Long ago, Merlin Mann wrote, “Innovation is starting where the last person stopped.” I remembered that.
I figure good ideas are a by-product of
posting two a week and seeing 20 a month to exercise my thinker.
Or keeping good notes. Which means
having paper and a writing stick most of the time. And paying
attention.
An investor once said I didn’t
capture the notes of our meeting. I wrote the notes of what should
have happened.
I don’t do smart on demand. I’d
rather hear about a concept and take some time considering it from
different directions.
Next steps often start by observing
other people. Concepts become useful by writing them...several times.
The true meaning of a post can come
from comments by readers.
When I’m building a new tool, there
is a flurry of innovation just after I produce the first version.
After a week, the improvements start to tail off. Some of the oldies
don’t change year to year.
How are you harnessing innovation?
Posts
Dick:
ReplyDeleteI write a lot and sometimes an article or post is glitched into oblivion - and I have to write it again. The second one is better.
My memory of the concept, what points are important, and how I conveyed them in text is remnants of the best from the original piece - the new writing is different, deeper, and more thoughtful as a result. Even more so than revisiting a draft after a day or two - since the available text distracts from re-creative thinking.
The same applies to learning from doing - the next time is better, usually faster, and always more advanced or refined.
Mann was right!