February 24, 2023
5 Magic Questions / How To Beat Decision Fatigue / Creating Psychological Safety / NASA and the Perfect Nap / Open-Ear Headphones
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šŖ 5 Magic Questions
Two weeks ago I shared an article that contained a āHuge List of Questions for your next 1:1ā I came across this thread this week that are along the same lines. The difference, though, is these 5 question are MUCH more targeted. If you want to get an idea of culture on your team, pay attention to questions #4 and #5.
š How To Beat Decision Fatigue
In my mindās eye, whenever Batman goes into Gotham City, he opens up a closet full of uniforms that are all the same. Iām into that simplicity these days.
This article has some really practical advice on not only how to beat ādecision fatigueā, but (more importantly?) how to recognize decision fatigue. I can definitely see why Steve Jobs always wore a black turtleneck and jeans, and why Mark Zuckerberg has a tomato sandwich everyday for lunch - one less decision!
š¦ŗ Creating psychological safety in the room
We talk about this A LOT in my team at work. With how much we talk about it, I think we could talk about it more. Itās so important and necessary to a healthy team. This article has some good suggestions on how to implement safety in your team. Another great resources this is āSmart Leaders, Smarter Teamsā. The book is great and they offer a week-long workshop Iām excited to attend in 2 weeks.
šŖ NASA researched the perfect nap
Yep, you read that right. The folks who put a man on the moon have researched and discovered the length and time of the perfect nap. (Some surprisingly interesting work in the article!)
š§ Gear: Open-Ear Headphones
Iāve tried a lot of headphones/earbuds over the years. Since so much of my work is within an office, Iāve realized that I donāt like having something in my ears so much of the day. A friend recommended these to me a while back. These are headphones that sit outside your ear. It took a day or two to get used to them, but now they have become a daily tool for me. Not only can I hear things in the room (that may be a drawback for some of you), I no longer have sore ears at the end of the day. NOTE: one annoyance for me is that if you are using Microsoft Teams for your calls, when you have the call on mute, these headphones sound a chime every 10 seconds. In that case, I switch my microphone to my webcam and the chime stops. The company says they are working on an update.
Words to wrap up:
āYou know what the happiest animal on Earth is? Ā Itās a goldfish. Ā You know why? Ā
Itās got a 10-second memory.ā ā Ted Lasso