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REPOST

ROUNDUP: Deep Work

by Ron Potter
A Note From the Editor:
As we recently mentioned, we are reposting popular blog posts while Ron is recovering from some health issues. A few years on, we’re looking back at some posts Ron wrote at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Ron’s Short Review: This book changed my habit of getting meaningful work done. I have carved out time every month to isolate myself and my thinking on particular projects. The productivity improvement has been astounding.

Deep Work

The COVID-19 virus may be offering the opportunity that you’ve been looking for to stand-out in a crowded world.  In his book Deep Work by Cal Newton he makes some great points about Deep Work and the lack of it.

One of the things that Cal says is:

To remain valuable in our economy you must master the art of quickly learning complicated things. This task requires deep work. If you don’t cultivate this ability, you’re likely to fall behind as technology advances.”

“A McKinsey study found that the average knowledge worker now spends more than 60 percent of the workweek engaged in electronic communication and Internet searching, with close to 30 percent of a worker’s time dedicated to reading and answering e-mail alone.

This state of fragmented attention cannot accommodate deep work, which requires long periods of uninterrupted thinking. At the same time, however, modern knowledge workers are not loafing. In fact, they report that they are as busy as ever. What explains the discrepancy? A lot can be explained by another type of effort, which provides a counterpart to the idea of deep work:
Shallow Work: Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate.”

How not to be replaced by a computer

The “easy to replicate” emphasis is my note.  Why did I highlight that particular statement?  Because when something is easy to replicate it means that a person who makes less wages can easily to the same work.  More importantly, a computer can be taught to do easily replicable work.  Your job is in danger of becoming computerized if you don’t shift from shallow work to deep work!

How do you counter this danger of being replaced by either cheaper labor or a computer?  You learn, practice, and become good at and known for your deep work and deep thinking.

Cultivate Deep Work (Thinking)

You can pick up almost any article, magazine, podcast or post that will tell you how to survive working from home.  These sources talk about

  • Get started early (don’t let your day get away from you before it starts)
  • Act like you’re going to the office (wrong, take advantage of doing things differently)
  • Have a dedicated workspace (good idea, but focus on making it a non-interruptable workspace)
  • Go to coffee shops, libraries, public lounges (may not be a bad idea but discipline must tag along as well.  You can’t go to a coffee shop just so you can enjoy your favorite drink)  And during the pandemic, many of these public places are not even available to us.
  • Stay off the public media! (Great suggestion.)  Regardless of where you’re working from, stay off public media.

What you really need is the discipline and focus for deep work.

Living a life of Deep Work and Thought

As Cal Newton closes his book he says

Deep work is way more powerful than most people understand. To leave the distracted masses to join the focused few, I’m arguing, is a transformative experience.
The deep life requires hard work and drastic changes to your habits. For many, there’s a comfort in the artificial busyness of rapid e-mail messaging and social media posturing, while the deep life demands that you leave much of that behind.”

Isolation Advice

Then I was reading a Wall Street Journal article titled “Coronavirus Lockdown Lessons from Antarctica.”  The article looks at many of the scientific teams that populate Antarctica during the wintertime and are completely isolated.  They focus on one team in particular from Norway that works at the Troll station.

“On a recent evening, Troll’s six-person team put together a list of advice for those struggling with extended lockdowns.

    • Give people space…folks have to be allowed time on their own to read books, listen to music, watch television.
    • Don’t let problems linger and get bigger—talk about it from the start.
    • Stay active, and even if you are in a small place, move furniture and get fit.
    • Take a deep breath, this is a time to be curious”

Curiosity

I think curiosity is the foundation piece to deep work.  Wikipedia says

Curiosity is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans and other animals. Curiosity is heavily associated with all aspects of human development, in which derives the process of learning and desire to acquire knowledge and skill.”

Development and Learning

Notice that curiosity is heavily associated with development and learning.  I once had a friend who was fond of saying “as long as you’re like the little kid pulling his wagon up the hill, you’re doing fine.  But as soon as you stop exerting the effort to get up that hill and you sit down in your wagon to rest, you’ll find yourself at the bottom of the hill”

Reflection

I think the first thing to be curious about is yourself.  Socrates is quoted as saying “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”  I’ll give Socrates a pass because he was alive about 400 years before Jesus but the Bible says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Even if you don’t hold to the Christian faith, let’s put those two concepts together.  What they are really saying is that you must know who you are and how you fit into this life and humanity as a whole.  That doesn’t come easily.  A complete lack of this reflection is a sign of Psychopathy.  Just a few of the symptoms of Psychopathy include: Grandiose sense of self-worth, lack of remorse, guilt, or empathy.  Lack of long-term goals.  None of these symptoms show signs of self-reflection.  Start with yourself.

