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[farinajs]

Are You Being Productive?

For the last couple of months, I've been following the advice from this great, great post by Julien Smith. If you only have 5 minutes to spare, you should just leave this blog and read that post instead, don't forget to come back though.

I used my phone to ping me every hour between 9AM-6PM, every day (yes, including weekends) and ask this question "Are you being productive?". I get all sorts of reaction from people when they wonder why I would ever do that. Honestly, it works for me. Yes, it can be really annoying at times, but it's a nice reminder to stop effin' around, multitasking, or dazing and focus on what's I'm set out to do in the first place.

"Being productive" is not just defined as doing "work stuff", it could also be doing necessities, enjoying life, reading, exercising, or whatever it is that you set out on doing. For example, I considered myself being productive when I cook on a Sunday afternoon.

Other random tips to become more productive:

1. Start doing things early in the morning. Yes, yes, I know.. not everyone is a morning person, but doing things early in the morning really sets the tone for the rest of your day. Try it out, tackle one of your hardest tasks super early in the morning (for me, I meditate or exercise first thing in the morning).

2. Pull an email unsubscribe frenzy. Honestly.. daily deals, sample sales, random newsletters, mailing lists.. yes, unsubscribe all of them from your email. They clutter your inbox, you only read them as a distraction and most of them really don't add that much value in your life anyway. Start now, everytime you receive a promotional email, go to the very bottom and click unsubscribe. Just do it everytime you receive a promotional email.

3. Stop reading the news. Read important headlines, enough to carry a proper conversation, but that's about it. Stop reading blogs that are gossipy in nature, and no it's not just the TMZs of the world, but I'm talking about the TechCrunch-es too. Afraid that you won't be knowledgeable or interesting enough for others? Don't worry, a quick Google search (when your friend is looking the other way) is enough to keep you updated on the spot. Read things that are worth your time.. great ideas, beliefs, insights, analysis, or other thoughtprovoking things on magazines, journals, books, or even blogs.. this is different than just reading about "news". You can also use other people as filter on what's new in the world, this is a fine way to outsource your news consumption. If you're friends with people who read a lot, they'll be able to let you know what's interesting out there and you can just get the gist of it from them.

4. Don't ever multitask. Ever. You think you're doing things faster and more efficient.. but the truth is you're just doing multiple things at the same time and none of those things will come out great.

[farinajs]

"It isn’t what you did in the past that will affect the present. It’s what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby change the future.”

"Aleph" - Paulo Coelho

[farinajs]

Dealing with Changes

"Life is the dancer and you are the dance" - Eckhart Tolle

Look, I don't want to sound too hippie-ish here, but I do believe that as much as you want to control life, you really can't. This is lesson Zen 101 for you, my Type A friend. Unfortunately, life controls you more than you control your life.

No, this is not a permission to just be a slob and let life passes you by. This is not a permission for inaction. Instead, the best way to handle whatever it is thrown at you is to acknowledge this fact. The fact that millions of things are beyond your control and once you stop and realize this, you would come back with a response. A response that comes from this 'pause' and an acceptance that life is way bigger than you. Only then you can come up with the best response instead of a mere reaction to whatever curveball is happening in your life.

I have more to talk about on this subject as I'm experiencing lots and lots of changes in my life, but we'll get to that soon enough.

[farinajs]

If you have to let go of distractions and begin again thousands of times, fine. That's not a roadblock to the practice - that is the practice. That's life: starting over, one breath at a time.

Sharon Salzberg, on meditation.

[farinajs]

I Do What I Want!

People are really afraid of failures. Why? Many times because people actually care what other people think of them. If your excuse to NOT do something is because of you are scared what other people might think of you, well let me share something with you...

Most liberating thought of the day: people are just too damn busy to care about something other than themselves.

So yes, do the thing you truly want to do. The only person who actually cares whether you're successful or not is you.

I'll leave you to a must read blog post by Julien Smith on the complete guide to not give a crap.

[farinajs]

Making the Case for the Short-Term Goal

(note: sorry for the picture quality, I'll replace this once I recharge my better camera!)

"Do I still like what I do today?"

If the answer is yes, keep on doing it. If the answer is no, then figure out what you think you like to do (how to figure this out will be a different topic) for now and try to get there. Don't make plans for longer than 3 months ahead. It's just going to fall apart. Because you don't know what's going to happen today much less the next 5 years.

Also, long-term goal making and thinking way that far ahead will choke you. People freeze over making decisions that involve anything longer than one year. Why do you think you haven't yet proposed to your partner? Or why you haven't put down a down payment over that house.

As a result of long-term thinking less action are taken, ideas remain just that.. ideas. Stop over-thinking and over-analyzing. Think short-term and don't try to commit more than what you can handle.

