When you're juggling more than you can handle it's only a matter of time before a ball drops. So I think an essential skill to juggling outside your comfort zone is being ok with dropped balls. That you don't lose your cool when a ball hits the floor or when someone points out your mistake. … Continue reading Juggling more than you can handle →

It's funny how convenience has inadvertently led to more frustration. Take for example online v offline shopping. With 99% of websites these days you can adjust the filters to find out in mere minutes if they have the size, style and colour that you want. In a shop you have to figure out their floorplan, … Continue reading Convenience leading to frustration →

Whenever Hercules successfully decapitated a head of the Lernaean Hydra he was rewarded with two more heads to decapitate. It's like the untold secret of productivity. The trap that inevitably follows. If you show yourself to be an efficient worker, someone who can crank out a quality product in record time, you'll inadvertently attract requests … Continue reading Productivity trap →

It's been no secret that Man United have not been doing well since Sir Alex left. After Ferguson departed, 8 years ago, there has been 5 different managers put in charge. If you were a Man United player you might think: Here is a ready made gift wrapped excuse. I could use this to my … Continue reading A gift wrapped excuse →

I may be a million miles off here but I think there is a hidden unspoken rule surrounding closed biscuit packets versus a plate of loose biscuits on it (this is in relation to guests visiting a house). I think if the host lays out cookies on a plate visitors would have no qualms about … Continue reading Rule shadows →

"Most creative persons are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well... Without the passion, we soon lose interest in a difficult task. Yet without being objective about it, our work is not very good and lacks credibility." Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi How could you do 100 takes of one … Continue reading Attached and detached →

https://youtu.be/IVliymiP_7Q In the above YouTube video, at around 1 minute 30 seconds, Simon Pegg talks about Steven Spielberg problem solving a scene and I think it's a fantastic example of imagination and practicality fused together. The imagination part is easy for Spielberg, he can see the scene in his head, he knows what he wants … Continue reading Spielberg’s practicality →

In his book 'Creativity' Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi talks about the complexity of pinning down any characteristics of a creative personality. He lists ten factors and for number three he says: "A third paradoxical trait refers to the related combination of playfulness and discipline" We need look no further than the Get Back documentary of the Beatles … Continue reading Playful and disciplined →

"There's no such thing as a bad idea Morty, it's about execution" To continue fleshing out this theory I find so interesting, if we take 'proper' execution to be characters presented with an abundance of obstacles and they overcome them in believable and cunning ways (eg. Rick & Morty) then I think we can consider … Continue reading Contrived moments →

There's a bit in Malcolm in the Middle where Malcolm has been trying all day to compose an original piece of music. Although it's caused him a great deal of stress and frustration, he's finally done it! He has succeeded in being creative! Malcolm rushes out to show his family. To his horror, to his … Continue reading Where is creativity? →