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Implementation intentions

These are a super useful trick to increase the chances of action, be it your own others. Essentially, a vague intention of “I plan to do that,” is much less likely to be followed-through on than if you get specific. It takes out the ambiguity of when and where you’ll do something because that’s already decided. For example, asking voters simple questions like how they’ll get to the polling station has been shown to increase turnout on the day. You can use this to your own advantage too — get specific with yourself to help you get things done, be it how and when you’ll workout, or when you’ll study or whatever. Here’s a simple template for implementation intentions you could try: I will [do X] at [time] in [location]. I learned this, and many more tips, from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, all about how to create good habits and break ones.…These are a super useful trick to increase the chances of action, be it your own others. Essentially, a vague intention of “I plan to do that,” is much less likely to be followed-through on than if you get specific. It takes out the ambiguity of when and where you’ll do something because that’s already decided. For example, asking voters simple questions like how they’ll get to the polling station has been shown to increase turnout on the day. You can use this to your own advantage too — get specific with yourself to help you get things done, be it how and when you’ll workout, or when you’ll study or whatever. Here’s a simple template for implementation intentions you could try: I will [do X] at [time] in [location]. I learned this, and many more tips, from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, all about how to create good habits and break ones.

19 Oct 2018

The doorstep mile

The Doorstep Mile is a brilliant Norwegian concept for how the hardest part of a journey can be just getting out of the door. So, sometimes, as Seth Godin would say, the most important thing is just to start — start small, start now, step by step, day by day, and you can give yourself the chance to make something amazing. Got something you’ve been meaning to start? Maybe today’s the day? When I created this sketch, it was my 104th in consecutive weeks — 2 years of weekly sketches without missing (the power of streaks) — and sketchplanation number 583 in total. And I can tell you that it didn’t start glamorously, and they weren’t high quality or even interesting, but I did start. Sketch by sketch. Week by week. More sketches about starting and getting started.…The Doorstep Mile is a brilliant Norwegian concept for how the hardest part of a journey can be just getting out of the door. So, sometimes, as Seth Godin would say, the most important thing is just to start — start small, start now, step by step, day by day, and you can give yourself the chance to make something amazing. Got something you’ve been meaning to start? Maybe today’s the day? When I created this sketch, it was my 104th in consecutive weeks — 2 years of weekly sketches without missing (the power of streaks) — and sketchplanation number 583 in total. And I can tell you that it didn’t start glamorously, and they weren’t high quality or even interesting, but I did start. Sketch by sketch. Week by week. More sketches about starting and getting started.

14 Oct 2018

What is the Fun scale explained showing Type 1 fun as skiing, Type 2 fun as mountaineering and Type 3 fun as surviving a bear encounter (the best story)