Notice that not having long-term goals is one of the signs associated with lack of self-reflection.  Where are you going?  What does the end of your journey look like?  What do you want to be remembered for?  These issues and others are not part of our busy lives, they are reached only by deep, reflective thought.

Opportunity

You’ve been handed an opportunity.  Don’t waste it!

  • What kind of person do you want to be?
  • How will you become a great leader?
  • What will make you an outstanding team member?
  • What is that thing inside you that you always wanted to learn or explore?

Build it into your routine.  Find a quiet place and a quiet time at least several times per week.  Force yourself to go quiet and think about these things.  You’ll come out the other end a better person.

This post was originally posted here and here on March 26 and April 23, 2020. This review was originally posted here on December 1, 2017.
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BlogLeadership

Deep Work in Isolation

by Ron Potter

I seldom do a quick follow up after a recent blog but the next couple of blogs have been triggered by reader feedback.

Recently many readers commented on the blog post titled “Coronavirus and Deep Work”.  In that post, I recommended that you not waste this forced time at home.  Use some of it to sit quietly and think deep thoughts.  We seldom get a chance to do that during our former work life even though it is much needed.  I referred to Cal Newton’s book Deep Work where he goes into much more detail.

Isolation Advice

Then today—April 17—I was reading a Wall Street Journal article titled “Coronavirus Lockdown Lessons from Antarctica.” The article looks at many of the scientific teams that populate Antarctica during the wintertime and are completely isolated.  They focus on one team in particular from Norway that works at the Troll station.

“On a recent evening, Troll’s six-person team put together a list of advice for those struggling with extended lockdowns.

    • Give people space…folks have to be allowed time on their own to read books, listen to music, watch television.
    • Don’t let problems linger and get bigger—talk about it from the start.
    • Stay active, and even if you are in a small place, move furniture and get fit.
    • Take a deep breath, this is a time to be curious”

Curiosity

I think curiosity is the foundation piece to deep work.  Wikipedia says

Curiosity is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans and other animals. Curiosity is heavily associated with all aspects of human development, in which derives the process of learning and desire to acquire knowledge and skill.”

Development and Learning

Notice that curiosity is heavily associated with development and learning.  I once had a friend who was fond of saying “as long as you’re like the little kid pulling his wagon up the hill, you’re doing fine.  But as soon as you stop exerting the effort to get up that hill and you sit down in your wagon to rest, you’ll find yourself at the bottom of the hill”

Reflection

I think the first thing to be curious about is yourself.  Socrates is quoted as saying “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”  I’ll give Socrates a pass because he was alive about 400 years before Jesus but the Bible says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Even if you don’t hold to the Christian faith, let’s put those two concepts together.  What they are really saying is that you must know who you are and how you fit into this life and humanity as a whole.  That doesn’t come easily.  A complete lack of this reflection is a sign of Psychopathy.  Just a few of the symptoms of Psychopathy include: Grandiose sense of self-worth, lack of remorse, guilt, or empathy.  Lack of long-term goals.  None of these symptoms show signs of self-reflection.  Start with yourself.

Notice that not having long-term goals is one of the signs associated with lack of self-reflection.  Where are you going?  What does the end of your journey look like?  What do you want to be remembered for?  These issues and others are not part of our busy lives, they are reached only by deep, reflective thought.

Opportunity

You’ve been handed an opportunity.  Don’t waste it!

  • What kind of person do you want to be?
  • How will you become a great leader?
  • What will make you an outstanding team member?
  • What is that thing inside you that you always wanted to learn or explore?

Build it into your routine.  Find a quiet place and a quiet time at least several times per week.  Force yourself to go quiet and think about these things.  You’ll come out the other end a better person.

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Coronavirus and Deep Work

by Ron Potter

I know, I know, enough of the Coronavirus already.  We’ve been self-isolated and at this point have no idea what to believe is true and what is hype.  What I do know is the interesting journey I’ve been on in relation to Deep Work.

Deep Work

The COVID-19 virus may be offering the opportunity that you’ve been looking for to stand-out in a crowded world.  In his book Deep Work by Cal Newton he makes some great points about Deep Work and the lack of it.

One of the things that Cal says is:

To remain valuable in our economy you must master the art of quickly learning complicated things. This task requires deep work. If you don’t cultivate this ability, you’re likely to fall behind as technology advances.”

“A McKinsey study found that the average knowledge worker now spends more than 60 percent of the workweek engaged in electronic communication and Internet searching, with close to 30 percent of a worker’s time dedicated to reading and answering e-mail alone.

This state of fragmented attention cannot accommodate deep work, which requires long periods of uninterrupted thinking. At the same time, however, modern knowledge workers are not loafing. In fact, they report that they are as busy as ever. What explains the discrepancy? A lot can be explained by another type of effort, which provides a counterpart to the idea of deep work:
Shallow Work: Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate.”

