It’s that time of year. That time when we invoke the spirit of Janus. Janus was the Roman god, the guardian of doors and gates, the god of new beginnings, as powerful as Jupiter himself. January is named for him. Janus was the custodian of the universe, and was seen as the originator and orchestrator of all things – the system of the years, the changing of the seasons, the ebbs and flows of fortune, and …
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The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is one of my favorite times of the entire year. Most of my clients are either shut down or on abbreviated schedules. I get to load up on books and movies, ride bikes and play tennis, reflect on the year and prepare for the next (I’ll post something on that this week). I love the lighter load. It helps quiet my mind. And to that end, you’ll …
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Removing oneself from the equation may be the ultimate act of subtraction, and the most difficult. Knowing when and how to get out of our own way is too often an act of last resort, of desperation, when it seems there is no other option. Not so for Andy Roddick, who in the past seven days has taught us how to bow out with grace, style, and class…earning our respect along the way. A week …
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In addition to the reasons you already have for taking a vacation this summer, there’s another one you may not have considered: Travel is thought to increase creativity. One of the difficulties we all face is the “curse of knowledge,” also known as subject matter expertise.Expertise is obviously valuable and required for success, but it can also hamper creativity. It can blind us to radical new ideas, because our mindset is so strong. That’s why it’s …
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Try it. Do nothing for five minutes.
Most people know that 3M’s Arthur Fry was not trying to invent the thing he invented in 1974–the Post-it Note–he was daydreaming in church. As neuroscientists now know, and was conclusively shown in 2009, it’s when our minds wander that our brains do their best work–it’s when we’re not trying to think creatively that we’re often most creative. That’s when a still mysterious process in the right hemisphere of the brain behind the right ear …
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