Research
I am in quick failure mode researching and validating some premises. If any of these resonates with you and want to talk, please contact me:
Value to the individual precedes value to the team. What would happen if we put less emphasis on using the latest collaboration tool; instead, allow each individual to have more control on how they process and manage their own work?
Collaboration is being abused. Teamwork and collaboration are good, but when used indiscriminately they kill the focus and deep thinking opportunities for the individual. The issue is not the time spent collaborating, but the illusion that continual and fast interactions are progress. “One is not idle because one is absorbed. There is both visible and invisible labor. To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do – Victor Hugo.”
Agile (noun) is being misused. ‘Agile’ has it turned into a marketing term used to create a false sense of confidence, like the label “Fat-free” I see everywhere walking down the grocery aisle. The emphasis on speed can become a convenient, yet extremely expensive, pretext to skip basic homework. A fire, ready, aim culture is conducive to speed, and a lot of waste. See the writings about ‘Agile’ from one of the original signatories of “The Manifesto for Agile Software Development”, Dave Thomas: Agile is Dead (Long Live Agility).
Testing
I created the first MVP. I am now using it to test a hypothesis re. the value of attention management for professionals consistently busy with multiple workstreams.
In my demos I refer to it as an “anti-collaboration” tool. It seems to communicate well the essence of what’s about.
Other
I continue concentrating on self-discipline and improving habits on the three pillars: nutrition, exercise and sleep. I am proud to have created a consistent workout and physical routine in the last two months. It is clearly paying off in the form of much needed mental energy and stamina.
Last updated: August 5 2019.