Dan Cullum · ·
In the story of Goldilocks, she enters the home of the bears and tries each of the three bowls of porridge on the table. One is too hot, the next too cold, and the last “just right”.
Porridge is simple. Real life is hard.
There is rarely a “just right”. There’s usually a choice, a trade-off, some risk, and a bunch of remaining unknowns.
“Just right” is just an illusion.
Dan Cullum · ·
We can spend time talking about the work, complaining about it, estimating how long it’ll take, costing it out, or checking that we have everything we need.
But eventually, we just need to roll up our sleeves and start.
That’s the antidote to the jitters.
Dan Cullum · ·
Around the age of ten, students at my primary school got to earn their pen licence. If their pencil-based handwriting was clear and neat enough over a sustained period, the teacher would give them an official piece of paper that said they were allowed to use a ball point pen.
Looking back now, the whole thing was a bit odd. But, I tell ya, it felt big at the time. I think it was the permanence of the pen. Permission to use a pen was a sign that you were self-assured, disciplined, careful, and controlled.
It got me thinking that perhaps us adults should have to earn our pencil licences. Maybe it’ll help us feel like it’s okay to make mistakes, or that using an eraser is acceptable, or that some days we’ll be sharp and others we’ll be blunt.
Here’s to the pencil. Let’s bring it back.
Dan Cullum · ·
I’ve been reflecting on Kevin Kelly’s Excellent Advice for Living, and one thing I love about the book is the mix of profound and practical advice.
I’ve posted about the profound advice before, but the practical stuff deserves a mention too.
Today’s post is an ode to one that I deliberately ignore all the time. So this post is as much a reminder to me, as it is sharing a good piece of advice with you.
“Take two trips. If you’re not sure you can carry it all, take two trips.”
Dan Cullum · ·
This evening I went to my first improvised comedy show in almost a decade. I forgot how much fun they are!
I was immediately reminded of improv’s number one rule: “Yes, and…”
In simple terms, when someone offers you an idea on stage, you accept it and add to it. You do not say no, and you do not “block” the story from progressing.
I also find it amazing how the funniest parts rarely come from players trying to be funny, but rather from how they respond to, and build on, another player’s crazy idea.
If a player suggests parachuting to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, or climbing the Eiffel Tower, or cooking for the King, the only answer is yes. And then it’s up to you to extend the story.
It’s a lesson useful for improv, and also for daily living.
Dan Cullum · ·
The Bear is an eclectic, hectic television series on Disney. The synopsis is, “A young talented chef named Carmen “Carmy” Anthony Berzatto inherits his family’s Italian beef sandwich shop after the suicide of his older brother Michael. He comes home to Chicago to run it, leaving behind his world of working in Michelin-starred restaurants.”
It’s not only great television, but a good friend—who is a chef—says the show is well respected within the culinary community for its realistic portrayal and accuracy of the hospitality industry.
There is a flashback scene where Carmy is working in a Michelin-starred restaurant, and he is facing intense pressure from the Head Chef. The Head Chef says to Carmy, “To make it better, take stuff out.”
I loved the reminder that the temptation to add more never goes away. And that the answer can often be found in not what we add, but in what we subtract.
Dan Cullum · ·
Last month I asked for some focus music recommendations, and you delivered with an eclectic mix. There were a tonne of artists and songs I’d never heard of before, but I enjoyed much of it—so I call that success!
Here’s the list and happy listening:
A big thank you to Dan, Sam, Anjali, Lucy, and Andrzej for sharing!
Dan Cullum · ·
I’ve been “liking” songs on Spotify since 2017. When I hear a song I like, I tap the heart and it gets added to my ‘Liked Songs’—I’ve got more than a thousand songs on there now.
Logically, this playlist is ordered from most to least recent, and I usually end up listening more to the recently added songs. However, the other day I sorted the playlist in reverse and was immediately transported back to my 2017 tastes in music. There were a few duds in there, but on the whole, I was pleasantly surprised by how many of the songs I still like! I could remember how certain artists accompanied me whilst working, and how certain songs were my commute companions.
