Rands In Repose: Trickle Theory
I use this method when I faced with a pile of paper on my desk to file:
My advice is: START. Iterate. Mix-it-Up.
Combined with this short story on how to get things done:
It went like this: one guy would cut and drag brush into the fire, another would cut trees down, and the third would trim fallen trees. This went on for a while and then they’d all switch. Now, drag guy was cut guy, cut guy was hauling wood guy and trim guy was stack guy. During lunch, I sat down and asked, “When do you guys switch jobs?””When we’re bored.”
Beautiful, beautiful Trickle Theory. How cool is this? If you’re working on an impossibly hard or impossibly dull task and you find yourself mentally blocked by boredom or confusion, stop and do something else. The benefits of stopping are stunning.
The absence of fear to failure is often the requirement for success when faced with impossible tasks. Becoming stuck is purely a signal that is time to stop and gather your experience with some reflection, maybe internally while you do something else.
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