[farinajs]

Moderation Sucks

One of the worst advices that I have ever gotten is the “everything is okay in moderation” advice. This advice can be given in multiple situations and formats. In the spectrum of health & wellness, people say things like “it’s okay, you can have alcohol/ice cream/[insert drug of choice] as long as it’s in moderation” or “you should exercise only in moderation”. In business it translates into the buzzword “work-life balance”. In life in general, it becomes something like “too much of a good thing is not good for you”. And so on. It’s so awful.

You may say “whoa, I thought balance, moderation, all that stuff is good for you?”, well, I think it’s complete BS.

Let’s get one assumption out of the way first: time is a finite resource. I don’t want to be morbid here, but let’s face it, our days are numbered and time is a precious thing. What does that have to do with moderation? Everything. On a daily basis, I try to make a conscious decision to be happy every second. I choose happiness over other things. It is my goal. Because, again, if time is limited, would I rather be something else other than happy? Probably not.

So, why the moderation advice sucks?

1. It’s a crappy excuse, i.e. I can eat ho hos and deep fried twinkies, as long as it’s in moderation. Um, bullshit.

2. It justifies mediocrity. Does Usain Bolt ever train in moderation? Let’s face it, if you do things moderately or something you describe as a ‘happy medium’, it’s probably never that great to begin with.

3. So, it’s kind of a waste of time.

I am not telling everyone to gun it all the time. That is not the point. Unless if you think by gunning things you'll achieve your goal. The point is that you make a conscious decision towards your goal/purpose/meaning/whatever, every single time. I guess I vilify the word ‘moderation’ too much, you can easily replace it with balance, 50/50, 80/20, happy medium, etc. I find all of them to be silly, limiting rules to put upon yourself. How would you feel if everything in your life happens in moderation? Is there such a thing as a true 50/50 in marriage? Or really does true work/life balance at work exist? Let’s just all be unicorns and shoot rainbows out of our bums if we want to live in la-la land, but I digress. Everything should always go back to what you’re trying to achieve, or what your purpose is. It’s about what you choose every time. Every. Frikkin. Time.

So, when you are out drinking with friends, it’s not about “it’s okay, I only do this in moderation”, but instead, “I want to drink right now because spending this precious time with my friends makes me happy [or whatever purpose]”. It should be about a conscious decision towards a goal. There is a difference between creating an excuse and making a decision that serves a purpose. You need to decide that yourself and not by some random rule of moderation or 80/20 or 50/50. Be mindful, folks.

Now, you can say, “well, I can just do every single vice in the world and say that I consciously do this for the sake of my happiness”. Well, is it though? You need to be honest with yourself and ask if that [whatever vice] truly is what you think would serve your purpose. Is it really a good use of your time?

I write things like this because I’m guilty of this all the time, I'm obviously not a self-help guru. I just hope that this is a good reminder for both you and me, and we all can be moderately awesome together. Ha.

[farinajs]

I Don't Want To Be a Frikkin' Zombie

In three weeks, I’m going to participate in a 5K obstacle race. Easy peasy? Doesn’t sound too bad, but add zombies into the mix, now that’s fun! The goal is to not get caught by these professional-looking zombies, who’ll try to steal your health flags. If you run out of health flags, you’ll be declared “undead” at the end of the race. So, naturally I am preparing myself on how to not be a zombie by continuing my usual workout regimen and watching some zombie movies.

Now, zombies are dead, but not really dead. They’re like drones but nasty looking and like to eat your brains out. It got me thinking, some people I know in the real world (not that I make the conclusion that zombies don’t exist in the real world) have already been acting like zombies.. in real life!

Real life zombies are people on autopilot, not awake, and just go on with their lives without ever being fully conscious to really experience what this world has to offer. The good, the bad, the ugly, the amazeballs. It’s really sad when you think about it. I see these people every day at work, at the gym, at restaurants, everywhere. I can sometime be a little bit of a zombie downer myself (if you ever see me on autopilot mode, please slap me out of it!). It usually happens when I do things that are super habitual or repetitive, e.g. brushing my teeth, driving to work, etc. How can I be more mindful and be less of a zombie?

Even on "bigger" things in life.. am I being too drone-like? Letting each day go by without fully experiencing what the world has to offer? That thought really scares the shit out of me.

I do realize one thing: this is it. This is all there is. You don't get a practice life. Do I want to live it as a creature of habit? Or do I want to be able to experience all the little and amazing things that exist out there in the universe?

