About your desk
If a messy desk symbolises a messy mind, what does an empty desk symbolise?
It’s a quip attributed to Einstein, though there’s no proof he said it.
It’s a favourite of mine because my father was (is!) notorious for having a messy desk.
Regardless, I believe the state of my physical deskspace has an impact on my psychology.
So, as simple as the tips that follow may seem, they might just help you like they do me.
Feeling overwhelmed? Clear your physical desk space....
Don't challenge the status quo. Change it.
You know what I’m sick and tired of being told to do? Challenge the status quo!
It’s seen as a power move. Leaders do it. Heroes do it.
Enshrined in vision statements and implored from the keynote stage, challenging the status quo is what we need to do to succeed, right?
Easy to say, hard to do.
Pointing to what needs to change or setting a vision for what a changed state looks like is the easy part – it’s hypothetical.
Actually embedding change is a behavioural...
Overlooked, overwatered, overwhelmed
When an indoor plant is struggling, our instinct is to give it more water.
But that can drown the plant, making it worse.
Some managers are like this, and far too many sales people.
They can tell the person they are engaging with is struggling, but they keep talking anyway.
They share more advice or more information, which only adds to overwhelm.
Overwhelm is one of three core issues when you are trying to influence behaviour, along with Apathy (I can’t be bothered) and Anxiety...
Providing information can be a selfish thing to do
Seems to me that many people think the job is done once information has been shared.
Government ‘awareness’ campaigns, corporate policy documents, consulting recommendation decks, training days…
Once you’ve informed your audience, you’ve met the brief. It’s over to them.
No. Not good enough.
But what do you want me to do?
We keep hearing about information overload. That people are confronted by thousands of messages and make hundreds of...
Too much detail or not enough?
Are you providing too much detail or not enough?
People say they want information, right? But what's the right level of information to share?
Behavioural expert Bri Williams shares how to approach the issue of information, including why people think they need it and why they actually do.
More about Just Do This: www.briwilliams.com/about-just-do-this