The fun scale: understanding the types of fun

The Fun Scale categorizes different types of fun experiences into distinct levels. It consists of three main types of fun: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. The concept behind the Fun Scale is that not all fun is created equal, and some types may be more rewarding or memorable than others. My brother, who learned it from a mountain guide, introduced me to the Fun Scale. Before then, I used to think that fun was just fun. But the Fun Scale opened my eyes to the fact that there are levels and types of fun, each with its own characteristics. So, what are the three types of fun in the Fun Scale? The three types of fun on the fun scale Type 1 fun: fun to do, fun to remember Type 1 fun is the most straightforward type of fun. It’s the kind of activity that is fun while you’re doing it, and it stays fun when you think back on it. Picture something like eating ice cream on a hot day, riding a roller coaster, or skiing with lifts to whisk you right back to the top. Type 1 fun is carefree, pleasurable in the moment, and provides uncomplicated enjoyment. Examples of Type 1 Fun: Going to an amusement park Having a beach day with friends Skiing on groomed trails Eating your favourite dessert I'm sure you can think of a million more. Type 2 fun: hurts a bit to do, but fun in retrospect On the other hand, Type 2 fun is a bit trickier. It's the kind of activity where you may not have a blast while you're doing it—it's probably hard work or even painful. However, once it's over, you look back on it with a sense of achievement, and it becomes fun in retrospect. This is the sort of enjoyment you get from something like running a marathon or climbing a mountain. At the time, you might question why you're doing it. Brendan Leonard in Ultra-something relates the joke, "You know what I like most about climbing a mountain? It feels so good when I stop." You'll often think of Type 2 fun as ultimately more fulfilling and often somewhat addictive than Type I fun. Examples of Type 2 Fun: Completing a marathon Hiking up a challenging peak Cycling a mountain stage of the Tour de France Backpacking Cold water swimming (or maybe an ice mile) Swimrun Type 3 fun: not fun to do, not fun in retrospect, but makes a great story Type 3 fun is usually type 1 or 2 fun that went wrong. Though it was supposed to be fun, things actually got a little hairy. Perhaps a trip started out like good Type 2 fun, but then you got lost, or it got dark, and it got cold, or things got much more serious than intended. Maybe you had to be rescued. This kind of fun is not fun while it's happening. It's probably not even fun when thinking back on it. But Type 3 fun sure makes a great story when you make it back, and, well, life is made up of great stories, so perhaps it wasn't so bad after all. Examples of Type 3 Fun: Meeting a bear in the wilderness Capsizing on a rafting trip Getting thoroughly lost Not practicing your kitchen table survival skills Getting rescued There are rumours of Type 4 fun and Type 5 fun, but having heard some good stories of Type 3 fun and created a few myself, I can't say I recommend them =) The Fun Scale, adventure and fulfilment: why we crave Type 2 and Type 3 fun In our podcast discussing the Fun Scale, Tom, identified Rob and I as Type 2 Fun junkies. There's something intriguingly addictive about setting yourself difficult challenges, pushing through hardship, and emerging out the other side. Rob and I have signed up for a challenging endurance event pretty much every year for the last decade or so. Every single time the event on the day is really hard. And yet, once the immediate memories subside we find ourselves signing up for something similar next year. Even if it's not you, I'm sure you probably know someone who seems to keep pushing themselves to do things that they don't seem to enjoy. It reminds me of Calvin imitating his dad in Calvin and Hobbes: "Calvin, go do something you hate! Being miserable builds character!" Type 2 fun and type 3 fun, to some extent, help build character, life experiences and the stories that shape us and are fun to tell others. The sense of accomplishment and unforgettable stories that emerge from these experiences outweigh the discomfort in the long run. Summarising the Fun Scale In summary: Type 1 fun is fun when you do it and fun to remember. Type 2 fun is not so fun when you do it, but it is fun in retrospect and is the most fulfilling. And Type 3 fun is not fun in the moment or when you remember it—but it makes the best stories! I have seen people write about Type A fun, Type B fun and Type C fun, or Type I fun, Type II fun and Type III fun, but I learned it as 1, 2 and 3. The Fun Scale is probably my favourite idea that didn't make it into my new book. If you like this one, you'll love the book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Related Ideas to The Fun Scale Also see: The 10 essentials Kitchen table survival skills Optimism bias Kaffikok - the distance you can go before needing a