2024-11-20 17:22:00
From product launches to project management, I’m obsessed with checklists. And I’m not the only one.
Systemic complexity means that we cannot rely on our memory alone to know what to do and when to know it. Checklists are a powerful tool allowing us to unload some of the cognitive stress of living our lives to an outside helper.
That’s why they’re everywhere, from the World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist to flight checklists and more mundane event production checklists. We use them to do our groceries, run businesses, and perform complex surgery.
Let’s explore the fascinating history of checklists and learn how you can design you own to unlock efficiency, precision, and – perhaps most importantly – peace of mind in your personal and professional projects.
There’s no doubt that doctors and astronauts are smart. Yet, they rely heavily on checklists in their day-to-day work. No matter how much expertise we accumulate, we are still human. We are vulnerable to basic errors. And checklists can protect ourselves from some of the most blatant ones.
In 2018, hours into a brain surgery, Kenyan doctors realized there was no blood clot in the brain of their patient. They were operating on the wrong man. People on social media expressed shock at the horrifying mix-up, which could have been prevented by simply checking the patient’s identification tag.
This simple task is part of the World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist, a 19-item list which aims at preventing the kind of frightening error that was made during the Kenyan’s man surgery. Its development was led by American surgeon and public-health researcher Atul Gawande.
It lists simple but essential items to review over the course of the three stages of a surgery, such as “confirm the patient identity”, “confirm the patient’s procedure and where the incision will be made”, or “confirm any known allergies”.
“It somehow feels beneath us to use a checklist, an embarrassment,” says Atul Gawande in his book The Checklist Manifesto. Yet, the systems we have to navigate have become so complex that it would be foolish to rely on memory alone and expect to perform at our best.
In 1935, an anticipated model of Boeing crashed during a demonstration flight, killing two crew members. This incident resulted in the creation of the very first official checklist. Because of all the new technology that had been added and that a pilot had to use during takeoff, flight, landing, and taxiing, it had become impossible for one person to remember all the complicated steps involved in safely flying a plane.
Since then, checklists have become ubiquitous, and for good reason: they’re a powerful tool to navigate complexity with confidence. They were in fact so important to the 1969 moon landing that Apollo 11 crew member Michael Collins called them the “fourth crew member”. Each Apollo 11 astronaut logged more than a hundred hours familiarising themselves with their checklists, and the launch operations checklist was more than a hundred pages long.
Checklists may sound like simple tools, but they can be extremely powerful if used properly. Here are some examples:
So, how can you design a checklist that works for you?
First, it’s important to clarify that checklists are not to-do lists. While a to-do list is a list of tasks to be performed, which could be in a random order and without any overarching purpose, a check-list is a well-defined list of conditions to mark as true for a complex task to be completed.
You could have a checklist for launching a product, cleaning the house, or buying a new car – any task that has several moving parts. Once you have chosen a task that’s complex enough that you might benefit from the cognitive offloading of a checklist, just go through these three steps:
This process is all about getting important steps out of your brain and into an external tool. It will ensure you make fewer mistakes and reduce your stress levels. Once you start getting used to them, you will see how useful checklists can be in all areas of your work.
Next time you have a big project or if you’re currently working on one, give it a try and create a checklist. If it’s a team project, make sure to seek the input of your team members. A collaborative checklist is even more powerful. Here’s to smarter, safer work!
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2024-11-13 17:26:00
Have you ever been so deeply immersed in a creative activity—writing, designing, coding, or even brainstorming—that time seemed to disappear, and the world around you faded away? This state is known as being in the zone or getting in the flow.
Those expressions are often used about athletes performing at their peak, with all their attention focused on the task at hand, but the same principles apply to creative work. When the mind is fully immersed in a creative task, it can reach a state of heightened awareness and complete absorption, where the only thing that matters is the work itself.
But constant distractions and demands make it harder than ever to reach this state. We’re constantly interrupted, pulled in different directions, and overloaded with information.
Fortunately, with the right techniques, it’s possible to make this level of focus a regular part of your work. So how can you reliably get into a state of creative flow?
The term “flow” was coined by psychologist Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 1960s. He described it as a highly focused mental state where people are fully engaged in an activity, often losing track of time and external concerns.