How not to be replaced by a computer

The “easy to replicate” emphasis is my note.  Why did I highlight that particular statement?  Because when something is easy to replicate it means that a person who makes less wages can easily to the same work.  More importantly, a computer can be taught to do easily replicable work.  Your job is in danger of becoming computerized if you don’t shift from shallow work to deep work!

How do you counter this danger of being replaced by either cheaper labor or a computer?  You learn, practice, and become good at and known for your deep work and deep thinking.

Cultivate Deep Work (Thinking)

You can pick up almost any article, magazine, podcast or post that will tell you how to survive working from home.  These sources talk about

  • Get started early (don’t let your day get away from you before it starts)
  • Act like you’re going to the office (wrong, take advantage of doing things differently)
  • Have a dedicated workspace (good idea, but focus on making it a non-interruptable workspace)
  • Go to coffee shops, libraries, public lounges (may not be a bad idea but discipline must tag along as well.  You can’t go to a coffee shop just so you can enjoy your favorite drink)  And during the pandemic, many of these public places are not even available to us.
  • Stay off the public media! (Great suggestion.)  Regardless of where you’re working from, stay off public media.

What you really need is the discipline and focus for deep work.

Living a life of Deep Work and Thought

As Cal Newton closes his book he says

Deep work is way more powerful than most people understand. To leave the distracted masses to join the focused few, I’m arguing, is a transformative experience.
The deep life requires hard work and drastic changes to your habits. For many, there’s a comfort in the artificial busyness of rapid e-mail messaging and social media posturing, while the deep life demands that you leave much of that behind.”

Take advantage of the opportunity being offered

We’re all looking for a silver lining to the isolation caused by our current pandemic.  Take advantage of the forced isolation to become a deep worker and deep thinker.  It will pay rewards that you can’t even think of at the moment.

 

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BlogLeadership

Remember the Alamo: Thoughts on Leadership

by Ron Potter
Creative Commons: Stuart Seeger

Creative Commons: Stuart Seeger

A phrase that to this day reminds Americans of selfless courage and heroic sacrifice is “Remember the Alamo.”
The early history of the Alamo did not signal that someday it would become a shrine of freedom. Originally named Misión San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo was used by missionaries for decades before the Spanish seized the site for nonreligious purposes in 1793.

The Alamo thereafter housed a changing guard of military units representing Spanish, Mexican, and rebel forces until December 1835 when Ben Milam led a group of Texan and Tejano volunteers in a siege against Mexican-occupied San Antonio. After several days of intense street fighting, Milam’s warriors drove the Mexicans from the city, and the Texans staked claim to and fortified the Alamo.

The Mexican General Santa Anna decided to teach the upstart rebels—and all Texans—a lesson. On about February 23, 1836, a contingent of thousands from Santa Anna’s army invaded San Antonio, and the battle was on. When the first shots were fired, only about 150 Texans were at the Alamo to mount a defense under the joint command of William B. Travis and Jim Bowie. The day after the battle began, Colonel Travis said: “I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country—victory or death.”1

Santa Anna’s troops battered the Alamo mercilessly. Travis and Bowie slipped couriers through enemy lines to go plead with residents of nearby communities to send reinforcements to defend San Antonio. On the eighth day of the siege, a small group of thirty-two volunteers from Gonzales finally arrived, bringing the number of defenders to about two hundred.2 The battle raged for another five days. As the likelihood of defeat increased, Travis gathered the men and drew a line in the dirt, asking the men willing to stay and fight to the death to step over. All but one did. Among those who stayed was the famous frontiersman David Crockett.

“The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo’s walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed.”3

None of the 189 soldiers defending the Alamo lived. The Mexican attackers lost an estimated sixteen hundred men.4 The Texans may have lost the battle at the Alamo, but their sacrifice so enraged and energized others in the territory that just six weeks later the Mexicans were defeated for good at San Jacinto. The rallying cry in that great victory was “Remember the Alamo.”

Colonel Travis was a leader who understood that perseverance for “the cause” is essential. Personal values translate into organizational values, and it takes persistence to communicate those values to everyone in the organization. Every day there are reasons to stray from deep personal values, but great leaders do not easily give them up or modify them in the face of pressure.

This kind of perseverance comes from a deep sense of purpose for life and from trusting in something outside ourselves. Personally, we believe it involves looking beyond ourselves and seeking to trust God for the answers, the vision, and the hope to persevere.

1. ‑The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, “The Alamo’s Historic Past.” Found at http://www.thealamo.org/history/historicpast.html.
2. ‑From “Alamo,” The New Columbia Encyclopedia (New York: Columbia University Press, 1975), 46.
3. ‑The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, “The Alamo’s Historic Past.” Found at http://www.thealamo.org/history/historicpast.html.

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Chart Your Path

by Ron Potter

I met Ashira Jones many years ago and she has always been a very stimulating force in my life.  I like the way she thinks and I like the way she acts.   She has a blog that you can find by using her name.

