by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Mindset, Productivity, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 45 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: These Movies Will Help You Innovate and Work Better
— From The Little Black Book of Innovation: How It Works, How to Do It by Scott D. Anthony
What happens when you don’t have enough resources to innovate or to do what the gurus and the books say you should do? A modified version of this question is what author Scott D. Anthony received from a workshop attendee.
It is not uncommon to feel that there are never enough resources, and the answer, according to Anthony in his book The Little Black Book of Innovation, comes from pop culture: movies. Specifically, the author cites these movies to help you innovate and work better: Under the Dome, Zombieland, and Honey, I shrunk the kids.
Under the Dome is a book by Stephen King (the king of horror) made into a movie, where the residents of Chester’s Mill, a fictional town, suddenly find themselves trapped under a dome covering the entire town. “The dome lets in enough air to let people live but blocks out everything else,” says Anthony.
“People too frequently approach innovation like the residents of Chester’s Mill, that is, they feel as if they have to do everything themselves, but the best innovators are constantly looking to connect with outside resources. Break free of the dome and find outsiders who are keenly motivated to help you. […] Sometimes innovators seem to think they get extra credit for doing things themselves. In fact, the best innovators have a degree of humility in that they recognize their own limitations. […] The resources at your disposal need not end at your floor, building or–if you are in a large company–department. The world can literally be your oyster if you look at it in the right way. Breaking free of the dome can help you extend your resources.”
Zombieland is a gory movie in which lots of zombies get killed. The point of mentioning this movie has nothing to do with the plot itself, but merely as a reference to “zombies, the walking undead,” says the author.
“If you look closely at the way most companies approach innovation, you see a surprisingly high number of zombie projects. That is, projects with little hope, some of which have been officially shut down, but linger on. Individuals suffer from this zombie-project problem as well: ask how many items on your to-do list really matter… Time management experts suggest that you are probably working on too many things that seem urgent but really aren’t that important. So, start by cutting out the 30% of things that are shuffling zombies. If you are a senior leader in a large corporation, you have to look for zombie divisions or product lines too.”
Honey, I shrunk the kids serves as an apt metaphor for finding resources for innovation, says Anthony. “Cut the size of the zombie projects by 30-50%. Why? Small teams almost always move faster than large teams. Well-oiled teams with a single master can be powerful, but they are the exception… These efforts to reduce the team size allow you to increase focus and financial resources on high-potential ideas that are getting close to a major inflection point, or on new initiatives. You aren’t magically creating more resources here, you’re just making sure that you get the most of your resources by organizing appropriately.”
And there you have your pop-culture answer to the question on how to innovate when you don’t have resources galore. Thinking about the lessons in these movies will help you innovate and work better!
Have you seen any other movies that have sparked ideas for business or innovation? Please share them in the comments here, I’d love to know.
ACTION
TODAY: Make a list of all the activities and projects in which you are currently working. Find the zombies and kill them or shrink them. Of the remaining activities that you are involved in, where can you escape the dome? What can you delegate, outsource or simply ask for help to someone who can do it faster, better, cheaper, or just more efficiently and effectively, overall?
FUTURE: Whenever you find yourself filled with zombie projects (yes, just as the “real” zombies, these projects are relentless…) get in your best zombie-exterminator mindset and get rid of them. Make these movie references a part of your vocabulary to help you innovate, work better, and be more effective when you need to, they come in very handy!
Know a movie buff or two who would like this post? Please share it with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Goals, Growth, Mindset, Miniseries, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 55 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: There are Seven Kinds of Intelligence – What’s Yours?
— From Aha!: 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas by Jordan Ayan
In the past post, we learned from Jordan Ayan about the most common misconceptions about creativity. In his book Aha!, the author points out that the misconceptions are simply the result of limiting beliefs, and urges us to analyze our thoughts to see whether there are any of these beliefs that we are clinging to, thus, hindering our creativity.
Ayan also says, “Related to the myth of the creative personality is a deep-seated belief that creativity is a reflection of intellectual ability. Too many of us think that ‘true’ creativity is the birthright of the gifted.”
However, this is another limiting belief. It’s simply a misaligned thought that, when correctly aligned, can do wonders for our creativity.
And how do we align it? That’s easy!
The author points to seven kinds of intelligence through which we can express our own creativity. He says, “Each of us is usually dominant in one or two of these intelligences, but each of us has a unique combination of all seven that we can explore and tap into throughout our lives.” And that wonderful, unique combination of your intelligences added to your curiosities and talents is what results in YOU being your fabulous and creative YOU.
Here are the seven kinds of intelligence:
- Verbal/linguistic: the ability to manipulate words in their oral or written form.
