Gems & Notes #1

Learning and noticing lately.

On listening

This 1st March I’ve watched a video: Hard Lessons Learned From Tough People: Jake Adelstein at TEDxKyoto 2012.

Among the seven insights he shares the first insight caught my attention as I grew older.

Learn to Listen [00:40].

Listening involves the whole body—ears, skin, and nose—rather than just the eyes or mouth. Jake Adelstein emphasizes hearing the “silences” between a person’s words to understand the underlying truth.

It is a reminder to myself to do so frequently in any conversation, workshop, class or community gathering I host or attend.

By the way Jake Adelstein will publish a new book: Code Bleu.

I look forward to reading it when I could grab a printed version from next April.

On complexity

Dancing With Complexity by Sarah Firth

“Exploring my longing for ontological certainty and how the way we shape a question determines the answer.

This comic essay was originally a chapter in my debut graphic novel Eventually Everything Connects but it got cut. I think it deserves to live out in the world, so here it is. What is it about? Oh you know, the simple topic of complexity, and how to quote Heisenberg “what we observe is not nature itself but rather nature exposed to our particular methods of questioning.”

Enjoy the visual thinking’s production by the author.

Those insights caught my attention:

“We need to shift to pattern thinking. To look beyond the things to the connections between them. And then look beyond the connections to see the bigger patterns they make.”

On media silence and deep thinking

Offline 23 hours a day by Derek Sivers

“Media silence creates a vacuum, which your own thoughts expand to fill.

I notice it most at the start of the day. No news. No texts. I have no idea what’s going on out there, so I develop what’s going on in here. My writing, coding, and learning fills the time and space.

My thoughts feel more independent. I explore my own ideas deeper before looking for other perspectives.”

I have just started this new curated post series that I intend to publish when time allows. Not on a weekly, monthly or quaterly basis. Not on a specific date and or day.

When I don’t check any social media and news on TV. When I don’t tune in the radio or a podcast to hear insights in any field. I am more relax and aware of myself. When I brew my coffee or make a cup of tea I tend to mull over, let emerge any deep thoughts or action items I intend to do meaningfully.

I don’t need an app to plan, prioritize or just capture any idea/task/observation. Even if could capture them via Google Keep or any other notetaking/task/project management app.

Just writing an idea, task, observation on my analog paperboard or my moleskine with a marker is enough to make it visible, change it or erase it later when it is done/in progress/postpone. If it is important to notice or to do asap/when time allows I would put a colorful magnet near the written idea. In that way I tend to pay attention to what needs to be done first/right away/when time allows.

When I go off the (social) media grids I navigate better and more deeply my observations, thoughts, action items and projects.