Humans are peak performers

My post on "The most important factor driving innovation is a company's internal culture" got me thinking about my own motivation, and what happened during a day - where some things happen easier than others, and where time-of-day, timing in general, task, people, environment and so on all makes an impact on my overall performance RIGHT NOW.

Many years ago i attended a company course day - called something like "organize yourself" or "find your personal rhythm". Focusing on the energy level and thus focus that each person could maintain during different phases of the day. Each attendee ended up with a chart where we plotted our personal feelings on energy and focus during the phases of the day. On top of this we then allotted time boxes with tasks like "checking e-mail", "meetings", "project time" and so on... The idea was great, and I think it helped... as long as you remembered to look at your personal chart when booking meetings and so on ;)

As the title suggests, I do not believe we can stay "on the top" during a whole day, and when that is said, of cause you need to put the tasks at the right time... but also ,and more important, you need to do ONLY the tasks that is right for you- with your specific "rhythm".

I tried to define some simple elements, from which I could create a cart.



For each of the elements, I've put a value between 0 and 5 for each of the phases of the day; Morning, Before noon, noon, After noon, Evening, Night.
The elements I've decided for is; Concentration, Creativity, Happiness, Energy (and ? - because there are probably a lot more you could track)

The following chart then appears.




I've not spend to much time on actually defining the right values for myself - but set them from a general perspective. By that I've made some general assumptions like.
- Energy is low at night and high in the morning.
- Most people are creative either in the morning or just before they go to sleep.
- You are more happy when not working ;)
- Concentration has a dip just around noon - you are hungry, energy is taking a small dip as well and maybe not feeling too creative.

Now, a chart like this is actually not static at all. All of the elements can be more or less directly influenced by outside disturbances - positive and negative (symbolized by the red and green arrows). But just as important, the elements them self influence each other.

- Energy levels can be influenced by sleep, food, and happiness - among a few.
- Concentration - as explained above...
- Happiness can be influenced by other persons (with their own element-chart)
and so on...

I've just scratched the surface on a workspace / GTD related issue, and I'm sure lots of people has done much more research in this direction in relation to which elements to track, how they are best tracked and which outside elements influence each of the elements.


I also think this is interesting in regards to which job's and tasks a person would do particular good. I imagine that a similar chart could be made from the definition of a job- a chart that would be more static that the one for a person.

Addition:
Just read about an out-there version of charting a persons different elements during a day.
An auto diary which depicts a day automatically based on sms's, pictures, movement and pulse... other element that I'm talking about but still...

Future vendor of silence...

Just read about NOSO (=NOSOCIAL) which is quite interesting from a workspace point of view.

Of cause it's a bit extreme to have a (social)network to support you in your non-social efforts... but from my point of view, the facilitating of noise-free environment's might be a future commodity.

The trend is all ready forming in work spaces today. The big open office spaces are no longer the main trend. More and more social spaces, meeting, relaxing, thinking spaces find their way into the general office space. We all ready know that the mind needs "quiet time" to filter and form inputs to new meanings and ideas. So why not offer a place with complete silence for your thoughts to be heard?

Personally my imagination runs wild under the shower, and (sorry) on the toilet during the day...
When you think about it, where else are we granted complete solitude?

Where do you go to think?


Where do you get the next good idea?

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Site Review testing technique

I've allways used this "technique" and just glad to find a description of it. (Since i rarely take the time to describe such things myself)

A site review is basically an
unstructured inspection by a third party, typically focusing
on the site's usability and aesthetics.

Read the whole thing here

I think i have two levels of Site Review; Free-form, where i just browse a site as i would have done, being a normal user/visitor. And the more structured function specific approach where i focus on the different flows and it's functions on a website - in the order a visitor would normally encounter them.

The first approach is of cause flavored by my background to some extend and would never replace actual user-tests, but more a technique to be used in the early stages before launch.

The second makes way for iterative reviews of specific flows or functions within a flow, and would often prove the most thorough of the two.