- Mathematical/logical: the ability to manipulate number systems and logical concepts.
- Spatial: the ability to see and manipulate patterns and designs.
- Musical: the ability to understand and manipulate musical concepts such as tone, rhythm and harmony.
- Bodily-kinesthetic: the ability to use one’s body and movement, such as in sports or dance.
- Intrapersonal: the ability to understand one’s feelings and to be reflective and philosophical.
- Interpersonal: the ability to understand other people and their thoughts and feelings.
Ayan emphasizes, “Whatever narrow visions you may have had in the past about your intelligence and creative potential, it is time to expand them and give yourself permission to experiment and find new ways to use your mind. […] Think in terms of your seven intelligences. Get up the courage to play on a much larger field and to pursue your inspiration wherever it may lie. If you are a scientist, you may very well… explore your desire to become a watercolor painter or musician. If you are an executive, you may find… how to tap into your intuition and become a stronger problem solver. There is ultimately no limit… to achieve a more creative lifestyle.”
ACTION
TODAY: The author asks us to think about the following questions: (1) How does your strongest intelligence relate to your job? Does your profession reflect your area of strength? (2) What hobbies or creative pursuits do you have and how do they relate to your intelligences? (3) If you could pick one of the intelligences [that you think is not one of your strengths] to develop, which would it be?
FUTURE: Whenever you get stuck trying to solve a problem or thinking about how to do something, come back to this list of seven kinds of intelligence. Maybe the one you are applying is not necessarily the best one for the job. Think about other ways to solve it or accomplish what you need to do using some other intelligence. You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve!
Know someone who would like to learn about the seven kinds of intelligence? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Growth, Mindset, Miniseries
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 28 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Misconceptions About Creativity
— From Aha!: 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas by Jordan Ayan
There are so many misunderstandings and misconceptions about creativity and being a creative personality, that it occurred to me to write about this when I came across the topic in Jordan Ayan’s book Aha!
I used to believe that I was not creative. As a matter of fact, I remember when I first met with one of my mentors to determine whether we were a good fit for each other… He asked me if I was creative and I emphatically said no (#notproud). Back then, I really thought creativity was solely for artistic endeavors related to plastic or performing arts, and since I can’t draw, I can’t play an instrument for the life or mine, and I have two left feet when I dance, I sincerely thought I was not creative, period. It was thanks to my mentor that I understood that we are all creative, regardless of the field we are in or the problem we are trying to solve. Fast forward to today, I do consider myself a very creative person. #MentorsRock!
And just in case you’re doubting your creativity or know someone who is, Ayan says, “Creative people come in all sizes and shapes, and they are found in every profession. In fact, history is full of examples clearly demonstrating that brilliant ideas… emanate from a wide spectrum of individuals.”
However, there is a very common and “deep-seated belief that creativity is a reflection of intellectual ability. Too many of us think that ‘true’ creativity is the birthright of the gifted.” Nothing could be farther from the truth.
See if you identify with any of these misconceptions:
- Creativity cannot be learned, either you’re creative or you’re not.
- I’m a logical-type person; logic and creativity can’t coexist.
- I have never produced a “masterpiece,” therefore I am not creative.
Ayan comments, “All these views reflect preconceived notions and prejudices that can severely stifle your creative development. They are all ‘limiting beliefs’ that cause you to abandon learning and trying. In some cases, these limiting beliefs are based on doubts from childhood or early adulthood that continue to haunt you. In other cases, the limiting beliefs are based on our society’s strong ‘product’ orientation, which causes people to give up their creative work unless they can make something others will like or buy. The problem with any type of limiting belief is that it essentially puts the cart before the horse. It makes you think, before you even try to create, that your efforts will fail.”
Finally, the author encourages us to leave those limiting beliefs and narrow visions of our creativity aside and to give ourselves permission “to experiment and find new ways to use [our] mind.”
He points out to seven kinds of intelligence that I will share in the next post, so please stay tuned as we will learn about these channels through which to express our creativity. No matter who we are or what our profession is, we are all creative.
In the meantime, tell me in the comments here, have you ever thought you were not creative? Have you ever thought creativity was in the realm of someone else’s profession? Aren’t you glad we are clearing up those misconceptions? I know I am!
ACTION
TODAY: Think about the misconceptions that you have about your own creativity. Do you feel you were creative as a child and then it simply went away? Do you think you do not live/work in a creative realm? Ayan asks us to “Reflect on any doubts that block your ability to develop and expand your creative spirit. Abandon these fears and let yourself begin with a clean slate.”
FUTURE: Whenever you get stuck or find yourself falling into a negative or limiting belief about your creativity, remember that you can always wipe out the past and start anew. The concept of a clean slate is something that we all have at our disposal to wipe our thoughts clean and start again with more positive beliefs that take us in the direction of our goals.