Curious

This is from an old blog of hers but it seemed appropriate for my circumstances at the moment.  The title is “Stay the course or chart your own path?”  I mentioned that my life had become too self-centered with the illness I was dealing with.  This list from Ashira is a good list about curiosity that can help you break out of that funk.

She says that if you pause to consider what you REALLY want in life, ask yourself these questions.

1. Are you where you want to be in life?  If not, what’s missing?

It’s so easy to live our life by default.  We roll with what comes along without thinking about what we want in life or where we should be.

I have another close friend, Fritz Seyferth.  Fritz is a Team Culture Coach.  His book is The Shift from Me to Team.  He is an incredible consultant and has helped many people and teams better themselves.  However, years ago we were talking about the percentage that really wants to get better.  It was purely a guess but the consultants around the table felt that if we were moving 6% of the people to 7%, we were probably doing well.  Are you a part of that 6-7% or are you just floating along?  As Ashira questions, are you what you want to be in life?

2. Is lifestyle creep limiting your options?

This is an interesting point that Ashira makes.  She says that lifestyle creep happens when increased income leads to discretionary spending.

It’s interesting to me because I retired (to a fixed income) several years ago.  Up to the point of retirement, I never thought very much about my spending.  While I didn’t get extremely extravagant, I did spend whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to without much thought.  Looking back I probably should have saved more and I certainly should have given away more.  Was lifestyle creep limiting my options?  Yes, I let it.

3. Can you articulate your top values?

I believe my values have always been relatively clear to me.  They probably could have been more focused.

Ashira talks about autonomy being at the top of her list.  I can see that in her.  She makes decisions that support and lives a life that supports that.  That might have been one of the reasons I’ve considered her an influential force in my life.

4. What patterns do you notice in your most frequent thoughts?

When I’m sitting and staring into space, my wife will often ask me what I’m thinking.  Sometimes it may take me a few minutes to put it into words but I am definitely in deep thought.

Unfortunately, I see too many people who are either afraid of being alone with their thoughts or just never developed the habit of paying attention to them.  Our social media with powerful computers in our hands has given people too many distractions.  It’s easy to avoid your own thoughts or spending any time contemplating what they mean to you.  That’s a very dangerous place to be.

5. What are you afraid of?

Ashira makes a really good point on this subject.  Fear can be very real.  However, if it’s examined you’ll notice some fears are real and other fears are fake.

When I was a young engineer, one of my first jobs was walking steel (6 to 8 inches wide), sometimes as high as 200 feet in the air.  There were no nets or safety belts.  It was a fearful situation and the fear was real.  Making a wrong turn in a car or wondering if someone else approves of your decisions can also be fearful but it’s a false fear within your own head.  Be very careful of your fears.  Sort them out, which are real, which are false.  Life will be easier when you’re clear.

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BlogCulture

Communication

by Ron Potter

You’ve heard me talk often about the need to listen with the intent to understand.  The better you get at this the better you’ll understand what’s being said.

But the other side of communication is talking.  Just because you said something doesn’t mean your listener understands.  Simon Sinek says “Communication is about ensuring others hear what we mean”.  Just because you said it doesn’t mean your listener(s) understood it.

Communication

Our word communication is from the Latin communcare, meaning to share.  “The act of developing meaning among entities or groups through the use of sufficiently mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic conventions.”  To quote Simen Sinek again “Communication is not about saying what we think.”

Act like an owner

I once worked with a client that was publicly owned and had a leadership team from all over the world.  It seemed to the CEO that there was too much command and control attitude coming from his leadership team so he began talking with them about acting like owners, not just managers running a company that was owned by the stockholders.  He was hoping this “Act like an owner” attitude would institute a more caring and inclusive approach by his leadership.

However, one member of the leadership team seemed to “double down” on the command and control approach to his leadership.  The CEO asked me to talk with the individual to see if we could figure out why the message didn’t seem to be getting through.

I talked with the VP and asked what he thought of the “ownership” approach.  His response was very positive.  He agreed that the entire team should act like owners and that should produce some great results.  I was having a hard time aligning his words with his actions so I asked him what “ownership” meant to him.

As it turns out the neighboring country had invaded his homeland 600 years ago.  They took over all the land and essentially enslaved the native population.  To him, that was ownership.  Complete control to rule the land as they wanted with a complete command and control attitude.  His reaction was that the leadership team should absolutely act like owners!

Communication is about conveying meaning

“Communication is about ensuring others hear what we mean”   Ownership meant one thing to the CEO and an entirely different thing to the VP.  The meaning had not been communicated.  Because this leadership team was a globally diverse team, it became almost necessary that we parse the language to assure the meaning was understood— to ensure others hear what we mean.

