In a prior post I began to describe how Michael Porter’s Five Forces, a mainstay in corporate strategy, can be applied to analyze why my brother cannot seem to finish the Harry Potter series and why I have a mounting pile of books on my to-read list.
The analogy between organizational attention and reading works because our minds run on attention span a lot like how organizations run on currency and resources.
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In this prior post I described how Substitution is a competitive force that applies to reading.
The discussion continues below.
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My brother has been trying to finish a book for three years, and I have been trying to figure out why for two years and eleven months. What is stopping you from finishing that great book sitting on the coffee table? Continue reading
While applying for residency I sought interview advice from friends and mentors. The wisdom followed a general theme: be yourself. The simple advice turned into a prolonged learning experience. Interviewers tend to appreciate the outgoing, opinionated “myself” that greets them loudly with a big smile and a firm handshake. The “myself” that prefers to ponder, daydream and speak softly probably would have fared poorly in the process. Being an extrovert – or at least resembling one – clearly mattered. Continue reading
Posted in Figure Stuff Out
Traditional wisdom teaches us to learn from our mistakes, “learn from your mistakes” “What doesn’t kill your makes you stronger.” The old sayings are incomplete, of course. Sometimes mistakes and misfortunes in life can also give us PTSD, lead to bodily harm, or change our lives forever (see: pretty much every book by Ian McEwan). Continue reading
At least for me, keeping up New Years resolutions is like living through Ground Hog Day of recurrent failures. Continue reading