This week I have learned: in one of my #100Coffees conversations a few weeks ago, we talked about my companion's theory that the 70-odd days in the UK between New Year's Day and Easter are the only time any work ever really gets done. The days are short, people are feeling the effects of over-indulgence … Continue reading Weeknote 628 – short measures
Category: Projects
Today's coffee companion works with his clients to use behavioural science to improve risk and compliance management. We talked about: being a business at a size where running through procurement and proposal processes simply isn't viable. the madness of big corporations. how problems with process are often symbolic of deeper issues. my theory of how … Continue reading 56th of 100
This week I have learned: Sometimes the harder conversations come from people you don’t know. I had a fascinating conversation with a stage magician this week to talk about the PlayCards. He made me think really hard about the concept because he came from a very different frame of reference. Public holidays provide a strange … Continue reading Weeknote 627: egg break
Yesterday's first coffee companion runs a business involved in managing waste more effectively. We talked about: the importance of finding space to meet with people without agenda the process of "divorcing" from a business partner shifting from being a software business to a professional services business the pressure of tech investment (and how the business … Continue reading 54th and 55th of 100
Yesterday's coffee companion runs a design agency in Edinburgh. We talked about: The long nights and long days north of the border The person who introduced us (thank you, Andrew) The subject of my Twitter/LinkedIn header (my RD-8) Collecting musical gear The meditative nature of music making The origins of #100Coffees How hard "in person" … Continue reading 53rd of 100
This week I have learned: well, the product is out there now. 55 boxes containing a total of 68 packs of my PlayCards, winging their way to folk across the UK, Europe and beyond. I felt quite emotional as I put the empty cardboard boxes into the boot of the car after I'd dropped them … Continue reading Weeknote 626 – shipped
Today's coffee companion is newly a Doctor, and a leading expert in the realm of plagiarism in academic writing. We talked about: moving from academia to the private sector and the delight of things being available that weren't previously the delights of producing something (in her case a PhD thesis, in mine a set of … Continue reading 52nd of 100
Into the second half of the experiment. Today's coffee companion works to connect big corporates to start-ups. We talked about: the logistical challenges of meeting in person (I had to shift from in-person to remote for this one because of various diary challenges) how hybrid work has changed how we organise our work/not work lives … Continue reading 51st of 100
You may have noticed that I talk a lot about the importance of play and playfulness at work. I've even created a product to help people develop playful skills. (Do you ever give it a rest? - Ed) When I talk about Play, people will often respond with something along the lines of "Oh, we've … Continue reading Play ≠ Gamification
I'm now halfway into my #100Coffees experiment. Here are some half-time observations in no particular order as I suck on an orange segment and rub linament into my calves... Retrospective note-takingAfter each of my meetings, I've been spending a few minutes (usually an hour or more later) jotting down some bulleted notes about what topics … Continue reading 50 coffees
mmitII 