coffee The role of a finishing line…The Fun Scale categorizes different types of fun experiences into distinct levels. It consists of three main types of fun: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. The concept behind the Fun Scale is that not all fun is created equal, and some types may be more rewarding or memorable than others. My brother, who learned it from a mountain guide, introduced me to the Fun Scale. Before then, I used to think that fun was just fun. But the Fun Scale opened my eyes to the fact that there are levels and types of fun, each with its own characteristics. So, what are the three types of fun in the Fun Scale? The three types of fun on the fun scale Type 1 fun: fun to do, fun to remember Type 1 fun is the most straightforward type of fun. It’s the kind of activity that is fun while you’re doing it, and it stays fun when you think back on it. Picture something like eating ice cream on a hot day, riding a roller coaster, or skiing with lifts to whisk you right back to the top. Type 1 fun is carefree, pleasurable in the moment, and provides uncomplicated enjoyment. Examples of Type 1 Fun: Going to an amusement park Having a beach day with friends Skiing on groomed trails Eating your favourite dessert I'm sure you can think of a million more. Type 2 fun: hurts a bit to do, but fun in retrospect On the other hand, Type 2 fun is a bit trickier. It's the kind of activity where you may not have a blast while you're doing it—it's probably hard work or even painful. However, once it's over, you look back on it with a sense of achievement, and it becomes fun in retrospect. This is the sort of enjoyment you get from something like running a marathon or climbing a mountain. At the time, you might question why you're doing it. Brendan Leonard in Ultra-something relates the joke, "You know what I like most about climbing a mountain? It feels so good when I stop." You'll often think of Type 2 fun as ultimately more fulfilling and often somewhat addictive than Type I fun. Examples of Type 2 Fun: Completing a marathon Hiking up a challenging peak Cycling a mountain stage of the Tour de France Backpacking Cold water swimming (or maybe an ice mile) Swimrun Type 3 fun: not fun to do, not fun in retrospect, but makes a great story Type 3 fun is usually type 1 or 2 fun that went wrong. Though it was supposed to be fun, things actually got a little hairy. Perhaps a trip started out like good Type 2 fun, but then you got lost, or it got dark, and it got cold, or things got much more serious than intended. Maybe you had to be rescued. This kind of fun is not fun while it's happening. It's probably not even fun when thinking back on it. But Type 3 fun sure makes a great story when you make it back, and, well, life is made up of great stories, so perhaps it wasn't so bad after all. Examples of Type 3 Fun: Meeting a bear in the wilderness Capsizing on a rafting trip Getting thoroughly lost Not practicing your kitchen table survival skills Getting rescued There are rumours of Type 4 fun and Type 5 fun, but having heard some good stories of Type 3 fun and created a few myself, I can't say I recommend them =) The Fun Scale, adventure and fulfilment: why we crave Type 2 and Type 3 fun In our podcast discussing the Fun Scale, Tom, identified Rob and I as Type 2 Fun junkies. There's something intriguingly addictive about setting yourself difficult challenges, pushing through hardship, and emerging out the other side. Rob and I have signed up for a challenging endurance event pretty much every year for the last decade or so. Every single time the event on the day is really hard. And yet, once the immediate memories subside we find ourselves signing up for something similar next year. Even if it's not you, I'm sure you probably know someone who seems to keep pushing themselves to do things that they don't seem to enjoy. It reminds me of Calvin imitating his dad in Calvin and Hobbes: "Calvin, go do something you hate! Being miserable builds character!" Type 2 fun and type 3 fun, to some extent, help build character, life experiences and the stories that shape us and are fun to tell others. The sense of accomplishment and unforgettable stories that emerge from these experiences outweigh the discomfort in the long run. Summarising the Fun Scale In summary: Type 1 fun is fun when you do it and fun to remember. Type 2 fun is not so fun when you do it, but it is fun in retrospect and is the most fulfilling. And Type 3 fun is not fun in the moment or when you remember it—but it makes the best stories! I have seen people write about Type A fun, Type B fun and Type C fun, or Type I fun, Type II fun and Type III fun, but I learned it as 1, 2 and 3. The Fun Scale is probably my favourite idea that didn't make it into my new book. If you like this one, you'll love the book Big Ideas Little Pictures. Related Ideas to The Fun Scale Also see: The 10 essentials Kitchen table survival skills Optimism bias Kaffikok - the distance you can go before needing a coffee The role of a finishing line