Trying to make a reviews findings structured - because i was asked to by a friend ;) I've taken the time to make a template document with the following simple structure:

Page: [Page name or entire URL]

Screenshot: [An entire or partial picture of the page in question]

Issues: [List of issues]

Solutions: [List of possible solutions to each of the found issues]


I try to keep only one screenshot a page, making it easier for the author to scrap ones that have been corrected or dealt with.

Also on each page i put a date and time along with a page number to make sure the many pages a test might amount to has some structure, which often follows the flow of the test, making the page number quite important in understanding the entire test.

I'm also experimenting with having a Scope: [which specific part of the web page is reviewed and with what kind of angle] (eg. user perspective – flow from the profiles page after first log in)

This translates to a test conducted upon the first log in after registering on the page. Log in being excluded from the test.

This structure should be used in both the free-form and the more structured Site Review.

Update to this post: I've made a Document template, which works well using MS-Word macros. I've put the document online here (without macros)

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Why Mindmap when you can Wiki?

... or why Wiki when you can mind map?

I should hurry to say that I'm not for one and against another - they are two powerful tools in their own way. And that is exactly what I'm wondering about - when is one better than the other. I remember to have read some comment somewhere (typical of me to forget), about using wiki's as a mind mapping or brainstorming tool.

In lack of a mind mapping software installed (like Openmind og Mindmanager) I'll do it on a simple and also powerful manner... a list:

Mind map pros:
- creates overview
- quick to use
- generates a lot of keywords
- visual image of complexity
- related keywords

Mind map cons:
- lack of information
- a screen is only that big...
- hard to use on the Internet (i know there are some online mind mapping tools around - just check out the tools section on Innovationtools.com)

Wiki pros:
- all the information in one place
- related information
- links to non-existing information (wiki pages)
- born to be used on the Internet

Wiki cons:
- lack of overview
- not quite as fast (despite it's name)


Sum of it all
I think it's not all black and white... i all ways miss the nice visual overview whenever it's not there - and it could be in a lot of places in the business world today. We are so busy making lists and so on, but they aren't well perceived in peoples minds and aren't that easy remembered...

The ( ) stuff in my list above might suggest a wiki would have giving me more space and structure to elaborate, while the shortness and quickness of the list (aka. the mind map) gave me the overview to go in depth with each and every keyword - if i witched to do so...

I would say that a wiki with a mind map overview would be a killer app. - anyone with some Apollo (or adobe air) knowledge up for a challenge?

Comment
There are definitely more pros and cons to put on each of the above topics, so pls. do so if you feel the urge...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Buzan

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface

I remeber seeing or hearing about something like this a couple of years back... it's was a vision about mobiles becomming so powerfull that their small dimensions of screens would become the biggest obstacle. Therefore some guy og group forsaw that in the future mobiledevices would be able to lend screen-space on large table-top or whiteboard like screens.

And now Microsoft went and spoild it all by saying something like... i love you ;)
Naa, just kidding - that is pretty cool - that's my new cofeetable right there!!

Inner city beeing space for D-I-Y people

I recently moved to the "big" city of Copenhagen. Comming from the comfort of a house with adjacent garden, toolsheet and plenty of room for my powertools, i suddently found myself having trouble dooing the simplest things. No room for my workbench, and no place where i can make a bit of a mess without the girlfriend gooing through the roof.

Then i remembered this:

http://www.springwise.com/lifestyle_leisure/sewing_cafe_in_berlin/

The idea i simple, in this sweing cafe you get multiple things: Social network, help, machinery (if you don't have your own), space and storage.

Projecting this idea onto my missing garage/work-space i'm thinking of a Work-café where you can come in to make the new shelf, fixing your bike, reparing the chairs and so on.

The place should provide:

- Storage space for your projects and own powertools

- Crowd ordering of materials to get good prices

- Ordering from house-suppliers to get special deals

- Tools to lend if you don't have the rigth tool for the job yourself

- Community workstations for everybody to use (maybe book online)

The cafe will provide a social network you seldomly get in your own garage, and the comfort and safty of collective skils to ensure you in undertaking large/new projects.

DK| Den digitale arbejdsplads

Jeg beskyldes ofte for ikke af kunne huske, og måske til tider virke en anelse perpleks. Det kan for så vidt også være sandt nok. Og det skal jeg ikke bortforklare og undskylde – Jeg er nu en gang som jeg er.

