Maybe seeking answers from others is causing you to miss what’s right in front of you. It was for me.
By taking a step back, looking at my behavior and the behavior of those around me, and thinking about it all within the context of my work, I might just tap into an opportunity that I’ve been overlooking.
1-minute read
I’ve recently put blinders on and stopped seeking answers from others. (Generally speaking. There are the obvious exceptions.) This is mostly due to becoming extremely bored with people who like to tell everyone how much they know about a certain topic (myself included).
I’m instead focusing on things that get me thinking.
As a result, I quickly realized that I was overlooking some important insights that are baked into my own day-to-day life.
These are some of the things that I’m paying attention to (and how they apply to the work that I do):
Why my son loves Roblox.
It feels like a small, immersive community (+ he plays while on FaceTime with his friends).
This fascinates me from product and behavioral perspectives. There’s so much here. I’m mildly obsessed.
How I engage with podcasts.
Long-form, deep and diverse conversations.
Almost all non-business related. (Side note: I rarely consume any business-specific content these days, and virtually nothing associated with my industry.)
I’m craving nuance and thought-provoking ideas.
How I feel about social feeds.
They’re largely valueless and often spark negative emotions (mostly frustration).
There’s a desperate need for self curation.
I created my own process for ignoring feeds altogether.
Conversations are bringing me immeasurably more value than creating content.
This has caused a massive reevaluation of where I invest my time professionally.
Newsletters I can’t wait to read and the common thread between them.
This has made me a believer in the power of the simple distribution of highly valuable, curated content.
The more niche = the more valuable.
A voluntary opt-in done right = massive trust.
How and where I share the things that I find valuable: products, ideas, content.
This is a look inside of human behavior as it applies to marketing anything.
This is putting incentives on display.
This behavior is consistent across almost all business models, industries, and categories.
How much efficiency matters.
As a busy person, efficiency dictates almost all of my choices.
Does a choice/product/activity/relationship/food create more or less efficiency? That’s often my internal prompt.
My big takeaways:
By taking a step back, looking at my behavior and the behavior of those around me, and thinking about it all within the context of my work, I might just tap into an opportunity that I’ve been overlooking.
I value people who inspire me to think—and as a result, help me find my own answers. Because in the end, I’m the one with the context.
So here's something for you to consider:
Maybe seeking answers from others is causing you to miss what’s right in front of you.
#foodforthought