Extraversion vs Introversion

I began to see a similar issue a few years later working with the Asian culture.  In North America, it seems that our extraverted, outgoing leadership style is the style that is associated with a lot of corporate leaders.  In Asia, it seems that the introverted, quiet, thoughtful style is the one that is more revered by the culture.

I began to observe that in North America if someone was walking past and the CEO was sitting quietly, apparently “not doing anything” it would be a good time to stick their head into the office and interrupt the “not doing anything” moment with a question or a statement.  In the Asian office, if the CEO was sitting quietly, the person would silently tip-toe past the office so they wouldn’t interrupt the CEO’s deep thought.

Two different cultures with different beliefs about the same action.

Communication is about sharing meaning

Our corporate world is becoming more global all the time.  The Covid pandemic has accelerated the use of virtual meetings which puts even more emphasis on speaking and listening with the intent to convey and understand meaning.

Communication is a two-way street:

  • Learn to listen with the intent to understand
  • Speak with the intent of ensuring others hear what we mean

We must do both for the betterment of everyone and the company.

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Know or Didn’t Know

by Ron Potter

In an earlier blog, I was wondering about why we didn’t have the philosophers today like the ones who were around thousands of years ago.  Then I came to the conclusion that many of today’s philosophers were songwriters and singers.  I zeroed in on Billy Joel in particular as a philosopher of our day.

Modern Day Philosophers

Two songwriters/singers caught my attention the other day because they seemed to be thinking about and signing about an idea from entirely different directions.

One was Rod Stewart and the group, Faces. The song is “Ooh La La”:

I wish that I knew what I know now
When I was younger
I wish that I knew what I know now
When I was stronger

The other was Bob Seger in his song, “Against the Wind”:

Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then

I don’t know if they are on opposite ends of the same scale or just asking different questions.  But if you think about these lyrics, it can create some deep thoughts.

Knew More?

Do you wish that you knew more in your youth? (When I was younger, I wished that I knew what I know now.)

On the one hand, I would say no, I don’t wish that.  I believe the sense of curiosity and adventure is formed and honed when you’re young.  If you were fortunate enough to have mentors that encouraged those traits, they likely served you well and created a lifelong habit of wanting to know and understand things as well as a desire to try things.  When I meet people who are lacking one or both of those traits, it seems to me that they are falling short of living their life to the fullest.

On the other hand, knowing more may have helped you understand people and circumstances better.  As I age, there are often times when my thoughts say, “Boy, I didn’t see that coming!”

But in general, I think that knowing more when you are younger probably feeds your ego more than your curiosity and that’s not a good thing.

Didn’t Know

Seger talks about being as naive and innocent now as when he was younger.

Again, on the one hand, it might be easier to be living the kind of life that you were when you were younger.  I grew up in what I considered almost an idyllic setting.  We had a small piece of property that had a stream running through it.  Every time I would leave the house my mother would say “don’t get wet.”  I, of course, “fell” into the stream every day.  Even during Michigan winters.  I also lived in a rural area and it was a three-mile bike ride to town.  My biggest worry during those days was a flat tire on my bike.

On the other hand, it would almost require seclusion from the world to avoid the bigger problems of an adult.  We do run into those people who have protected themselves so much from the world.  They assume their experience and life is the only one or certainly, the only right one that exists.  I think of those people as having and knowing a very small world.

Perspective

People with a “large world” perspective see things differently.   Even if their world is physically small, they look at the bigger picture and try to understand what others are thinking from a different perspective than their own.

My father ventured beyond his physical boundaries once when he served in WWII.  After the war that he had spent in North Africa and Italy, he came back to Michigan.  I only remember leaving the state once during the rest of his life, but he seemed to have a big world perspective.  During my college years in the Engineering School of the University of Michigan, I would learn something new about the engineering world and couldn’t wait to share it with my dad.  I assumed that I would finally know something beyond his high school education in the same small town that he raised me.  But it seems that whatever the topic, he would say something like “I’ve been reading a lot about that topic.  What do you think this aspect means?”  Of course, I didn’t know the answer because he knew more about the topic than I did.  He was a very “large world” thinker.  I have one cherished possession left from my father.  Here is a picture of his dictionary.

Living Around the World

All four of my grandchildren have lived in different parts of the world.  But just being physically worldly, doesn’t make you worldly in your thoughts or attitudes.  They all see the world as large, expansive, and varied.  It will serve them well.

Examine Your World View

How large is your world?  Think about it!  You’ll never know it all but expanding your world through curiosity, learning, and gaining understanding will keep you in a “growth mindset” which is essential for great leaders.

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The Most Important Asset in Your Life

by Ron Potter

“The Most Important Asset in Your Life” is an article by Zat Rana. I find it a well thought out and researched article.

One of the first quotes that may strike you (at least it did me) is that “Money is a means, not an end.” All too often, people think that if they just make enough money (an end), they’ll be happy. There is way too much research and general observation to get caught in that trap anymore (although many people still do).

