Always Be Curious

Gaining knowledge and building a better life, career, and future.

Why Startups Should Run With Scissors

Scissors

Not literally of course, but startups need to ‘run with scissors’, be reckless, take risks, and get results quickly at the get go. It’s at this stage when the risk is low, reward high, and mistakes are more readily overcome.

A startup shouldn’t be worrying about getting all the details right or being perfect because at that point there are too many unknowns: the market, the needs, and even the solution.

How can they focus on perfection when they’re not sure of what they need to perfect?

Once they’re out there, working with real customers in the actual market, they’ll quickly understand what’s important, what works and what doesn’t, and they’ll be able to adjust and adapt accordingly.

In short, when a startup is just getting started, embrace the scrappiness, hustle, and get shit done.

The difficult part comes in keeping this mentality as they grow.

Now they’re more reluctant to take risks because they’ve established themselves and built a reputation that they don’t want to damage. So instead of innovating and running with scissors they’re more careful and try to be perfect.

More often than not, this approach will lead to some hot new startup surpassing them, one that isn’t concerned with taking risks and making mistakes.

The lesson – keep running with scissors.

Image by jdhancock

Sunday’s Top Links (5.19.2013)

rain

Welcome to this week’s top links!

1. The New Science Of Giving

An interesting look into the world of philanthropy and how one couple is trying to change the way it’s done.

2. How To Not Get Sidetracked

Not able to finish what you started? Learn the secrets to not getting sidetracked by other projects.

3. Brain Games

As part of the new show from National Geographic, Brain Games has fun challenges that coincide with each episode to test your aptitude.

4. Faking Powerful Body Language

In this talk from Amy Cuddy, learn how you can fake your body language to reduce stress and make you more confident.

5. How To Build Online Businesses

A series of case studies from Tim Ferriss examine how 5 different entrepreneurs launched successful online businesses in various industries.

And if you missed last week’s links, check them out here.

Escaping Education’s Death Valley

I linked to this talk in my previous Sunday’s Top Links, but wanted to share again in case you missed it.

Sir Ken Robinson, in another humorous and insightful TED Talk, explains what’s wrong with education and the importance of curiosity, teaching, and creativity.

Also, if you somehow haven’t seen his infamous first TED Talk, check it out here.

Sunday’s Top Links (5.12.2013)

kickstarter-clones-v2

Welcome to this week’s links!

1. 5 Ways To Innovate By Cross-Pollinating Ideas

The best way to come up with new ideas is to combine them. Find out 5 ways to cross-pollinate your ideas.

2. Attack Of The Kickstarter Clones

Kickstarter is a resounding success and competitors are growing in numbers, so is crowdfunding here to stay?

3. How To Escape Education’s Death Valley

Ken Robinson is back in this TED Talk explaining the 3 principles of education that we need to embrace to navigate education’s death valley.

4. You Cannot Solve What You Don’t Understand

If you don’t understand the problem, how can you solve it? A key point in problem solving is being able to clearly identify the problem.

5. Ten Mind Blowing Theories About The World

Here are 10 theories from various philosopher’s and scientiest that just might change how you think about the world.

And if you missed last week’s links, find them here.

Also check out my Flipboard Magazine – Always Be Curious.

The Myth Of Information Overload

info_overload

I’ve heard a lot about information overload lately and how it’s killing our productivity. How we get analysis by paralysis or are all suffering from A.D.D. In short, this notion is absolutely ridiculous.

I can understand that some people may have trouble adapting to the sudden influx of information readily available to us, but the problem isn’t too much information, the problem is we don’t know what to do with it.

More importantly, it’s become clear that information is going to continue growing exponentially and become more and more accessible.

So how can information overload be a myth? Because we are now beginning to understand how to handle all of this information in two clear ways.

1. Organization Of Information

With the exponential increase in information, there was no real way to organize it, which was the first major challenge encountered.

Now, we’ve started to create structures and filters around our information in the form of reviews and curators and search engines, all of which make it easier to both filter and access the information we NEED.

This is the key point – there has always been a lot of information available, but all of a sudden we had access to all of it through the internet.

As we further develop tools and platforms, the organization of this information allows us to use it much more effectively and efficiently.

2. Adaptation To Information

The second piece of the puzzle is adapting to the new standard of information surplus, which I believe the next generation will be masters at.

For example, just look at how a kid does homework nowadays. Music is blasting, the TV is on, they’re texting their friends, and browsing Facebook – all while writing a paper on American History or doing Calculus homework.

They’ve adapted and embraced the excess information at such a young age that the idea of information overload becomes laughable.

It’s clear that information will continue to grow, but our organization of it and adaptation to it, makes the thought of information overload a myth.

Image Source: http://bit.ly/10lxN3g

Sunday’s Top Links (5.5.2013)

flower

Welcome to this week’s top links!

1. The Secrets of 7 Successful Brands

Each company approaches branding in a unique way, find out the secrets of these 7 successful brands.