In his research, Dr Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found that there was no correlation between extrinsic rewards and happiness. Instead, the human brain is at its happiest when engaged in a meaningful activity, often for the sake of the activity itself.
He writes: “The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
Flow has been shown to enhance problem-solving abilities, elevate mood, and even strengthen neural connections related to creativity. And the good news is: the right conditions can make it possible for you to experience creative flow more frequently.
Creative flow emerges when the mind is both challenged and absorbed in a task. Whether you’re drawing, coding, composing music, or solving complex problems, this state can be accessed when attention is undivided, and the activity resonates personally.
And entering a state of creative flow is a skill that can be cultivated with practice. Here are five steps, grounded in research, to help you reach this state more consistently and bring depth and mindfulness to your creative pursuits.
1. Pick the right task. Creative flow requires a balance between the challenge of the activity and your skill level. If the task is too easy, you’ll feel bored, and if it’s too hard, you’ll feel anxious. The ideal task lies in the “sweet spot” between these extremes, where the challenge stimulates you but doesn’t overwhelm you. Consider breaking larger creative projects into more manageable chunks to maintain this balance.
2. Get the right tools and resources. This can streamline your workflow and reduce interruptions. Whether it’s setting out your sketchbook, organizing design files, or gathering research materials, or opening your note-taking app, having everything in place will provide a frictionless environment that supports creative flow.
3. Cut out distractions. You know you need to silence notifications and avoid multitasking, but I recommend you go one step further. Leave your phone in another room. Lock it away. Put it in your bag. The mere presence of your phone in your vicinity is a distractor, so do whatever you need to do so it’s impossible for you to see and grab.
4. Take a deep breath. Focus on the present moment, accept that you may fail, and let go of your ego. Research on mindfulness shows that even short, focused breathing exercises reduce stress and improve concentration, both of which are conducive to flow. By taking a moment to center yourself, you can cultivate a state of openness and acceptance.
5. Work mindfully. Creative flow relies on staying mentally present. Similar to what you would do when meditating, gently bring back your mind to the task at hand if you feel like it’s wandering or slipping off into autopilot mode. Over time, this will strengthen your ability to maintain creative flow.
Achieving creative flow isn’t about maximizing productivity – it’s about experiencing a deeper, more meaningful connection with your work. It allows us to move beyond self-consciousness, to a place where ideas flow freely, challenges are met with curiosity, and the present moment becomes a space for exploration and discovery.
In the words of Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: “Flow is important both because it makes the present instant more enjoyable and because it builds the self-confidence that allows us to develop skills and make significant contributions to humankind.”
By learning how to enter and maintain a state of creative flow, you’re not only improving the way you work but also cultivating a practice that can bring more meaning and fulfillment to your life.
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2024-11-07 18:10:00
Back in 2018, I spent weeks learning everything about rare teas to start a new business; I studied every resource I could find, saved them in a folder, took copious notes, and then… Nothing.
When it was time to take the first real step, I hesitated. The hesitation turned into procrastination, endlessly tweaking and perfecting my plans without any action.
The excitement I once felt about the project slowly faded into self-doubt. I convinced myself I just needed a bit more preparation to feel ready, but the perfect moment never came.
Many of us fall into the trap of believing that we’ll know when we’re ready. But the key to making any real progress is to be able to transition from preparation to action before you feel ready.
Preparation is essential. It equips you with the knowledge and tools you need to begin any ambitious pursuit. But there’s a thin line between preparation and overpreparation. Whether you’re planning on writing a book, launching a product, or building an exercise routine, getting ready can become a distraction.
Being successful is not about your ability to plan, but your ability to act. There will always be more planning to do, more scenarios to consider. Of course, it would be amazing to feel utterly ready. But the reality is that waiting until you feel ready may mean the opportunity to act has already passed.
Unfortunately, research shows that we often mistake being busy for being productive. This is known as the illusion of productivity. For instance, reading articles, watching tutorials, or creating detailed plans feels productive because it tricks our brains into thinking we’re making headway.
However, without actionable steps, this preparation only reinforces a false sense of accomplishment.
Here’s the reality: you don’t know what you don’t know. The quickest way to learn these unknowns is to step into action. That’s when true progress – when you adapt and respond to real challenges.
