Insights & Thoughts on Product Development, Life Hacks and Team Dynamics — Clips of Logic — T.S. Lim

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passion

Work is not just work

The thing that we spend most of our time on besides eating, sleeping and breathing, is probably working. To some, work is a means to an end while for others it's their life-long passion. We often relate money with work. In fact, one of the definition for working is actively engaged in paid work. We do work to earn money but that shouldn't be the only thing we are working for.

In Drive, Daniel argues that money isn't the best motivator for work and in some cases can affect performance negatively. A lot of people get up for work every morning not because of the money. They are there to get into the flow, to accomplish something that matters, to solve difficult problems and to master their art.

If work is boring to you, maybe you should consider getting another job. It is something that you have to do for most of your life. Why not do something that you love and something that matters?

Working isn't just something you do in your life. It is the way for you to show the world what your life is all about.

Seven Ways To Do More Great Work

In order to be indispensable, you have to do great work. Unless you are self-employed or work for a boss that understand this, it's pretty hard to have the time to get stuff that matters done. Most of the time, you'll be occupied with busywork. Luckily, Michael Bungay Stanier (founder of Box of Crayons) offer us 7 ways to stop us from doing the busywork and do more great work. He categorizes the work we do into 3 different types. Bad, Good and Great work. The key is to stop doing or reduce time spent on the bad and good work and focus on the great.

The brutal truth is that if everyone is happy, then you're probably not doing Great Work - Michael Bungay Stanier

Check out the manifesto here or download it to read it later.

What drives and motivates us

Humans like animals have a biological drive that motivates us to eat, drink and copulate. It's the most basic form of motivation that keep us alive and well. We are also motivated by extrinsic elements like rewards and punishments. These extrinsic motivations are the basis of our business world. You want something done better and faster, you pay more. If you want to prevent a certain behavior, you punish them.

The third drive is by far the most powerful form of motivation. It's intrinsic motivation that drives programmers to release open-source software and made Wikipedia the best encyclopedia in the world. They are doing it for the enjoyment of the task itself. The performance of the task is in itself the reward.

This is the reason why you should be doing things that you love. Intrinsic motivation is both renewable and limitless.

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Life is too short

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I received this last week. It's one of the painting from Hugh Macleod of GapingVoid. This is not actually the one I ordered but I like all of the Linchpin series so it's fine. 

linchpin-1001-jpeg-10002.jpg

Life is too short not to do something that matters, not to become a "Linchpin". I know it, you know it, we all know it, so let's stop futzin' around at get on with it. Like Seth says, "Decide". - Hugh

This will serve as a daily reminder for me that life is too short to waste time and get myself to start working on those ideas. You just have to try to know if it will work.

Rework your business

The guys from 37signals just released their new book REWORK. I'm hoping to get my hands on one soon. It's a compilation of essays that give you great new insights on how you should run your business. A must read for every entrepreneur out there.

In the real world, you can't have over a dozen employees spread out across eight different cities over two continents. In the real world, you can't attract millions of customers without any salespeople or advertising. In the real world, you can't reveal your formula for success to the rest of the world. But we've done all those things and prospered. The real world isn't a place, it's an excuse. It's a justification for not trying. It has nothing to do with you. - Excerpt from REWORK

If you would like to know more about the book. check out the REWORK manifesto on Changethis.

What do you do?

Is your job title something general like Sales Executive or something cool like Chief Awesomeness? How often does it actually reflects what you do? The reason you hand out your name card is to let others know who you are and what you do. But more often than not, it doesn't clarify your job scope and rather raises more questions. What does a Senior Data Analyst do? Does a Sales Manager handles sales?

Wouldn't it be better if you could replace or complement your job title with a short description that actually tells people what exactly you do? Something that captures the essence of your work?

John Doe

IT Executive

Making sure the computer works for you, not the other way around.

If you can't figure out how to describe your job, try to think about what drives you to do what you do. Your motivation, purpose or passion. Personally, looking at the apps I've built (Ravejoint and Showtimes.my), the aim is to make it easier and simpler for people to find stuff (food, movie showtimes) they are looking for. I could maybe have this on my card.

TS Lim

Simplifying life, one app at a time

Given the chance to change or improve your job title, what would you do? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The YOU Element

Ever wonder why some people and companies succeed while others fail horribly. Why some artists command a premium on their art while others struggle to make a living. I think the answer is the YOU element. The thing that makes your art, product, service unique and can only be achieved by you alone. The thing you and your creation stands for.

When I buy something from you, I'm not just buying it for me, I'm buying to be part of a community. To be your customer and to be a part of what your brand stands for. When I buy a Macbook, it means something. It shows what I want in a laptop.

The best way for your product to be noticed is to create a Purple Cow, something that's unique and remarkable. Guess what's unique and remarkable? You!

You need to identify your gift, your special sauce, your touch that makes your creation different. The stuff that only you can pull off. When you look at drawings from Hugh Macleod, you can instantly identify him in it. It's something only he can do.

Everyone’s an artist now. - Seth Godin in Linchpin

Everything you create is art. As long as you are creating something, you are an artist. Seth Godin says anyone who put their heart and soul into their work, people who add the human element into the equation, the ones that do emotional labor are all artists. Art is something that's human, not something that's made by a machine.

Your art is also a reflection of you. Your personality, your thoughts, your values. It tells a lot about you and hopefully it's a story that others would love to hear and share with friends.

I think this applies not only on an individual level (artist, musicians) but also for companies and organization (e.g. Apple, Nike). If you're building something, you have to literally put yourself into it. As long as things you are doing have you in it, you'll be fine.

What matters now EBook

A while ago, Seth Godin posted about an ebook with ideas and insights from many influential individuals and great thinkers of our time. Here's an excerpt from his post.

Here are more than seventy big thinkers, each sharing an idea for you to think about as we head into the new year. From bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert to brilliant tech thinker Kevin Kelly, from publisher Tim O'Reilly to radio host Dave Ramsey, there are some important people riffing about important ideas here. The ebook includes Tom Peters, Fred Wilson, Jackie Huba and Jason Fried, along with Gina Trapani, Bill Taylor and Alan Webber.

It is so good and thought provoking that I just had share this to everyone. You can download it here or view it online on Scribd or wepapers.