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April 21, 2011

Group Think


"To which I say: key-shmey. There is no rule, process, peer group, leader, or best seller that can absolve us of the responsibility of thinking our way through life on our own two feet. What irks me most about this infinite parade of gigundo solutions isn’t their glibness or even the borderline theology (of some) and borderline Babbitry (of others) involved in promising audiences easy, happy, profitable ideas. Nope. What irks me is that when you rigidly apply grand theories to everybody, sooner or later everybody feels like nobody, whether you’re in Communist Belgrade or the local DMV. There is a reason we call such systems soul-crushing: They ignore or annihilate individual difference and inner life."
From the brilliantly-written Group Think by Kathryn Schulz. It's worth a full read, if only for the comedic lilt of the piece.

April 20, 2011

Seeking Advice from Yourself

"Think back to how you viewed the world when you were younger. What were your thoughts on happiness, love, and injustice? Think about how you would have reacted to a dilemma you are currently facing. The perspective may shed a different light on relationships, money matters, or life decisions. Likewise, think about the person you will become. A more mature version of you might mull a problem or conflict over carefully before taking action right away… or perhaps not. Maybe your older self would be more willing to take risks, care less about what other people think, and want to enjoy life more."

April 19, 2011

The Internet hasn't invented the skeleton in the closet...

"The Internet hasn't invented the skeleton in the closet, it's only made it easier to take the skeleton out. That doesn't mean that humans can't be mature."

April 18, 2011

We love our reflections


"When researchers partially morph a person’s face with a politician’s, that person becomes more likely to approve of the politician — and has no clue why. As long as the ratio of the politician’s features remains below 40 percent, the person doesn’t even realize the photograph was doctored."

April 15, 2011

David Christian: Big History



This is wonderfully put together and the way it ends is just remarkable.

April 13, 2011

Gentle Nudges

The idea of a "gentle nudge" being an effective way to change behavior makes more sense when you first think about what a "nudge" is.

A nudge usually starts with, "You should". "You should make your bed", "You should work out", "You should get a new job". It's really unasked-for, free advice that has a one-time affect of being annoying. Nudging someone in the right direction rarely does the trick.

A gentle nudge, on the other hand, can make a world of difference.

First, it's gentle, so instead of starting with, "You should", you start with the benefit first. "Did you know that 88% of successful people make their bed?" (relative association). "Let's take the stairs, beat you to the top!" (competitive motivation). "The market's getting better, it's the best time to start something new" (contextual benefit).

Second, you can gently nudge more than once. Repetition is the key to behavioral change, personal or otherwise. Automating gentle nudges can be extremely powerful. A motivational quote on your fridge, a phone alert to take your medication, scheduling a mid-day walk on your calendar are some of the most basic ways.

Jane Sarasohn-Kahn says it best:
Health is mobile, and health care is local. The So-Lo-Mo phenomenon plays beautifully into the world of moms, who are their families’ Chief Household Officers. Mothers have been the key determinants of health and health care consumption in their households, and mobile gives them the platform that makes their health decisions more efficient and even engaging.

April 12, 2011

We keep paying more for health care we're worried we won't have



Credits
Graph 1: To the young brilliant minds
Graph 2: Even the most wealthy, healthy U.S. citizens worry about future health care access and finance


Newsletter: Spring 2011

This is a quarterly email newsletter with ideas, cool links, book
recommendations and a personal update.

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Read time: 2 minutes
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IDEAS
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1.  Are you an Apple or PC person?  And what does it mean if you're

both?

I wonder what Leonardo da Vinci would have chosen. It's the
ultimate modern debate between design and function. What I love
most about this rivalry though is the awareness it builds about how
aesthetic and usability blend together.

I particularly like Rick Landesberg's passionate observation of how
creative imagery affects us daily: "when the functional rises above
itself, when the everyday becomes celebratory, we become more
human." Examples abound:

Here's a "map" of San Fransisco depicting local and tourist
hotspots just from pictures taken by each group.

Here's "map" of NYC laying out racial and ethnic group census data
in an easily comparable fashion.

Here's a "diploma" using a portrait of an anatomical heart made up
entirely of words from a dissertation.

2.  What's the cure for procrastination?

First, are you sure you want to cure it, considering
procrastination may be telling you that something really isn't
worth doing? We deal with task overload daily and often blame
ourselves for not doing enough. When something stays on my to-do
list for weeks though, I wonder if I'm truly too busy or if I'm
subconsciously avoiding it because it doesn't matter to me.

Curing it is a mix of setting deadlines and tackling tasks
"Since open-ended tasks with distant deadlines are much easier to
postpone than focussed, short-term projects, dividing projects into
smaller, more defined sections helps."

The Pomodoro technique is one of my favorites. If "work expands to
the time allotted", this is how to get work done fast!

Compact Calendar is another tool that makes project planning easier
by offering a visual of continuity across consecutive days instead
of months.

Here are 3 simple solutions offered by Marty Nemko for dealing with
the procrastination problem.

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BOOKS
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1. Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

In search of a book that would help me articulate my thoughts and
ideas better in conversation and on paper, I found Made to Stick.
The authors are natural storytellers that lead by example and keep
you turning pages. It's a book you'll come back to time and again.
It's sticky, I guess.

2. The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman

Written by my friend, Josh, this tome of business knowledge is
hefty in the topics it covers and yet somehow it's encapsulated in
a small reference-like volume that reads like a novel. I finished
it in 3 hours. Skip b-school and learn it here. It's exactly why he
wrote it.

3. I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj

I would put this in the category of philosophy that you can play
with, feel, work through. The entire book is a transcription of
various Q&A sessions with people who come to debate life issues
with Maharaj. Easy to read little bits at a time, it's experientially 
rewarding because you can easily practice the message.

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CONNECT
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PERSONAL UPDATE
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I recently took a trip to Istanbul that was a mix of catching up on
sleep and discovering a secular Islamic culture. Ever since Ataturk
made Turkey into a secular state in 1923, there have been major
debates about the ban of headscarves and the consumption of alcohol.

I saw a provocative video fixture at the Istanbul Modern Art
Museum, discussing the right of women to wear headscarves if they
wanted. Also, alcohol was taxed so heavily that sometimes a glass
of wine cost twice as much as the entree! 

The interplay between the two sides in daily life was remarkable to
see. I highly recommend it for history buffs.

I'd love to hear about what's going in your life, so drop me an
email when you get a chance.

All the best,

April 11, 2011

Knowing when to change

"When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important thing I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

April 9, 2011

Be a pupil of myself

yourbeautifulmind:

siddhartha

I shall no longer be instructed by the Yoga Veda or the Aharva Veda, or the ascetics, or any other doctrine whatsoever. I shall learn from myself, be a pupil of myself; I shall get to know myself, the mystery of Siddhartha.” He looked around as if he were seeing the world for the first time. - Hermann Hesse in Siddartha