Research shows that money is not a motivator that keeps people in jobs. People don’t leave jobs because of money! Nor do they stay in jobs for the money.

Interviews with entrepreneurs that have become very rich indicate that it was the work, trying something new, working on something they loved that kept them going. None of them spoke of the desire to get rich, that was a by-product of doing something they loved. Of course, they also didn’t talk about being dirt poor just so they could follow their dream. The point is, money didn’t enter the interview either good or bad.

But the real zinger comes when Zat says, “The most important asset in your life isn’t time, but attention. The quality of the experiences in your life doesn’t depend on how many hours there are in the day, but how the hours have been used”.

Attention

That is the key! We still have a limited amount of time in our lives and everyone has the same 24 hours per day. It’s not how much we do or don’t have, it’s how we use it. Where do we put our attention?

Today’s world is against us

I’ve written previous blogs on the need for deep thought. Today’s world is designed to keep us from the process of deep thought. The Googles, Twitters, Facebooks, etc. that fill today’s world are designed to capture our attention and keep it as long as possible. This diverts our thinking and pulls us away from deep thought on our desired topic. They are very good at what they do and are getting better (or worse) every day.

Zat mentions three things that help us focus and keep our attention on what is important:

Mindfulness

This is what helps us from getting distracted by what the world attacks us with and helps get us into and keeps us in deep thought. Zat says “By forcing yourself to focus your mind on one thing, you train your brain to develop a sense of control over your attention.” The world (high tech) wants to distract us and keep our attention on its ecosystem.

Ruthless Single-Tasking

Studies that I came across years ago said that only fighter pilots can multi-task and only because they are highly trained to multi-task because their life depends upon that ability. Zat says that single-tasking with deep focus (thought) for extended periods helps fight the adverse side-effects that are actually harmful to the brain.

Routine Detachment

Zat says that “Every time you pull out your phone to scan your social media accounts, and every time a 10-minute internet break turns into an hour-long binge, your brain is building a habit loop that reinforces itself to encourage such behavior.”

I’m not the best at some of this but there are a few things that have worked for me:

• I stopped watching TV news over a decade ago. It’s focused on the immediate and controversial. I’m interested in the long-term and unity. All TV, be it weather, financial, or whatever category, is entertainment. Once again, it’s designed to capture your attention and keep you away from deep thought.
• I get away. I’m writing this blog today in a cabin in the northern woods. There is almost nothing here to distract me. It helps me get into deep thought.

Find what gives you routine detachment. Everyone has a different approach but it’s important that you find what your’s is and do whatever you can to make your detachment (from the distractions of the world) into a routine. Routine means you do it on a regular basis. Don’t just assume that you’ll somehow work it into your life. Make it a routine and discipline yourself to follow that routine.

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Blog

How to Remember What You Read

by Ron Potter

How much do you read?  I guess by most standards I read quite a bit.   I read almost everything on my Amazon Kindle.  Every year Amazon sends me statistics on how much I read in a particular year.  In my most prolific year, I read 50 books.  That’s an average of a book per week.  I guess I do indeed read quite a bit.

How do I remember

So how do I remember what I read?  I highlight what I read and then I write up my highlights.  I started that practice when I was reading hardcover books.  I would highlight with a yellow marker than when I was finished, I would go back through the book page by page and type all of my highlights into a Word document.  Very time-intensive.

I love the fact that Kindle keeps track of all my highlights and puts them in one location.  Now I go to that app once I’ve finished a book and simply copy all of my highlights into a Word document.  Very time-efficient.   However, because I don’t type my highlights, I find that I don’t remember as much as I used to remember when I was typing.

So when Shane Parrish of fs.blog wrote an article about remembering what you read, I was very interested.

I believe Shane is one of the best bloggers in the business.  He reads an abundance of books.  He interviews people who are influential in may topics.  He has deep thoughts and has an interesting perspective on those thoughts.  He does not get caught up in the daily news or social media.  They are short team.  He is interested in the long term.

I cannot remember the books I have read

Shane starts his article with a wonderful quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I cannot remember the books I have read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” (Italics are mine)

If you are actively engaged in the books you read, they will make you.  It’s not what you read, it’s how you read.

Here are a few highlights from the points Shane makes in his blog.  I hope they change how you read.

  1. Quality matters more than quantity.  Reading a bad book doesn’t add much to your life or understanding.  I used to think that if I started a book, I should finish it.  Google says there are somewhere between 600,000 and a million books published per year in the US alone.  Believe me, they can’t all be good.
  2. Speedreading is bulls**t.  The only way to read faster is to read more.
  3. Book summary services miss the point.  Even as I’ve thought about providing me readers with more in-depth notes from the books I’ve read, I realize that the highlights are from my perspective.  So are the summary services but I believe they’re written from an even more elementary perspective.
  4. Don’t read stuff you find as boring and finishing a book is optional.  See note #1 above.

