Monday Memo #1
Good morning! Andrew here đ, bringing you thoughts on working. Thanks for reading, and feel free to share with anyone you think would find this useful.
Today Iâve got a roundup of interesting articles for you. Enjoy!
List one task, do it, cross it out
Oliver Burkeman has a great piece on productivity and focus:
In the end, the only point of any personal productivity system, goal-setting technique or "life planning" exercise is to help you make a slightly better decision about what to do, right now, so you can mentally put everything else to one side for the time being and immerse yourself in that one thing.
Read the whole thing. Itâs great, and talks about dealing with something Iâm prone to: analysis paralysis.
How do you know what the right thing to be working on right now is? How do you move forward, when the path is uncertain or the options are overwhelming?
Burkeman recommends a technique that ânever fails to deliver me from procrastination or grouchiness to clarityâ (sign me up for that):
Think of something worthwhile to do right now (without considering whether itâs âbestâ).
Write it down.
Do it.
Cross it out.
Repeat.
You probably canât do this all the time. Sometimes you do need to analyze and prioritize.
But for me this is a great way to move forward when I feel stuck or overwhelmed. Another way Iâve seen it phrased is âwhatâs the smallest possible step thatâs clearly a step in the right directionâ?
Also, if you like this article, check out the authorâs book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Itâs one of my faves.
A practical guide to executive presence
Stay SaaSy has a nice definition of executive presence:
I define executive presence as a set of behaviors that will influence others to fully listen to what you say. You can be right all the time, and the hardest worker at the company, but to be maximally effective people need to judge your ideas on their own merits.
Check out the whole thing. How you speak, act, and present yourself influences how much other people will listen to what you have to say.
Is that fair? No, definitely not. Is it true? Sure seems that way. Or, at the very least, doesnât hurt to consider.
The author breaks down executive presence into a couple things:
Donât freak out. Losing control and highly dramatic displays arenât helpful.
Donât ramble. Make a few key points, rather than ramble on. People take high-signal communicators seriously.
Calibrate your confidence. Be confident when you have data, logic, and experience on your side. But you donât need to be confident in everything. Especially donât be confidently wrong.
Donât be blindly defensive. Be willing to consider your own role in bad outcomes.
Look the part. No need to dress up if thatâs not whatâs expected, but donât look like a slob, either. This is super not fair (you should be judged for your work, not your look). But the author points out this is a practical guide, and it can matter at some places. And that you can help change this by taking people seriously regardless of how they look.
This easy lemon tart recipe has a timesaving twist
Confession time: I have a seriously love for desserts. And this lemon tart recipe looks pretty amazing.
Brown butter, crunchy crust? Bright lemony curd? Faster and easier than more traditional recipes? Sign me up.