Use “Enabling Constraints” against “Blank Page Syndrome”
One thing I absolutely dislike is limitlessness. It completely drains my creative energy. Seriously, the worst thing you can say to me is “you can do anything”.
“Enabling constraints” are exactly that. They put some boundaries on your work that - if done right - strengthen the thing you actually want to do, without removing the options you need to explore the best solution.
For example, “Work in Progress Limits” are great enabling constraints, since they create commitment and focus.
John Cutler wrote an excellent issue of this newsletter about Enabling Constraints, and to design, introduce, and evaluate them.
100 Ways to Slightly Improve Your Life
I am a huge fan of tiny, incremental improvements that create an avalanche of Good before you can blink twice.
The Guardian has compiled a list of 100 ways to slightly improve your life. While I wouldn’t agree with all of them, I find number 55 oddly charming:
"Learn the names of 10 trees.”
And I’m pretty sure that being able to identify ten different types of trees (I think I might be able to do three or four) would teach me a lot about nature.
Fascinating Footage from the Endurance Expedition
When the crew of the Endurance had to abandon their ship after it was crushed in the antarctic ice, they wanted to save as much photographs and film as possible. But since they had to sacrifice food to take the footage with them, Ernest Shackleton and the expeditions photographer had to decide what to take and what to leave behind:
"Sir Ernest and I went over the plates together, and as a negative was rejected, I would smash it on the ice to obviate all temptation to change my mind. Finally, the choice was made, and the films and plates that I considered indispensable were stowed away in one of the boats, having first been placed in double tins hermetically sealed.”
How Picking a Lock Looks Like
I love watching the Lockpicking Lawyer’s channel on youtube. Mostly because I love learning about everyday stuff I know nothing about. This video is especially great because it shows you what’s going on inside the lock while it is picked.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of Let’s be Fwends, let’s all learn the names of 10 trees and then compare which types of trees we selected. 🌳
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