When faced with uncertainty, we tend to err on the side of overpreparation because it feels safer. Developing an action bias can help you take the leap even when you don’t feel fully prepared. Here are five ways to develop an action bias:
Overall, this is about shifting your mindset from “What else do I need to learn?” to “What can I do with what I already know?”
Of course, it’s not easy to face the fear of the unknown, especially when it’s something you deeply care about. But a first step is just what it says on the tin – the first of many steps to come.
You may make more mistakes at first, but the long-term compound effect of learning from these mistakes will get you closer to success (whatever that ends up looking like) than any amount of extra preparation.
So, take one step right now. Instead of overpreparing, start before you feel ready. Pick a first step and just do it. Repeat that step until you feel comfortable enough, then kick it up a notch. When you look back, you won’t believe how much progress you’ve made.
The post Beyond Overpreparation: How to Start Before You Feel Ready appeared first on Ness Labs.
2024-10-31 17:37:56
Help your colleague fix a bug, remind the sales team to follow up with a prospect, write a detailed brief for the marketing intern, share a list of healthy recipes with your spouse, plan out a fun day for you and your friend this weekend… If your to-do list looks like this, you may be overfunctioning.
Overfunctioning refers to feeling overly responsible for family, friends, and coworkers, which leads to trying to proactively solve problems and taking on too many tasks, even if the other person is perfectly capable of doing those tasks themselves.
This behavior can paradoxically increase anxiety. By constantly taking on others’ responsibilities, we add pressure to keep everything running smoothly. Over time, overfunctioning can lead to burnout as we deplete our energy managing not only our own lives but also the life of others.
While not an official psychological diagnosis, overfunctioning is closely linked to anxiety. We overfunction to manage our own worries, believing that taking on the responsibilities of others reduces the chance of something going wrong.
By constantly stepping in and feeling helpful, we also avoid facing our own uncertainties, relying instead on the sense of accomplishment from handling others’ tasks. This behavior provides a temporary sense of control.
Some overfunctioners may have learned early on that taking responsibility for others kept things “under control.” For example, children who managed responsibilities in chaotic family environments may carry those habits into adulthood.
Perfectionists are especially prone to overfunctioning, as they often believe that the best way to avoid failure is to manage everything themselves. This contributes to a cycle where overfunctioning feels necessary to maintain high standards.
Overfunctioning can manifest in a variety of ways. Below are examples of behaviors that might seem helpful on the surface but reflect a pattern of taking on others’ responsibilities. These can occur both at work and in your personal life:
Most of these may seem fine in isolation, but they can quickly add up and create a cycle of self-imposed pressure that can negatively impact your mental health.
To explore whether you might be overfunctioning, here are ten questions you can ask yourself. Take a notebook or open your favorite note-taking app. Or you can download a printable version of the inventory here.
Next to each question, write a “1” if you answered yes and a “0” if you answered no. At the end, add up your score and multiply by 10 to get a percentage score. The higher the score, the more likely you are to be overfunctioning.
Overfunctioning can be insidious as it often hides behind the guise of overperforming. If you found that your score was high in the previous section, here are some strategies you can use to start shifting these behaviors.
Reflect on your patterns. Start by practicing metacognition to become aware of your overfunctioning behaviors. This can be done through journaling or a weekly review to identify situations where you’ve taken on too much.
Define your responsibilities. Clarify what’s truly yours to manage and what isn’t, for instance by using the MoSCoW method (Must, Should, Could, Won’t). Categorizing tasks this way can help you focus your efforts where they’re genuinely needed.
Set up formal check-ins. Instead of frequently checking on others out of worry, establish regular check-in points, like team stand-ups or a weekly date night with your partner. Creating these scheduled “containers” can reduce the urge to constantly monitor how others are doing.
Clarify where help is needed. Practice open communication with friends, family, and colleagues. Ask them directly where they feel your support has been helpful and where they would prefer to manage independently.
Practice the art of letting go. Remind yourself that things don’t need to be perfect, and give others the opportunity to handle tasks their way. Letting go may feel uncomfortable at first, but it will help you build trust in those around you and give you more time and energy for your own priorities.
Implementing these small changes and stepping back where you don’t need to be involved can lead to less anxiety, healthier relationships, and a clearer sense of focus in both your personal and professional life—basically functioning better by not trying to overfunction.
