Top Shelf

process vs output

I recently listened to “The Practice” by Seth Godin on audible. Although sometimes repetitive, the concept that is drilled into the reader is to focus on the doing as opposed to the outcome the doing may (or may not) bring.

There’s a practice available to each of us—the practice of embracing the process of creation in service of better. The practice is not the means to the output, the practice is the output
― Seth Godin

I had a couple key takeaways:

Ship the Work - Get whatever you are working on out into the world. This applies to anything: a process, template, document or plan, your photography, a video you’re working on, whatever. Getting work out early and often gives you opportunity for feedback. If something REALLY needs to be fixed, you can always do so afterwards (or learn rom it for the next one). My most recent example is my website I launched. It feels far from perfect, and there are lots of issues I see, but I shipped it anyways.
Public Learning - Learning publicly is a movement I have seen more and more of. What this means (to me at least) is that we share the process we go through as we learn, as opposed to just sharing the nice shiny product at the end. There is incredible value to sharing the mistakes, dead-ends and frustrations encountered along the way. Shipping early and often helps other’s see your evolution and process.
Consistency - Do a little bit everyday. There is a “push” that needs to happen to just get things started, without worrying about the quality (or, again, the outcome). Just begin where you are. The work days that I feel most accomplished are the ones where I grit my teeth and start working on the seemingly unpleasant task at hand. When I need to write an investigation report, I always start with a shitty draft where I just got thoughts out (sometimes bullet point, sometimes incoherent sentences), just to get started.

“Your work is too important to be left to how you feel today.”
- Seth Godin

Upcoming Focus

reflecting on monthly goals

I set a couple of focuses for myself at the beginning of the month but have not looked at or reflected on them at all. I honestly don’t even remember what they are. Hopefully I have subconsciously been working towards those goals, as I’ve found just setting the intention is usually good enough to get going. It’s time to check-in on progress and pivot if needed. How are those yearly intentions looking?

Learning

power BI

As I continue down the path of data analytics, visualization has come to be a key part of the process. Being able to tell a story with data, and ultimately make sound decisions based off of it is the whole point. Power BI has been a program taken up by the masses, and understanding how to put together a dashboard feels like it will be a “basic” skill of the future. I’m just about done a great hands-on Introduction to PowerBI course through DataCamp.

Cool Gear

aperture MC

In the age of remote work, having good lighting for video calls is the equivalent of being well dressed for work (suit-up!). There are lots of great options and fixes you can make with what you have already (check out this youtube video) . As I play with light a lot for my photography and videos, I bit the bullet and purchased 2 Aperture MC lights and some cheap selfie tripods to get my lighting system setup just how I like it. There are lots of great cheaper options out there too (Neewer 2 Pack- $40), but the MC is great because it has full red, green, blue spectrum, all colour temperatures, and can be linked and controlled through an app on your phone.

Focusing on Process, Visualizing Data and Suiting-up Online (Ep. 2)