Filter your reading

This isn’t school as Shane says.  Focus on some combination of books that:

  • Stand the test of time
  • Pique you interest
  • Resonate with your current situation

Intelligent Skimming

I’m really bad at this aspect.  I just don’t seem to gain any knowledge or understanding by skimming the index or other lists of subject-matter.  I don’t see myself getting much better with this one.

Know your why

Shane encourages us to understand why are you reading this book?

  • Entertainment?
  • To understand something or someone you don’t know?
  • To get better at your job?
  • To improve your health?
  • To learn a skill?
  • To help build a business?

Any one of these reasons are valid.  In fact I’ve had the experience multiple times where I’ll read something that will help me get better at my job, only to see the same subject in an entertainment book, only to see an article in WSJ or Forbes or some other source.  But none of that happens if you don’t read.

Notes for remembering more

Shane finishes his blog with seven things that will help you remember what you read.

  • Take Notes
  • Stay Focused
  • Mark up the book
  • Build a vivid mental picture
  • Make mental links
  • Keep Mental Models in mind
  • Stop when bored

As I said at the start, I believe Share Parrish is one of the best bloggers in the business.  But there is one major piece of advice for remembering what you read.  That advice is to start reading!

If you feel like you need to improve your life or environment, start reading.

Read for your life!

 

 

 

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Blog

Are you happy with your career?

by Ron Potter

During this time of lock-down when we have the opportunity for some deep thoughts, now may be the best time to ask yourself if you’re happy with your career choices or happy in the career you find yourself in.

People can get stuck in jobs that reflect what they’re good at rather than what they’re happy with.

One of the Best

I was working with a client that was very good at what they were doing.  They worked in the finance department and were constantly noticed by bosses and peers as one of the best.  Because of this deserved reputation, they had been promoted on a regular basis and were making a salary that was beyond what they dreamed they would be making at this point in their career.

We were having a one-on-one session when they said something almost shocking.  “I hate what I’m doing!”  They knew they had been treated fairly, were compensated well for what they did, and even experienced satisfaction when they accomplished the tasks that were expected of them.  But this is not what they wanted to be doing!  Given their preference they would be much happier working with people instead of numbers.  They wished that had made different career choices earlier.  Now they felt trapped by the position and salary.

One Career may not last

I worked in three very different industries—engineering/construction, computers, consulting—over my career.  I enjoyed working in each of the three but found myself searching for something new and different in each assignment.  When I got to the point where I needed to change, I often found that I had been working toward the new industry for about ten years.  At that point, it was a matter of pulling the trigger to move on.  I don’t want to give the idea that any of those changes were easy.  I’ve gone broke a couple of times.  I’ve spent several years on the bottom rung of a new position before feeling proficient at what I was doing.  It always impacted my family every time I changed!

But I did it!  It wasn’t easy but I did it.

Adam Kurtz in his book Things are What you Make of Them lists 7 steps you can take to be happier with your career.

  • Don’t look back in anger
  • Check your pulse
  • Do your research
  • Update your skillset
  • Hold yourself accountable
  • Step away and take a moment for yourself
  • Just go for it

Don’t Look Back in Anger

The client I mentioned earlier seemed angry at the career they found themselves “trapped” in.  We all make decisions with the best information we have at the time.  That information may even include personal and family needs; college tuition, aging parents, single provider, debts, etc.  Don’t second guess.  Make the best decision at the time.  Now may or may not be the best time to make a new decision.

Check your Pulse

A high pulse is NOT a good thing.  If your work is providing you with a high pulse on a regular base, make a new decision.

Do Your Research

After I wrote my book Trust Me a family member told me they had read the book.  After thanking them, I asked if it provided any insight.  Their response was “Yes, I quit my job!”  That wasn’t quite what I expected so I asked them what triggered that response.

Reading your book helped me realize that the company I had joined had changed over the years and I hadn’t noticed.  All the aspects of good leadership written about in the book were why I had gone to work for the company in the first place.  But, over the years that had all disappeared and I hadn’t noticed.  I didn’t want to work there anymore.  I wanted to work someplace where I would be happy.

Update Your Skillset

Every position requires a slightly different skillset.  Find out what the new ones are.  Learn about them.  Read.  Educate.  Practice.  Get better.

Hold Yourself Accountable

If you’re not happy with your career, there is only one person responsible.  You!

This goes along with the first piece of advice about not looking back in anger.  You’re responsible.  Make the decision that’s right for you.  Don’t look back.  Especially don’t look back with anger.  It was your decision.  Do you need to make a new one?  As the last point recognizes, make it.

Step Away and Take a Moment for Yourself

This is being forced on us by this lock-down portion of the pandemic we’re dealing with.  Use the time wisely

Just Go for It

I’m not a big Nike fan but just do it.  It means your happiness and likely your health.  If it’s right for you, just go for it.