Know someone who would like this post? Please share it with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Creativity, Goals, Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The Endless To-Do List
— From: Habit Changers: 81 Game-Changing Mantras to Mindfully Realize Your Goals by M. J. Ryan
I love Habit Changers: it’s a little book by M. J. Ryan that always seems to have the right answer for what I’m searching…
In this case, I was all worked up because, no matter what I do, work is never-ending. And Ryan has a very simple mantra for this that says, “Don’t worry, your to-do list is endless…” and she really means both the no worrying part as well as the endless to-do list!
Since I can imagine that most of us become overwhelmed at times with all that we have to do, I thought I’d share this quote from the book with you. It goes with my best wishes so that you can get rid of the anxiety that plagues us all when we have a crazy day (or several in a row) and our list seems interminable!
“This one’s for you if you are someone who stresses about trying to get everything done and/or feels anxious that your to-do list is too long, your email in-box too full. I promise you that no one gets to the end of the list or has an empty e-mail in-box–well, maybe for an hour or two, but if fills up again in a blink of an eye. We all have too much to do, and when you try to finish it all, you only put unnecessary pressure on yourself and cause yourself to work beyond the point of exhaustion. Doing the important work is hard enough–no need to add the extra pressure of presuming you should be superhuman. I’ve recommended this habit changer to dozens of people to help them stop beating themselves up over what is left undone.”
And this reminds me of an entry in Tim Urban’s blog Wait But Why that I read a while back. It’s called 100 Blocks a Day. The premise is very simple: between the time you are awake and the time you go to sleep you have approximately 100 “blocks” of 10 min each on a daily basis. How many blocks will you devote to each of your activities? Which tasks take up the bulk of your blocks? Is what you do during those blocks worth the time you spend doing it? What else should you do? What should you stop doing?
Lots of food for thought! How do you deal with your to-do list and with your blocks of time? Let me know in the comments here.
ACTION
TODAY: Do you have what seems like an endless to-do list? (Welcome to the club!) Here’s how I dealt with my overwhelm today: Remember that the list is there to serve you, not the other way around. Ask yourself these questions: How can you simplify your to-dos? What can you outsource, delegate, defer, or simply not do? Give some deep thought to each item on your to-do list today. Is everything in there absolutely necessary? Is there something that you can break down into a minimal component to make progress on that and continue tomorrow or next week?
FUTURE: I consider myself quite productive, yet sometimes I take on too much. When that is the case for you, consider putting some non-essential parts of your life on hold until you can return to them. For example, I’m working on several projects, and I also signed up for an online course. I was trying to do it all, but the truth is I can’t. So, I have given myself two weeks to finish the current projects, and then I will start again taking my online classes, otherwise, I’ll get overwhelmed with trying to do too much. Look at your to-do wants vs. your to-do needs and focus on the essential first. You can always return to the non-essential later.
Know someone who has an endless to-do list? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Creativity, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Planning, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 55 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: On Batman and Perfectionism…
— From Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong by Eric Barker
Have you ever tried something once, failed, and given up? Or have you ever wanted to try something but got lost in the planning, analysis paralysis, or some other logistical problem that impeded you from even starting out? If so, you are not alone.
A lot of us have a perfectionist streak that wreaks havoc when it rears its ugly head. We want to be like superheroes: do everything right from the start and get the biggest, highest, and best result possible while we’re at it, the first time–of course–and then move on to the next success. But, how well has that perfectionism served us? (Ugh, don’t get me started…)
In his wonderful book, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, author Eric Barker takes a look at Batman from a perfectionism and success perspective. I liked this passage so much that I’m leaving it here intact for you:
“The Caped Crusader is among the most relatable of superheroes. He doesn’t possess any superpowers. Being a billionaire and having a collection of cool gadgets helps, but it doesn’t change the one overriding problem with staying Batman: he can never lose a fight. While a professional boxer with a record of thirty wins and one loss is very impressive, for the Dark Knight it means death. The villains of Gotham don’t let referees stop the bouts. So to be Batman means never losing. Ever. You cannot afford to fail. So if you did everything it takes to become the Dark Knight, how long could you maintain that perfect record? Luckily, we can draw on research, Yes, this has been studied. (God, I love science.)
Paul Zehr, a professor at the University of Victoria, looked at comparable athletes to get a rough idea. He studied the records of top boxers, MMA fighters, and NFL running backs. How long could they stay undefeated and without a crippling injury? How long could you stay Batman?
Three years. Yup, that’s it.
Let’s hope Gotham’s criminal element consists of more jaywalkers and fewer evil masterminds, because… you’re not going to have a lot of time to clean up the city.