Some food for thought :) (or in zombie-speak: some brain for the undead head); these are some things that might help:

Step 1: stop and be aware of what your mind & your body are doing right now, be aware of your surroundings, to where you are, who you're with (i.e. stop checking your social media feeds when you're with someone else, stop multitasking, etc)

Step 2: accept the things that are happening this moment and in your life in general; if things are not super great, then accept that it is what it is at this very second; if things are great, I'm happy for you

Step 3: when you accept things, it doesn't mean that you have to stay with it if your situation sucks, so start responding to your situation; note that responding is the key word here.. it means you don't go apeshit crazy reacting and be a drama queen about a situation that you don't like

Step 4: congrats, you're officially a step closer to enlightenment, keep being the mindful, classy person that you are

Final note, only be a zombie when you intentionally choose to be a zombie. Only be anything, for that matter, when you intentionally choose to.

[farinajs]

Being An Expert is Stupid

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, hut in the expert’s mind there are few.”

-Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Master

Stop for a moment and observe what you're doing right now. Are you on a conference call? Sending emails? Creating powerpoint decks? Making coffee?

Take a moment to realize the things you can be an expert on. Most of us are great email responders (yes, no, thank you, great job, etc.). I can also probably claim that I make a really good cup of coffee using the pourover method. Yes, I'm a coffee snob. Every morning, one of the first things that I do is to heat the kettle. I found the aroma and the ritual of grinding coffee to be satisfying. Then, I started to be quite good at it, I added extra gadgets here and there. I used to be super mindful of how much beans I grind, what the temperature is, and how I swirl my kettle over the cone. Yes, that cup of coffee is a lot of work, but very satisfying. My friend once asked me, "how was your 10-hours coffee this morning?".

But now, I think I can get away with it and start multitasking in the morning. I grind my beans as I read my twitter timeline. Bad idea. I would elaborate another time why multitasking is the worst sin in the world (a coffee burn mark to prove), for now, I want to focus on claiming to be an expert coffee maker.

Losing focus, having a closed mind, losing that original attitude and original mind ("omg, this is the best cup of coffee ever"), are all the things that happen to me when I start thinking "hey, I know how to do this, I'm the bomb".

This doesn't end at making coffee. Goes the same for creating slides, playing sports, whatever it is. When you think you're an expert, you stop learning, your creative mind ceased to exist. This is why (stereotypically) big companies led by stiffy old suits lose their innovation edge to young, hoodie-wearing, creative college dropouts.

On a side note, if you like coffee, we should chat. Also you should follow @coffee_dad.

[farinajs]

Judgment is the gluten of thought.

heard on Happy Endings (yes, it's a TV show).

[farinajs]

On the Phone

My friend: Yes, you do sound 'blah' today.

Me: Sorry.

My friend: No need to apologize.

Me: No, I just don't want to suck the energy out of you. That would be uncool of me.

My friend: OMG, listen to the way you speak? Who talks like that?!

[farinajs]

Playing Eckhart Tolle

Me: You're a product of millions of years of self-selecting process and whatnot. The fact that you're here today is proof that you should be able to handle whatever is thrown your way. God how do I come up with these gems?

My friend: Seriousy! You need your own YouTube channel or advice channel

[farinajs]

My talk at Ignite Waterloo 9 at the Perimeter Institute back in July 2012.

[farinajs]

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

from Viktor E. Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning"

[farinajs]

The Law of the Dancefloor & Your Venture Ideas

Another repost. You can find the original one here.

You need to fight to win the hot girl. Or the cute guy.

Attractiveness level of a girl or guy usually positively correlates with the number of potential suitors that this person attracts. There would be five other guys who will be buying her drinks. You bought her Smirnoff, yet the next guy already hands her a Belvedere and another guy is trying to impress with bottle service.

In business speak, if you think of this hot girl as a sexy, glamorous industry, then think about the number and level of competition that this industry is attracting. Not only that, you might even need huge capital to capture a small portion of the market.

Ambitious, smart people usually pick the most glamorous and sexy industries out there. Go to any top business school out there and lots of MBAs want to be in high-growth clean tech, consumer technology, green energy. Everybody wants to invest in the next Twitter, if not start the next Twitter. Consumer internet space is sexy, but iron ore trading is not.

When you think about it though, don’t you rather be in an industry where there are less smart people (like yourself) and where there is less competition?

Instead of starting the new gourmet restaurant in town, maybe you should start thinking about supplying disposable hairnets and sanitary gloves to these restaurants. I’m obviously just thinking about the most mundane example, but imagine the number of restaurants out there and if there is a certain city regulation that requires hairnets & gloves. Hmmm, it could be a pretty lucrative business. Especially, when you’re competing with those who can’t innovate or has value-added services that you can come up with. Not to mention, there’s a big probability that these mundane businesses are less capital-intensive.

So, next time, think about that wallflower by the corner. She may not be hot and she couldn’t even come up with a decent conversation, but she’ll definitely dance with you.. for a Bud Light.

