Media innovation; How people think; Giving feedback
💡Think
Hello from Madrid!
This week I've been working on freelance work before my actual job in the mornings (I know) but realised that the constricted time for this work has actually forced me to become so much better at it.
It can't last, because starting work at 6.45am is a terrible idea, but there is something in restrictions forcing better results - it's the solution to Parkinson's law (work will fill the time it is allocated), and is reaaaally good at making sure you actually finish something.
I can't be the only person who has multiple "priorities" which all last for months because there's no hard deadline, spreading the work out incredibly thin. It leads to things being continuously de-prioritised to the point where they either end up being really late, or are half-baked.
So I guess this week's thought is, to...uhhh...work less to work better?
📷 Look
📖 Read
❶ Innovation in media: reinventing how ideas and culturesSpread
A different type of article in here this week. This one examines what innovation looks like across most media forms – movies, TV, books etc. It's a bit of a deep dive into what content is now, where budgets are being spent, and throws in some wild facts; Dune was originally rejected 23 times!
❷ How people think
Another different type of article here, keeping things very fresh this week. It's a piece that goes through the author's 17 key principles of how they see our minds working. For example, they interrogate the idea of optimism and pessimism, stating that it's in our nature to test the boundaries rather than accept good or bad. This is because emotions aren't something you can measure with a formula. Woooah.
❸ How to criticise coworkers
The title of this article is harsher than it needs to be, as it's actually a great piece on how to give proper and effective feedback to your colleagues (or anyone to be honest). Unlike a lot of these types of articles, the author also advises when it's best to not give feedback, which can often end up making a mess if we're not careful.
Bonus round
Maybe Elon is right and Twitter should open up their algorithms?
I launched a new, more design resource focused newsletter for my side project 8px