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2024-10-24 14:22:09
Growing up, many of us are taught to fight off our fears—to be strong and confident, to cast away our doubts and insecurities. As adults, fear becomes something we feel we have to carry alone, afraid to share it because it might make us seem weak.
This is especially true for business leaders. Fear can be perceived as a lack of conviction. But the truth is, trying something new and pushing beyond the familiar is always going to be scary.
Launching a startup, developing a new product, or stepping into a new market means navigating the unknown. No matter how much we plan, there’s always uncertainty. And that uncertainty brings fear—whether it’s the fear of failing, being judged, or facing rejection.
When you face something uncertain or threatening, your brain’s amygdala kicks into gear, triggering reactions that prepare you to either fight or flight. In addition to fast-acting neurotransmitters, your brain also uses neuropeptides, which act more slowly but help fine-tune your fear response, making sure you stay aware of potential risks.
While this response can feel uncomfortable—heart racing, sweaty palms, tense muscles—it’s actually designed to keep you safe. The heightened awareness helps you react quickly in the face of danger, but it can also be useful in non-life-threatening situations, such as navigating uncertainty in a business decision. In fact, moderate levels of arousal can boost performance by keeping you alert and focused.
Fear itself is not bad. It’s a natural response designed to protect you. In fact, as one of our oldest survival mechanisms, it can even be healthy. It can help avoid reckless decisions, heighten our awareness, and fuel our motivation.
Yet, we suppress it, leading to its worst effects—overthinking, poor communication, and missed opportunities because we shy away from risks. As a result, we often get all of its drawbacks without any of its benefits: work is slower because of analysis paralysis, communication is unproductive because we hold back information, innovation is scarce because we avoid taking any risks.
What if instead we embraced fear as a natural part of life, one that’s full of curiosity, experimentation, and creativity? Making friends with fear means recognizing that it’s not something to avoid or ignore, but rather something to treat as helpful information.
Of course, that’s not an easy feat. We’re wired to blindly obey our fear instead of having a friendly conversation, and we haven’t been taught how to communicate our fears in a constructive way. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can practice to welcome your fear and even leverage it. I call it the F.E.A.R Framework:
1. Feel your fear. Your stress response to a perceived threat has an immediate physiological impact. Your heart beats faster, your breathing speeds up, your blood thickens, your skin produces more sweat. Rather than ignoring these signs, notice and accept them as a natural part of facing the unknown. A few deep breaths or simple stretches can help feel our fear without experiencing additional anxiety.
2. Examine the source of your fear. Once you’ve acknowledged your fear, take the time to understand where it’s coming from. Fear can stem from tight deadlines, financial pressures, or uncertainty about a project’s outcome. Using a metacognitive tool like mind mapping can help pinpoint the source of your fear. Engaging in this type of analysis can activate the prefrontal cortex, a higher-order part of your brain, which can then help you manage fear more effectively.
3. Articulate your needs. This step might be the hardest, as it requires radical vulnerability: sharing your fears with the people who matter and openly asking for help—whether that’s extra support on a project, coaching for public speaking, or mentorship to navigate a tricky situation. Sharing your fear doesn’t make you weak; it makes you agentic. And often, by simply voicing your concerns, you can find solutions that will help alleviate them.
4. Reflect on your experience. Finally, take the time to learn from the experience. Everyone is different, and so are our responses to fear and our coping mechanisms. How did acknowledging and sharing your fear impact the situation? What strategies worked best for managing it? How might you make friends with your fear quicker in the future? Journaling about your experience or discussing it with others can help you prepare for future challenges.
Making friends with our fears means exploring our inner world and opening up to others, being vulnerable in the face of distress, and building collective resilience by leading the way in sharing our concerns.
When you stop running from fear and start working with it, amazing things can happen. By feeling your fear, examining its source, articulating your needs, and reflecting on the experience, you can transform this natural response into a powerful driver of personal and professional progress.
As a leader, creating a space for these conversations fosters psychological safety, encouraging people to learn, reflect, and grow together through challenges. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the effort to build a safer, more courageous world—one where boldness is encouraged and vulnerability is celebrated.
This post is adapted from an article originally published in PRESENT MAGAZINE, VOL. 2. VULNERABILITY (2021).
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