[farinajs]

Why You Are Not the Customer: A Simple Reminder

This is a post from my old blog, which you can find here.

Now, I know that you’re really smart, so I’m going to say this upfront, this is nothing new. Just a simple reminder. If you’re heading to work today and about to make a business decision, say this with me: “I am NOT the consumer”.

Yes, you are not. Basic, marketing 101 concept. But you wouldn’t believe, over years (ha! “years”..) of experience, how many times I’ve heard these words came out of an executive or a colleague: “Well, if I’m the consumer, I will (will not) buy that..)”. Well, guess what, unless you are the exact target audience for your product/service (and if you’re catering to the consumer space.. 99% of the time, you’re probably not), you are not the customer.

It’s remarkable how people forget about this during meetings. I think it’s human nature to empathize with yourself at all times, meaning you tell yourself “If it was me….” too many times. Yes, people are egotistical. Nothing wrong with that, again, it’s human nature.

Take me as an example, working in the consumer technology space, as a gadget user, it is so easy for me to relate to all the products that my company makes and what the competitors are making.

But, take a closer look at my “consumer behavior” in news consumption:

First thing in the morning, I’ll check news on my BlackBerry Twitter application & NYTimes widget. Then as I’m making breakfast, using my Windows 7 personal laptop, I would use iTunes to listen to the latest podcast from BBC or WSJ. I subscribe to the print version of the Economist magazine, even though I can easily access it through my iPad or my Kindle (I have both). Driving to work, I will use my iPhone (that serves as an iPod), to listen to either more news podcast or some music.

That’s just my morning.

Am I a power user? Maybe. But for which device? I spread out my usage throughout the day. I don’t even touch my iPad sometimes (I haven’t in the last two weeks).

Am I an early adopter (ooh, tech marketers love this one)? Not really. I didn’t really rush out the door to get all of my gadgets.

Am I a loyal customer? Um, check out the different brands that I use.

So, what am I?

How do you categorize yourself into just one bucket or one customer persona?

Well, you don’t. So, don’t make a decision based on yourself, or at least I shouldn’t.

But what if your actual behavior truly mimics a typical customer persona? Well, then your judgment will be very biased towards that group and you’ll even have stronger conviction that you’re making the right decision.

People tend to hear what they want to hear and see what they want to see. If you are an Apple fanboy and is a heavy-user of the iPad, you’ll start searching for news on the iPad. You’ll probably troll the Engadget blog and start commenting for every single iPad news. Then you get all excited to hear that Apple’s share of the tablet market is 87.4% worldwide and they shipped 4.7 million tablets last quarter. Then you start to think that “Wow, the world is shifting. I don’t even use my laptop anymore, I only use my tablet. This is the biggest thing that happened to the world since rice cookers”. So, you go to work and decided that your brand needs to have its own iPad app.

Well, to put things into perspective, Microsoft sold 300 million of Windows 7 licenses and I’m pretty sure that they’re running on plain ol’ laptops or (God forbids) desktops *gasp* (do they still make those?). Not tablets. Is that iPad app still going to be relevant for your customers? Maybe, but do your homework. Don’t get trapped into believing that you’re an average jane/joe. 99% of the time, you’re probably not.

[farinajs]

On Thoughts

Thoughts come and go. They're like noise in your head.

I found that in some mornings, I can either have no thoughts in my head or that it's so busy talking about "what am I going to do today?", "why did/didn't I do that?". The number of thoughts in my head correlates negatively with my level of calmness, centered-ness, and in a way.. happiness. The more things I think about, the less calm I get. Well, I guess it really depends on what kind of things I'm thinking of, but you get the idea. Less noise is better.

I woke up this morning to a message on my phone, I know, I really should stop having my phone on my bedside table. There's bad news. Rather sad and depressing news, really. Then lots of thoughts formed in my head, immediately I feel anxious. I forced myself up to walk my dog, that didn't help because I just multitasked. I walked my dog and thought at the same time. Then I went to the gym, it helped me to not think, because the workout was pretty brutal. But it was a temporary solution at best.

This is why people meditate. This is why I try to meditate (when I can actually squeeze it between my time). Meditation supposed to clear your mind, whatever. I found myself falling asleep in 10 minutes. This is why it's called a practice and you just have to do it over and over.

Now, where am I going with this? I got lost in my on thoughts, again. Dammit. Well, when you're lost in your head as often as I do, here's how I deal with it:

Step 1: breathe

Step 2: follow your breathing, or observe it

Step 3: if necessary, close your eyes, try to look zen while you're at it

Step 4: breathe some more.

Most days, it helps. Some days, it doesn't. When it doesn't, well, just keep on doing what you're doing. Breathe some more. The most simple things are sometimes the hardest.. who knows sitting down on your bum and not doing or thinking could be this hard?