold!
As Josh Bersin says on his website:
“This is an exciting time for the HR profession. The global economy is growing, recruitment is more competitive than ever, and a new generation of workers is demanding opportunities and changes to the way we work. Now, more than ever, is the time for HR to be bold, reinvent, and lead our organisations into the new world of work.”
It’s time to bring HR into the 21st century — creating businesses and organisations that deliver exciting working environments for everyone.
The Incomplete Manifesto For Growth
By Bruce Mau
I have to admit that I haven’t actual seen the complete list, only the odd quote.
I’m not sure I entirely agree with all 43 points, but I still found it inspiring.
Once I found these quotes, I fell into a Youtube binge of Bruce Mau interviews and presentations.
I love his holistic approach to design — it’s surprising how relevant it is even after two decades.
Key takeaway: Think holistically.
When I use to do large-scale life drawings at Art College (1 or 2 metres square), it was common to get focus in on a tiny section of the drawing, getting sucked into it.
It wasn’t until you stood back that you realised that the detail you had spent hours drawing was completely wrong for the overall composition.
Getting a wider perspective on a problem can unlock a deeper issue which would be more deserving of your attention.
Think beyond the problem you are trying to solve, think two or three steps ahead.
5 Simple Steps to Improve Your Decision Making
Inspired by an article from Forbes by Alex McClafferty.
As a designer, we make decisions all day, every day.
It doesn’t always go smoothly or come easy.
Here are five steps that can help simplify the process, giving you have more time to get to the real problem and provide the best solution.
Key takeaway: Ask searching questions.
As Alex says in his article, “to solve difficult problems, you need to make difficult decisions”.
The right question at the right time should lead to a gold nugget of insight or knowledge that has the power to completely change your approach to a problem.
Master the art of questioning and you will master the art of solving peoples problems.
That was a month in nudenotes — stay tuned for more articles like this in the future.
Feel free to DM me on Instagram or post a response with any new topics you’d like me to create nudenotes for, and look into.
Until next time… In case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good morning and good night.
Can’t wait until next time?
Then head over to Instagram and follow me @deanoj312.
Or head over to nightskycreative.org for weekly updates on everything in the world of nudenotes!
