✅ Today’s Checklist:
- Use backward induction to meet deadlines
- Why you absolutely should “sleep on it”
- Leigh advises to focus on abilities over expectations
🤔 Riddle me this: If you throw me out of the window, I’ll leave a grieving wife. Bring me back, but through a door, You’ll see someone giving life. What am I? (Find the answer on the bottom).
QUICK LINKS
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PRODUCTIVITY
Backward induction = improved project timelines
We’re not talking about induction cooking, although that’s cool too. We’re talking about induction in the sense of one of Merriam-Webster’s numerous definitions: the act of causing or bringing on or about.
Backward induction is reverse reasoning that starts with a desired future outcome and also reveals how to bring about said outcome.
It’s especially helpful when the desired future outcome is dependent on a preceding sequence of time-sensitive benchmarks.
Backward induction IRL: Most people talk about backward induction in terms of game theory. (We’re not going to worry about that today.) An architecture project offers a glimpse of the practical benefits of backward induction.
- End goal: You want your house to be reroofed by February 1.
- If you want your new roof by February 1, then your contractor needs to begin work by January 15.
- If you want your contractor to begin work by January 15, then you probably need to select and hire one by December 10.
- If you want to hire a contractor by December 10, then you need to begin researching options and getting quotes by November 15.
How to practice backward induction:
- As illustrated above, isolate your end goal.
- Use a series of if-then statements (anchored by specific dates) to work backwards from your goal.
- When you’re done, you have a general idea of what needs to happen and by when to reach your end goal.
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DECISION MAKING
Why it makes (scientific) sense to “sleep on it”
Most of us know based on experience or instinct that we should get a good night’s sleep before making that big decision.
We may not all be as clear about why exactly that makes so much sense.
The Stuff You Should Know (SYSK) podcast reveals the science-backed explanation in their Short Stuff: Sleeping On It episode.
Here’s the gist:
Sleeping on it can provide clarity because, during sleep, our brains are busy processing and organizing information, making connections between both old and new knowledge. That’s why, for example, we wake up remembering that we don’t need to start that new-hire search from scratch because Alex from our last job is actually a beyond-perfect fit.
Sleeping on it can provide clarity because our brains are using unconscious instead of conscious thought. Unconscious thought is still thought, but it operates in a different mode—one that tends to reduce overthinking and allows the actually important considerations to rise to the surface.
Sleeping on it can provide clarity because you’re simply taking off the pressure and stress of making a decision, which can cloud judgment and scramble the information you have at your disposal.
UPCOMING EVENT
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SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT
Abilities Over Expectations
“Helping people rise to the level of their abilities, not to the level of my expectations. It has made me a better manager and helped people find their own strengths to build on.”
— Leigh S. (Business Development Executive)
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SPILL THE TEA
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