7 Things That Made Me Stop And Think This Week.
Creative Sparks: #12
There’s this thing called the Shiny Object Syndrome.
It describes someone who continually dreams and thinks of new ideas to do but never sticks with them long enough to let them come to fruition.
It’s that person who is continuously sucked into the ‘magic bullet’ claims of new tools and ‘life-changing’ promised results of online courses, but never stick with them or does the work enough to reap the rewards.
At some point, I have been that person.
And I have sometimes realized it’s not always about saying yes to new adventures and ‘getting out of your comfort zone,’ but it’s also sticking with something and putting in the time and effort needed to absorb, apply the given skills and really get good at something before moving to other things.
This is something I’ve been pondering this week, and I’m still working to figure out:
1. Why you need to stop learning (and start doing) by Britewrx
People on Medium LOVE talk about the importance of reading, learning, and self-education.
And don’t get me wrong, self-education is fantastic.
I believe it’s the model forward after formal education. But as this article rightly points out, we only get to really understand stuff when we actually do it.
Get out from behind the safety of the book and into the trenches. You’ll find that stuff you learn sticks better.
2. The Shiny Object Syndrome: How to Stay Focused and Stop Getting Distracted by Celestine Chua
Similar to the idea of the Depth Year I shared about in a previous issue, this article is all about doubling down on what you already are doing:
“You know that you have experienced the shiny object syndrome if you belong to the following:
You have a list of business ideas, but nothing gets executed.
You continuously start new goals but never see them through to the end.
You jump from one internet course to another, drawn by the wild claims of each course.
You frequently jump from one goal to the next rather than sticking with what you’re doing to the end.
You keep registering new domain names, even launching new websites, but you never work on building those sites.
You have a collection of plugins and tools, but you don’t actually use them.”
Ouch. That’s me!
3. Sampling 101 | The Basics of Flipping Samples for Hip-Hop Production by Jordan Hall
I’ve been hooked on the remixes of Jamie xx; the production and instrumentalist wizard of an indie pop band the xx.
The way he melds sounds together, and stacks music samples from obscure places are mind-boggling, to say the least. I can scarcely tell when one sound ends and another sometimes begins; almost like listening to the records of DJ Shadow.
Music journalist Jordan Hall describes how such a production technique is achieved primarily in hip-hop instrumentals.
“Imagine cutting strips of the Mona Lisa apart with a scalpel and gluing it back together to resemble your own rendition of a Banksy sculpture.”
Some may consider this sacrilege, but isn’t this what creativity is all about?
4. I‘m Not Very Good At Being Productive Yet by Nate Miller
I'm Not Good At Productivity Yet
My boss said "you need to be productive 100% of the time."
medium.com
In this humorous take on the subject, Nate Miller brings forward an important point:
“Attention is money, and we’re over here making it rain on everything and anything that pops up on a website, in a browser, or on our phone. Why aren’t we managing our attention as well as we are (or should be) managing our actual finances?”
You can always get more money, but not more time.
5. Honest Truths about Corporate Life by Bruce Flow
If you’ve worked in the corporate life before, you’ve undoubtedly come across people who make you shake your head and wonder:
“Do they have a brain?”
“Have they worked before?”
This series of comics had me shaking my head and nodding along at how true these interactions are. I hope to see more from you, Bruce!
6. Superstitions and Old Wives Tales in Malaysia by Stephen Sovie
As a Singaporean, I enjoyed Stephen Sovie’s take on the cultural quirks that govern this part of Southeast Asia.
“The subject of “gastric” was brought up. In Malaysia, people call anything like, nausea, indigestion, heartburn, bloating and gas, gastric. Often people call in sick saying they have “gastric.”
Oh yes, this is a very common ‘excuse’ we use when we’re getting off sick. Gastric is one of those all-encompassing terms we use, but people somehow know exactly what we mean.
His account made me think about old wives tales and stories that pass down through generations and how much we adhere to them out of respect for our relatives or parents even though we may not believe in them as much now.
7. On Delegation & Micromanagement by Thomas P Seager, PhD
As someone who is reporting to a team lead while leading projects at work, this was a thought-provoking read.
“When our subordinates sense that our oversight is motivated by a need to manage our fears, rather than an interest in their professional development, or improvement of the products and services we provide our customers, clients, or other stakeholders, they will complain to one another that we are micromanaging.”
Where is that balance between ensuring quality work and empowering your subordinates to get the job done?
Seager suggests a simple (yet challenging to execute) recipe — delegate the things you know you can do better than your subordinates because you get your subordinates to grow. This also frees up your time to do things for yourself to improve.
But, as a leader, you remain responsible for the output of your subordinates. And this, I think is a complicated reality to achieve. We are human, and egos and emotions do get in the way.
Each week, I compile 7 articles, videos or other thoughts from books and write out my thoughts on them. Want to get them as they’re released? Follow the publication! You can have a look at the previous editions here.