Luckily, you’re not trying to be Batman. But too often you and I act like we are. We think we always have to be perfect. One failure and it’s all over. But you’re not Batman. You can fail and quit and learn. In fact, that’s the only way you can learn.”
How do you manage to keep your perfectionism in check? Let me know in the comments here.
ACTION
TODAY: Figure out where you are trying to become Batman. Ask yourself why 5 times. This will uncover the real reason behind you trying to act like a superhero on this project. Once the core issue is revealed, you can allow yourself to try to do it and not be devastated or quit altogether if you fail.
FUTURE: Give yourself permission to test or play with situations or projects to familiarize yourself with them. This way, will you be able to try, try, and try again, and accumulate knowledge about small and big failures, so that you can either continue down that path or find a better one. Don’t pin the failure on you, treat each project as an experiment and it will be easier to see yourself in “testing mode.”
Know someone who sometimes acts like Batman? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Resolutions, Tools, Wellbeing, Willpower
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 59 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Only 19% of People Keep Their New Year’s Resolutions. How Do They Do It?
–From Careful: A User’s Guide to Our Injury-Prone Minds by Steve Casner
In the past post we learned the things that do not work to keep our New Year’s resolutions alive: thinking that it’s just a matter or commitment or willpower, deluding ourselves with wishful thinking, and flooding our minds with negative thoughts.
In this post we will learn the things that work well to be among the 19% of folks who were successful in keeping their resolutions going after 2 years.
But don’t expect something grandiose accompanied with great fanfare. According to Steve Casner, author of Careful, “It’s the little stuff that matters.”
And I agree with him on this. If you look at our lives, they are made of moments, small moments and small actions that—when compounded—create the milestones and the successes that we envisioned as our goals.
So, what are these small things, you ask?
Social support. “[This] was named as a strong contributing factor by the successful 19%, especially after 6 months had gone by.” Social support usually takes the form of enrolling ourselves or other people with psychological contracts.
A psychological contract “is a promise to do this or not do that, with the exception that it isn’t written down.” These are very common. We may know them better as pinky swears or pinky promises. You promise to someone else that you will do something, and/or they promise you that they will do something, for instance, your best friend going with you to the gym every morning at 6 am.
You don’t have a written contract with your friend or with yourself, but the idea of your friend waiting for you at the gym in the morning makes you jump out of bed and get ready to go, instead of hitting the snooze button. These types of psychological contracts are nothing new. The key is that they are made not to be broken, and when there is a social bond they are much harder—if not almost impossible—to break.
“Apparently, when we promise someone that we are going to do something, it seems we are rather inclined to do it,” says Casner. So, go ahead and find a friend, and pinky swear over your goals.
The author also mentions an ingenious way to remind us to do/not do things: the nagging power of children. “Described as an awesome renewable resource… [we should] enlist our kids to become nagging machines programmed to keep their parents [resolutions].” So, if you have kids, enlist them to help you out, it will be very effective, albeit it may drive you a bit crazy…
Reminders. “The 19% who made it to the 2-year mark consistently reported that they used reminders, and they reported using them at every stage of their success. During the first week, after a month, after six months, after two years, they used reminders. Reminders can be little things left anywhere in your environment that prompt you [about your resolution]. You can even use reminders to help you remember pinky swears that you’ve made.”
Reminders can be anything: wearing one of those flat rubber bracelets with an inscription to remind you of your goals, tying a string, changing a ring or watch to the opposite hand, post it notes, an alarm on your phone… really, anything that helps you avoid deviating from your resolutions works!
Rewards. These were mentioned by the New Year’s resolvers as a very helpful tool as well, especially after the first few weeks and also after the two years had passed. Rewards can also be anything you want them to be, big or small, free or expensive… it all depends on you and the milestones you have to go through to reach your goals.
And finally, nothing like practice, practice, practice. Do what you need to do to accomplish your resolutions. Do it over, and over, and over again, until it becomes so ingrained that you don’t even think about it.
As you can see these things are rather simple, yet they are not easy, otherwise a much higher percentage of the New Year’s resolvers would fulfill their goals. Just remember what Casner said earlier: “It’s the little stuff that matters,” and keep focusing on taking one step at a time.
ACTION
TODAY: If you’ve given up on your resolutions, think about them again—it’s not too late. Find a friend to help you, or pinky swear over something. Set reminders and a schedule of rewards for every milestone you’ll go through. Then get started and practice, practice, practice.
FUTURE: These little things that help people stick to a goal are not exclusive to New Year’s resolutions—they work for any goal. Use them when you set goals to help you accomplish them.
Know someone who would like this post? Please share it via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
