Just Seven Things

Exploring why and how we do what we do, and how we can do it better

11 Aug 2008

The Psychology of Game Playing: Creating Good Habits & Having Great Thoughts

Puzzle by Billy Alexander

This week I want to really explore how taking a playful approach to your conscious and unconscious pursuits can be so successful.

I have posted on a number of occasions on this subject matter, including on:

– The use of simple games/ tools to get things done or shift habits

– ‘Choice architecture’ to nudge to change

– Unconsciously restricting time to create focused creativity

Thoughts on the ‘why’ of the success of using simple games to shift habits have included:

Does game playing lessen the ‘weight’ of the reactive response? Does it remove resistance because the new routine to be adopted is being done so as a game/ challenge as opposed to a mental challenge? It is therefore made ‘neutral’ by the game. – How Easily Simplicity tips into Bad Habits
By accepting our ‘peopleness’ and suggesting rather than telling we have greater success in change. – Nudge Yourself to Change
We don’t like being told what to do. Using a simple ‘light-touch approach’ to change hooks you into change easier that having a great set of ‘worthy’ reasons why the change is good. – Good Habits, Bad Habits and the Breaking of Both

But, to be honest, I’ve only really scratched the surface and I’m intrigued as to the why for the following reasons: Read more…

Posted in Conscious and Unconscious, Creativity, Game Playing, Habits and Routines and tagged Chaining, Conscious vs Unconscious, Creativity, Game Playing, Guy Claxton, Habits and Routines, Psychology

08 Aug 2008

The Revelation of Micro Task Planning and Thinking?

Life in Detail 2 by Nate Brelsford

I was struck today by the power of planning. Not planning of your life goals: the goal setting and vision lifeblood of success. No: micro planning of the very task that you’re just about to do.

I think we’re so used to what we know how to do; our routines and our learnt ways of doing things. We probably know how to do most things that we come upon in our average work day. We think we know the ‘best ways’ of doing most of the things that we do on a daily/ weekly and monthly basis.

It’s interesting that when ‘cost’ or ‘efficiency’ consultants go into businesses, the things that would need to change to optimise a process are so simple; and afterwards so obvious. The ‘way we do it’ in both personal and business life becomes so ingrained we often don’t even think to think. And we rarely challenge it.

Blockers feel like they arise in our ability to achieve new things or do new tasks because:

1. Confidence is sometimes an issue

2. We are unused to thinking (or stopping to think)

3. We are unused to intelligently planning on a practical basis

It feels like we are so built to be responsive [link to article] that we are destined to respond poorly to new situations because of this lack of micro-planning.

What do I mean by micro-planning? I’m thinking about:

· Taking a short period of time to brainstorm the elements of the task you need to do

· Thinking about a realistic sequence

· Resources

· Restraints

· Other people

· Timeframes

But most importantly, taking the time to think…

Posted in Action Orientation, Focus and tagged action, Focus, Micro planning | Leave a comment

07 Aug 2008

The Social and Information Web Drug III

An observation from Slate.com that adds item 12. to my splurge on the above topic (see these posts from

Money Symbols Abstract 4 - svilen001

earlier in the week on the Social and Information Web Drug):

12. Social media is the new provider of social currency

Defining social currency as ‘The phrase, which comes from sociology, is often used to describe the information we acquire and then trade—or give away—to start, maintain, and nurture relationships with our fellow humans’

Christopher Carfi has a great post on social currency that expands further

So, particularly the tools of social media that aggregate/ channel/ filter and weight information are providing multiple opportunities to socially interact by trading ever more pertinent, timely and (to the individual hoping to interact) valuable information.

Those face to face ‘watercooler moments’ are being replaced by snipping content, feeding, streaming and adding to comments…..