If you’ve got a similar ‘Liked Songs’ playlist, reverse it and saddle up for a walk down nostalgia lane.
Finally, I haven’t forgotten about the crowd-sourced focus music playlist. A bunch of you sent through some great artists and playlists, and I wanted to give them a listen before sharing! That’s coming soon.
Dan Cullum · ·
I came across this great 3-minute video explaining the science behind why the 400m is considered one of—if not the most—painful event at the Olympics.
The 400m distance is like a sprint, as in the distance is not far, but the reason why it’s considered such a challenge is because no human being can sustain maximum effort for the full 400m.
There’s significant strategy involved as the athlete ends up cycling through three different stores of energy, running at maximum output for the first 50-100m, and reducing down to 90-95% for the rest of the race.
Most gruelling of all is the final 100m, where it comes down to the mental toughness of the athlete and whether or not they can tolerate more pain than their competitors.
It’s a great three minute watch!
Dan Cullum · ·
The video game always got worse after I penned in the cheat code. The challenge was missing and the magic was tainted. It took me a while to realise that the point of the game is to overcome the hard stuff, not avoid it.
There’s no shortage of people who’ll sell you a cheat code. They’ll tell you what you want to hear, and they’ll promise there’s a fast track.
But like the games I played as a kid, the joy is found in the striving. Cheat codes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
Dan Cullum · ·
The probability of getting rid of a clothing stain is higher the faster we act.
In a way, the problems we face in the workplace are like stains. Things usually turn out better when we act promptly. However, when the problem isn’t immediately visible—like ketchup on a white tee—it’s easier to ignore.
Keep an eye out for invisible stains.
Dan Cullum · ·
You’ve bought all the ingredients, the cook book is open to the recipe, and you’ve got a clean workspace. You’re ready to make a new dish.
You follow the instructions. You measure, and pour, and dice, and stir. You plate up, and it’s a success.
But you look at the kitchen, and it’s a disaster. The counter is a mess, the sink is piled high with dishes, and your apron has new stains.
Don’t worry. The first meal is always a mess. You’re finding your way. You’re trying something new. You’re experimenting. Optimisation can come later.
The real lesson here lies beyond the kitchen.
Dan Cullum · ·
Many of you know I have a soft spot for the Mississippi river. In the group chat with friends who travelled down the river with me, we recently marvelled that our journey was over eight years ago now.
Related to the river, I loved reading Seth Gordon’s post today called ‘The Mississippi River paradox’. It’s got a great lesson in there (via a Mississippi river metaphor) about the changing nature of people and organisations.
I’m going to paste the whole post below because it is short and it’s hard to select a quote without the essence being lost.
There’s no water in that river that was there ten years ago.
The boundaries have shifted in that time as well, there’s no riverbank that’s exactly where it was. And the silt and the fish have all moved too.
So, what’s “the Mississippi River”?
It’s a label, a placeholder, and a marker–when the Mississippi does something we don’t expect it to do, we comment on it.
People are like this as well. What if you could only be known for the best (or the worst) thing you ever did? You’re not that person now, and it’s likely you’ll never be that person again. But that’s the label we gave you.
When we talk about the organization or the brand or that neighbor down the street, we act as these are immutable objects, basic unchanging elements or static facts.
But like rivers, people change.
When the label stops being useful, we should change it. The problem with holding a grudge is that it makes your hands too full to do anything useful
Dan Cullum · ·
I enjoyed this thought from James Clear:
“Boredom is a filter. Common ideas come before it. Uncommon ideas come after it. Sit with a project long enough to get bored with it, then sit a little more. The most useful insights bubble up after you get bored.”
It’s a nice reminder than the common, obvious, and easy ideas always come first. We want the unique, creative, and original ideas—but are we willing to sit with the boredom long enough to get there?
Dan Cullum · ·
This morning I jumped on a completely empty carriage as I took the Tube into Central London.
It got me thinking about how most complex systems have periods of peak activity that contrast with periods of minimal activity. Think public transport networks, electricity grids, hospitals, and the teams you work in.
It’s moments of peak stress that matter, not the average workload, when designing the capacity of the system. There should always be enough slack in the system to be ready for the peak.