Been spending a good bit of time at work discussing measuring the value of various AI projects and in particular some GenAI stuff. I found Gartner’s Measuring ROI for Generative AI helped me wrap my head around a few things in particular about first categorizing as a quick win, differentiating, or transformational use case.
Thoughts on Deep Work
As a person who is constantly multi-tasking, I’m worried I’ve broken my brain. Well at least that’s my takeaway after reading Cal Newport’s book Deep Work about the importance of deep, focused work at a time when it’s easier than ever to be in a constant state of distraction.
I’ve been listening to Newport’s podcast for a bit and reading his newsletter that often touches on similar topics, but Deep Work is where he first outlined many of his ideas on focus, distraction, and the huge opportunity for knowledge workers who turn the other direction to get ahead in their lives and careers:
The Deep Work Hypothesis: The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive. (Page 14)
The book is structured around the following main ideas:
- The Value of Deep Work: Newport posits that deep work is crucial for mastering complicated information and producing better results in less time. This skill is becoming scarcer in our increasingly distracted world but is more valuable in the knowledge economy.
- Working Deeply: Newport offers strategies for cultivating a deep work habit. This includes working with greater intensity and creating rituals and routines that foster the ability to concentrate deeply. Key suggestions include minimizing distractions, scheduling deep work blocks, and adopting a work philosophy that accommodates deep work. (More on those philosophies in a bit.)
- Enhancing Focus: In the last several sections on the book, Newport outlines several strategies to cultivate deep work. He emphasizes the importance of embracing boredom to train the brain for focus, advises limiting social media to minimize distractions, and recommends reducing shallow tasks through delegation and careful scheduling. Together, these practices aim to create a productive environment where deep, concentrated work prevails, ensuring that valuable, skill-enhancing tasks receive the attention they deserve.
As a person already bought into the idea that deep work is valuable and that meetings and emails are the devil, I got the most value out of the book’s actionable advice and strategies that demonstrate how I can implement deep work principles to improve my productivity, satisfaction, and success. Continue reading “Thoughts on Deep Work”
Meetup: The Handshake Between Design and Development
Team Models for Scaling a Design System
I am transitioning to a new role soon and will be leading up a design system team within a gigantic organization so have been spending a lot of time getting my head around various related topics. Design system governance and contribution models have been of particular interest, and of course Nathan Curtis’ writings have been particularly valuable.
Lifecycle of a Design System
Managing Remote Teams During COVID
It’s been over six months since the day I left the office, leaving for Spring Break family vacation and the world falling apart before we returned. While unexpectedly working (and parenting and educating) from home as a family has certainly brought new challenges, I’ve found leading projects and managing a UX team to have been the areas where I have needed to be most intentional about the ways I manage differently in “our new reality.”
This article on how to adapt to the things you didn’t expect when managing remote teams during COVID has some tips I’ve found valuable in my day to day. In particular, as a person who prefers to avoid stepping into unnecessary bear traps I have had to be very purposeful in asking (repeatedly) how people are doing. I’ve found myself being more open in my own struggles (and occasional successes) as well to make the team feel safer opening up.
Not sure how long we’ll be doing this without any choice, but feeling better now than ever that working remotely can be successful for both delivering great work and mentoring great designers.
Very Large Touchscreens: UX Design Differs From Mobile Screens
Starting a kiosk project at work and diving into some of the best practices and details of designing for a gigantic touchscreen. This article on how designing for a large public touchscreen is alike and different from mobile was super informative.
Tom Hanks and Stephen Colbert, aka Mr. USO, send the troops a care package
Mr. USO is really helping out the troops over there. He and Tom Hanks get together to create a care package for the troops and hilarity ensues.
Fun little microsite thrown together quickly for work for the USO and Comedy Central.