I forbindelse med læsning af Microsofts hvidbog om den digitale arbejdsplads gik det op for mig, hvorfor en del af min manglende huske evne kommer til udtryk som den gør – små (ligegyldige) detaljer. Ligegyldige er mit indtryk af dem, og altså mit filter der således sortere disse for mig uvæsentlige informationer fra. (Tryk på overskriften for at komme til den engelske version af hvidbogen - som egentlig er en Bill Gates tale - Jeg har også en pdf...)

Når jeg skal forklare en af de evner jeg selv syntes at besidde – at skabe overblik over ellers komplekse ting. Så er en indre visualisering oftest svaret. Da det jo foregår inde i hovedet og jeg ikke selv har de grafiske evner til at lave en tegning der kan vise det, må jeg henlede opmærksomheden på det udmærkede program MindManager. Programmet danner mindmaps, og de representerer et logisk billede at mit indre overblik.

Dermed er det ikke sagt at min hjerne er som MindManager og omvendt. Hjernen fungerer langt mere komplekst end noget program nogen siden kan modellere, og programmet kan også ting med det elektroniske mindmap som jeg ikke kan med mit indre…

Jeg tror at evnen til at kunne skabe overblik til dels fås ved at ofre lidt af detaljerings niveauet.
Det kan lyde som en dårlig handel, men hvis man tænker modulært og vælger at fokusere på det rette niveau på det rette tidspunkt, så får man alligevel detaljerne med. Eller som en gammel lærer sagde til mig ”En elefant spises en bid ad gangen”.

DK| Cafemiljøer stimulerer it-innovatører

Cafemiljøerne danner infrastruktur for en helt ny innovationsbevægelse af “high-tech-nomader”.

Jeg har kommenteret på bloggen fra CW på bla. nedenstående aspekter.

Disse cafemiljøer er i dag alle udstyret med high-speed wi-fi (trådløst internet), og danner en helt ny underliggende infrastruktur med top vibrationer, for en helt ny innovationsbevægelse af “high-tech-nomader”, der primært bekender sig til mobile teknologier og web 2.0-tidsånden.


Hvad, den nye high-tech nomadebølge i San Francisco-området også viser, er, at infrastrukturberebet til stadighed bliver bredere og bør forholde sig til potentielle brugsværdi-optimeringer af eksisterende fysiske rammer, mobilitetsadfærd, de praktiske rammer omkring nye arbejdsformer og sociale netværksdannelser.

Merging Work and Family life

Share selected photos from the weekend trip to the forrest, child birthday or yesterdays party with your co-workers on a public digital photo-wall showing your photos alongside your co-workers.

This is done to spark co-worker relationships and a great way to get to know your co-workers in depth. Rather than just hearing about the kayak trip - see it. Use the photos as an offset to a much more personalized conversation with the person next to you.


So now i've put a feed from my own personal online photo-wall - look at the bottom of the page, or click here
Also i put a del.icio.us tag-cloud up, wich features tags from my favorite links - and a link to the collection. - to the right...

All done in the name of merging ;)

Open-space brainstorming

Imagine if a brainstorm was not carried out in a closed office-spaced, only for the invited...
Imagine an open-space - hallway space, where brainstorm topic and boundaries are posted on the walls, enabling the team brainstorming to get even more input from people passing through... what if that one person that came by your brainstorm was the one with the key input to launch you to the next level ?=!

One topic at a time of cause
The brainstorm owners present of cause
And an active core of people brainstorming, making it into an active environment...

Visible work load

I'm a yes man... and that is not allways good, because i tend to have a lot of tasks on my table at all times.
But it's not always visible how many or if they are looked at in a timely manner...
Thinking about the red and green balls you see in a lot of "innovative" offices, where you put a green one in a bowl if you have a good day or a red if you have a bad...

Having a clear tube where you stack a ball for each current task , making it very easy to see how many you have.
The stacking of the balls makes a first-in-first-out approach to task solving easy to controll. Different colors can represent different types of tasks. A task can be worked on over a number of days, putting the ball back in the stack when done for the day. A DAY ball, making it visible how many tasks you have for that day...