In resolutions we trust. About milk.

December 29, 2012 Leave a comment

Milk

Milk

It’s that time of the year again. The end is near. But since the end is not as near as the Maya’s predicted, it still makes sense to step back and take some time to look ahead.

Resolutions are bullshit

I’ve always believed making up resolutions was a completely pointless activity.
After all, stating some good intentions without really living according to those doesn’t get you that far. The former is exactly the reason most people repeat the same resolutions annually. They didn’t live up to them so they restate them – not rarely emphasizing that this year they are very serious about it.

I used to have the same issue, so I stopped making resolutions after a while. Until last year. Last year I believed that it might be a good idea to lower the expectations of these resolutions. I ran a small test: the milk case.

A resolution about milk

The pilot I set up was simple and straight-forward:

Drink more milk in 2012.

It strikes me – until today – how many times I lived up to this resolution: while I passed milk in the supermarket, when I opened the fridge, when I got in the basement, … every time the resolution popped up again. Speaks for itself that I drank more milk this year. Hooray! Mission accomplished. Things like this make people happy.

Resolution tips – learned from the milk case

Thanks to the milk experiment, I’m a resolution believer again. I learned a few things about resolution-setting from my milk experiment. I will definitely use them to define my resolution(s) for 2013 later today.

  1. Simple resolutions are easy to remind.
  2. Measurable resolutions help to check whether you actually behave accordingly.
  3. Adjustable resolutions help the realization.
  4. Realistic resolutions are an absolute must to stay happy.
  5. Time-pin the execution of your resolutions so to adjust them through-out the year
  6. Funny resolutions stick in your mind. Give your goal a small funny and funky twist.

What’s your view on resolutions? What are your 2013 resolutions?

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Metamindmap. With a Twist.

June 11, 2012 2 Comments

Mindmap

Mindmap

Mindmapping

I was lucky enough to participate in a mindmapping workshop earlier this month.

While the workshop explained the goals and usage of mindmaps, I just started “drawing” as I usually do during meetings and events. During the workshop it became apparent to me that mindmapping had specific rules.

Result? Puzzled. Why should mindmaps follow specific rules? After all, they are just a means to an end. They are a way to structure thinking. Hence my view: mindmaps don’t have to follow guidelines, as the metamindmap above makes clear. Mindmaps with a twist are just as good as mindmaps following official guidelines.

What do you think about mindmapping? Does it need to follow guidelines? What do you use it for?
Do you make use of software? Or do you like pen and paper?

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