2. The 4 Unique Working Styles

There are four unique working styles: doing, leading, loving, and learning. What’s yours?

3. The Reward

Words aren’t needed to tell this fantastic story about two people and a wild adventure.

4. A Case For Why Green Design Must Be Beautiful

An interesting exploration as to why green design has to focus more on aesthetics and not just function.

5. Why Your Brain Loves Music

A new study explores the link between music, pleasure, and neuroscience.

And if you missed last week’s links check them out here.

Parkinson’s Law & Urgency

urgency

First introduced my Cyril Northcote Parkinson in an essay in the Economist, Parkinson’s Law is as follows:

Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

Wise words that we often don’t think about when we work. For example, if you take on a project and give yourself 24 hours to complete it, the time constraint forces you to get creative and focus on the bare essentials. In the end, not only do you get the work done, but you often innovate along the way.

On the other hand, if you have a week to complete the same project, you build it up in complexity and unnecessary distractions. In the end, you still don’t get a lot of the real work done until closer to the deadline. Imagine the same situation for a project that is due in 2 months or even without a deadline – sounds like a disaster.

How can we take advantage of this? We need to embrace constraints and use them to our advantage. When this happens naturally, such as when we have a task that requires immediate attention, simply go with the flow and get it done.

More often than not, our work lacks that immediate urgency. In these cases, we need to manufacture our own hard deadlines and by doing so, we can eliminate our tendency to procrastinate.

For those projects that are larger in scope, we need to break them down into clearly defined, manageable chunks, and use a similar approach.

Ultimately it comes down to creating urgency for your work that may otherwise not naturally be there. So the question becomes, how do you create urgency?

Sunday’s Top Links (4.28.2013)

Mad Men Ads

Welcome to this weeks top links!

1. Ten Ideas Driving The Future of Social Entrepreneurship

At the 10th Annual Skoll World Forum we get ten ideas that can change the future of social entrepreneurship and make the world a better place.

2. What Makes Us Feel Good About Our Work?

Why do we really feel good about our work? Not money or joy. Dan Ariely explores what truly motivates us – progress.

3. You Should Do Everything Yourself

Not forever of course, but you should be familiar with every position in your company so you understand problems and realize ideas.

4. The Best Ads From The Mad Men Era

We all love the show and now we can see why the 1960′s served as the creative revolution in advertising.

5. Why Good Storytelling Helps You Design Great Products

Storytelling not only helps you sell a product but also design it. See how story can be used to make products both beautiful and functional.

And if you missed last week’s links, check them out here.

Sunday’s Top Links (4.21.2013)

documentaries

Welcome to this week’s top links!

1. News Is Bad For You

News leads to fear, aggression, and hinders creativity – giving it up will make you happier.

2. Dove Real Beauty Sketches

In the latest Dove Beauty Campaign, two people describe the same person to a forensic artist – check out what happens.

3. The 100 Most Influential People

TIME has released their latest list of 100 most influential people in the world, check it out.

4. Lessons From Johnny Cupcakes

The man behind an unconventional brand, Johnny Cupcakes shares his lessons on how to think different.

5. Nine Documentaries You Need To Watch

Love documentaries? Here’s 9 recent documentaries that are must sees for this year.

And if you missed last week’s links, find them here.

Tigers, Sheep And Negativity

tigers

You’ll always find those that say no. You can’t do it, you’re wasting your time, your idea is stupid. This can be detrimental to those who actually try to create in the world, but you must quickly realize something if you hope to succeed.

A creator is a tiger, someone who gives and contributes to society in the best way they know how. Everyone can create in some way.

The naysayers are sheep, they don’t understand why anyone would create, what it means, where it can take you and the value you gain from it.

If the tiger doesn’t learn to ignore the sheep, he will fail. The tiger will falter in his confidence, his beliefs and ideals. He will lose his passion and suffer and eventually, he too will become a sheep, full of negative energy and pessimism.

But if he can disregard the sheep, he can prosper. Other tigers will support him, inspire him, and he will see his goals realized, not always in success but in lessons and growth and pride.

Be a tiger. Ignore the sheep.

Sunday’s Top Links (4.14.2013)

lifestyledesign

Welcome to this week’s top links!

1. Thinking Can Wear You Out

Research now shows that thinking does take a toll on your body – so if you go on vacation be sure to turn off your brain too.

2. Swap It

A fun mind game from Smart Kit has you swap images to complete pictures, testing your visual acumen.

3. Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed

An intriguing piece on how your lifestyle has already been designed in the typical 9 – 5 career.

4. Using The Snooze Button

We all use it in the morning, probably multiple times, but should we? ASAP Science explores the snooze button.

5. Guide To Practical Contentment

While most people are searching for happiness, Leo Babauta argues why we should be more focused on contentment.

And if you missed last week’s links find them here.

Also check out my Flipboard Magazine ‘Always Be Curious’