Go for Happiness

The world tells us to go for the big bucks.  Be in a position of power.  Be seen as possessing the best skill set.  However, if you talk with people (and you should) who are at the end of their career or even approaching the end of their life, they’ll tell you to go for happiness.

When people are approaching the end of their life, their best memories are of the relationships they developed over the years.

When I was recovering from open-heart surgery and subsequent infection a few years ago, different friends would visit me almost every day.  Finally, the day nurse asked if I was part of a large family.  When I said no, she was surprised because she thought that my “brothers” had been visiting me every day.  I explained to her that “yes, they were my brothers” but they were not family.  She was envious.  They all seemed so close and concerned about me, she thought they were family.

Each of my “brothers” had been a part of the different careers.  I had chosen happiness.  It made me happy.

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BlogCulture

The Power of Positive Feedback

by Ron Potter

I received a note a couple of days ago telling me how one of my posts had positively affected a person’s life.  They mentioned a post I had written nine years ago.  Was I really writing blog posts nine years ago?  That surprised me.  My second response was that I didn’t remember that blog.  I had to go back and read it.

We were never allowed to be Victims.

That blog ends with a quote from Condoleezza Rice explaining how she made it from being a young girl of color in the South to being Secretary of State of the United States.  The headline above is her quote.  She was calm, confident and yet very humble.  She was an amazing person.

Easy to become Victims

In this pandemic that we’re all experiencing, it’s easy to feel like the victim.  It’s interesting to note that we’re already seeing the results of feeling like victims.  Our obesity levels and alcohol rates are already climbing.  We’re looking for an escape from feeling like victims.

As that blog noted from nearly ten years ago, the opposite of the victim is creativity.

Be Creative

Almost everyone I’ve talked with recently speaks to how lethargic they’re feeling.  They just can’t seem to get motivated.  I’ve experienced the same issues.  But as I mentioned in my last post, deep thought and creativity are the paths to feeling better under trying circumstances.  Just like exercise, which has tremendous benefits if you’ll just spend about 30-60 minutes at least three times per week, spending at least an hour in deep thought and reflection three times per week will increase your creativity.  You’ll feel so much better and think about your circumstances so differently, you’ll come out the other end being a much better and maybe totally different person.

This pandemic is very victimizing.  Don’t let it get you down.  Be creative.  Spend some time in deep thought and self-reflection every week.  View this as an opportunity that seldom happens more than once in anyone’s lifetime.

Positive Feedback

So what does this have to do with positive feedback?  Reading that comment about how my blog made a positive difference in one person’s life motivates me!  I was having difficulty keeping up with my blog.  I just couldn’t find the motivation.  And then that comment arrived.  I’ve been writing blogs almost every day since that feedback.

Positive feedback made a difference.  It only takes one.  In the nine years since I wrote that blog, I’ve written somewhere between 400 and 500 blog posts.  Did they all make a difference?  Probably not.  Did I hear some positive feedback on many of them?  No.  Did positive feedback on less than one percent of the bogs I’ve written make a difference?  Absolutely!

Pass on some positive feedback today.  It may be to that neighbor who just happened to wave “hi”.  It may be to someone at work where you’re trying to conduct virtual business.

Just give some positive feedback.  It makes a difference.

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BlogCulture

Are you fit enough to think?

by Ron Potter

I have a confession to make. I’m not fit. I’ve never been very fit. It’s just never been a priority for me.

I admire people who are fit. I don’t admire the people who have turned fitness into their religion but I do indeed admire fit people.

I’ve used many excuses through the years for not putting in the effort required to be fit. Today I’m going to share one of them.

I’ve always had a desire for learning and understanding. I’m realizing that I can do a great deal of learning but that doesn’t necessarily result in understanding. That will have to be another blog topic.

For this blog post, I’m confessing that I use my quest for learning as an excuse for not being fit. In the morning, I would rather read than exercise. When I have a moment during the day I’ll spend those spare moments reading or writing or thinking.

Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Then I noticed a picture of Rodin’s The Thinker. I’m familiar with the sculpture. I have the image in my mind of the man leaning forward, head resting on his hand, in deep thought. But I never looked closely. I know his position but I never noticed his back, his arms, his thighs, his abs. That sculpture may be one of the fittest men I have ever seen. The Thinker was fit! Incredibility fit.

I’m not going to make a resolution. I’m just not that sure of myself. But I have been inspired. The Thinker was fit. I enjoy being a thinker but I think I would enjoy being a fit thinker even more.

Hope is not a strategy. Inspiration is not a plan. At this point, I only have the inspiration. But inspirations are a required first step in meaningful changes.

What is inspiring you today? Nothing? That’s a problem. Something? Turn it into an action plan. Do something about it.

Let’s share some stories. I’ll keep you informed on mine.

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