Deadlines are stressful for most of us, but they do serve their purpose in forcing us into action. Without them, who knows how many great products, works of art and plain old everyday projects wouldn’t exist.
Robert Swan was the first man to walk to both the South and North Poles. He gave the keynote speech at last week’s Cisco Live conference in Melbourne, and it was chock-full of pithy observations on how to motivate and inspire yourself.
This quote from artist and writer Austin Kleon reminds us that kindness and respect can go a long way. When we’re online we’re part of a vast worldwide community that can, at the same time, feel as small as a neighbourhood. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by anger and lash out when there isn’t someone in front of you, so it helps to imagine that there is.
This quote comes from French author Andre Gide and serves as a reminder that getting angry and inciting an argument can often be the worst way to resolve a problem.
We lead busy lives and use our limited time as an excuse to procrastinate and avoid getting things done, but often claiming we don’t have time is a lie. It’s a lie we tell others and ourselves. It helps us believe we’ll never get anything done, and this is a problem. Fortunately, the solution might be as simple as changing your language.
This quote comes from Brendan Boyle who works in the IDEO Toy Lab — a place where ridiculous ideas are encouraged. (By the way, if you’re not familiar with the immensely creative industrial design firm IDEO, be sure to watch this.)
“Work only for people you like. A sense of commonality is essential. Without that, disaster.”
“If you don’t zero in a core set of priorities, nothing ever gets done because everything is too important.” Former US national chief information officer Vivek Kundra made that point on his recent trip to Australia. It applies to national IT infrastructure decisions, but it also applies to something as simple as your to-do list.
“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory. Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Last Friday, The Awl’s Choire Sicha keyed a post of career advice for young people, but whether you’re young or not, the post’s full of relatable, head-nod moments. For starters, Sicha’s take on quitting rings true.