7 Oct 2018

Accuracy and precision

In my everyday life I’d have been hard pushed to put my finger on the difference between accuracy and precision but, in engineering at least, you learn that there is a clear difference between the two. Precision describes how variable an outcome is, or how close repeated measurements or actions are to each other. In contrast, something may be very precise but not be accurate to your intent or to the true value of a thing. That’s accuracy — how close you are to the true or intended value. If you’re hitting near your intended target then you’re accurate. Hmm…one of those things where a sketchplanation works a whole lot better than words. Also see: For the more spiritually inclined: Everything is aiming Or for the more statistically inclined: Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), and Common distributions (normal, skewed, pareto) Reliability and validity That accuracy is true to intention and precision true to itself, I learned from Simon Winchester in Exactly: How precision engineers created the Modern World.…In my everyday life I’d have been hard pushed to put my finger on the difference between accuracy and precision but, in engineering at least, you learn that there is a clear difference between the two. Precision describes how variable an outcome is, or how close repeated measurements or actions are to each other. In contrast, something may be very precise but not be accurate to your intent or to the true value of a thing. That’s accuracy — how close you are to the true or intended value. If you’re hitting near your intended target then you’re accurate. Hmm…one of those things where a sketchplanation works a whole lot better than words. Also see: For the more spiritually inclined: Everything is aiming Or for the more statistically inclined: Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), and Common distributions (normal, skewed, pareto) Reliability and validity That accuracy is true to intention and precision true to itself, I learned from Simon Winchester in Exactly: How precision engineers created the Modern World.

29 Sep 2018

What is Dunbar's number example explained: a person can't remember the name of the one person outside their circles of closer friends, super family, clan and tribe behind them

Dunbar’s number: 150

The evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar identified that an average person’s social network appears to follow simple scaling laws. Our networks grow from our closest friends—whom we would seek personal advice or help from in times of severe emotional and financial distress—through our superfamily (or close friends), to our acquaintances (or clan), whom we might invite to a party, and to our most casual friends (or tribe). At each level, the number of people typically increases by about a factor of 3. So you might have 5 close friends, 15 in your superfamily, about 50 in your clan and about 150 in your tribe. The 150, with some variance, seems to be around the limit for the number of people we can keep track of, reasonably call part of our social network, and maintain as a cohesive group. This may be partly due to the limits of our memories and the effort it takes to maintain relationships. There are many instances of the ~150 in action, for example, in challenges of transitioning companies as you exceed 150 employees while maintaining cohesiveness, the size of Neolithic farming communities and the basic unit size of Roman armies. The number is actually 148, but 150 is catchier and seems fine between friends.…The evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar identified that an average person’s social network appears to follow simple scaling laws. Our networks grow from our closest friends—whom we would seek personal advice or help from in times of severe emotional and financial distress—through our superfamily (or close friends), to our acquaintances (or clan), whom we might invite to a party, and to our most casual friends (or tribe). At each level, the number of people typically increases by about a factor of 3. So you might have 5 close friends, 15 in your superfamily, about 50 in your clan and about 150 in your tribe. The 150, with some variance, seems to be around the limit for the number of people we can keep track of, reasonably call part of our social network, and maintain as a cohesive group. This may be partly due to the limits of our memories and the effort it takes to maintain relationships. There are many instances of the ~150 in action, for example, in challenges of transitioning companies as you exceed 150 employees while maintaining cohesiveness, the size of Neolithic farming communities and the basic unit size of Roman armies. The number is actually 148, but 150 is catchier and seems fine between friends.

22 Sep 2018

Fix wobbly tables by rotating

Since I learned this remarkable trick I actually find I quite like getting a wobbly table for the chance to retest this simple, and still kind of remarkable, fix. A number of smart people have spent probably more time than justified demonstrating that, for a four-legged table with even length legs on uneven ground, as long as the ground is not excessively bumpy you’ll be able to fix your wobble by rotating the table up to ¼ turn. Now, it’s definitely true, that if you have a square table, not a round one, or, say, two square tables next to each other, it’s not always possible to start rearranging the café, but…when you can it’s really neat to see it work. Give it a try. HT: Iqbal Gandham…Since I learned this remarkable trick I actually find I quite like getting a wobbly table for the chance to retest this simple, and still kind of remarkable, fix. A number of smart people have spent probably more time than justified demonstrating that, for a four-legged table with even length legs on uneven ground, as long as the ground is not excessively bumpy you’ll be able to fix your wobble by rotating the table up to ¼ turn. Now, it’s definitely true, that if you have a square table, not a round one, or, say, two square tables next to each other, it’s not always possible to start rearranging the café, but…when you can it’s really neat to see it work. Give it a try. HT: Iqbal Gandham

15 Sep 2018

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