You can do anything...
… but not everything
“You can do anything, but not everything” is a quote I stole from the first linked article in this week’s newsletter. The writer stole it from productivity wiseman David Allen.
Productivity is one of those words - fine when you say, ‘I want to be more productive’, but annoying as hell when it’s some KaleBro telling you that purging every morning at 5.30 am is the only way to be as uber-productive as he is (and it’s pretty much always a he).
Well I’m calling it - too much focus on productivity for productivity’s sake is a bad thing. In contrast, getting the best return from the time you put in is a most excellent thing.
Focus people!
Step away from the shiny thing
Your man Bruce Lee knew all about the concept of Flow.
Flow, or ‘being in the Zone’ isn’t just for Kung Fu Masters though. According to former Facebook engineer Erez Druk, companies and teams can reach a flow state, when intense focus brings exceptional work.
However, he says our tendency to constantly chase new ideas – shiny object syndrome – is the enemy of flow. For Erez, shiny object syndrome is the terrible outcome of a good intention. We want to improve and succeed, but the end result is distraction, frustration, and failure.
It kills focus and stops exceptional work from being fully realized. It is nothing less than deadly.
According to Erez, the cure for shiny object syndrome is simple; set the right goals and to meet those goals. He points out that simple doesn’t mean easy and there is lots of advice on staying focused on your goals in this piece. But my big takeaway is to switch from the vague idea of improving your business to focusing on specific goals that you have agreed will improve your business.
Once your goals are set, the only thing you need to do is meet them.
Wake up and smell the bacon!
Famous American processed-meat producer Oscar Meyer has resurrected 80’s-style scratch-and-sniff magazine advertising. The firm is placing ads in entertainment magazines to waft the aroma of ‘sizzling bacon’ at readers.
OK, I’m going to be honest, I don’t know if this is really an idea worth stealing. It probably costs a fortune, even if you can convince your printer to do it, and although everything tastes better with bacon, I’m not sure everything smells better with bacon.
That said there is a lesson here in how the advertiser is judging the effectiveness of the campaign. “It’s all about sparking smiles in unexpected ways,” said the company’s agency. Advertisers want to be talked about and any magazine publisher that can help its advertisers get noticed is sure to experience the sweet smell of success (see what I did there?)
An intelligent starter for 10
I’m writing post for Spiny Trends that highlights how smaller publishers risk missing out on the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI). Short on time, money and expertise, it’s easy to see how emerging technologies like AI would slip down the priority list (especially for people trying to avoid shiny object syndrome).
But there’s no reason not to know about AI and the opportunities it can deliver in content recommendation, reader retention and process automation. Writing for InPublishing, LSE Media professor Charlie Becket recommends finding out about basic AI terms so you can avoid the ‘BS and the hype’.
His JournalismAI unit at LSE has gone a step further and put together a JournalismAI Starter Pack to help publishers learn about the opportunities offered by AI to support their journalism. I’ve not read it yet, but it’s high on the list.
Fun Fact: The phrase ‘starter for 10’ is from a popular TV quiz show called University Challenge. The first question in a round is worth, you guessed it, 10 points.
Thanks for reading
Please remember to send me any ideas that you think are worth stealing for future issues. And remember, if you would like any help finding ideas for your business, let's arrange a chat.