Caspian with a riff on:
By Caspian Almerud
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Caspian with a riff on:Oct 13, 2019
41. on getting out of a Rut
This week started bad. Loads of worrying, no proper sleep for a couple of days, and some kind of bug physically. In short, I’ve been far below 100%.
Thursday, I got home from work. Tired. I went for a walk instead of a run. I decided that my body might do good with a short break from running, but I still need the movement. Got back to shower, and still tired. Grumpy. Moody. Feeling sorry for myself.
In the shower, I thought about the mood, and how it’d bothered me for almost a week. Noticed it. And decided to let go of the bad juju. Stop it.
I had enough. Sometimes that works. Just getting fed up.
Sometimes I need to have those days or weeks where I’m moody and in a rut. It’s a signal for something else, or just the state I’m in.
I know that others have these periods as well. And I’ve spoken to a lot of people who are stuck in a rut they don’t want to be in anymore without knowing what to do about it.
I’ve developed and stolen some ideas on that. Shifting attention from the negative and bothering to things i want to focus on, with the goal being to get out of and away from the rut.
These are some of them. Steal them with pride.
40. on Running a 24h Marathon
Last Friday, I left work at 4 pm. I went to the grocery store to pick up a bunch of cookies, chips, some fruit and light beers. The cashier looked at me like she was wishing me a happy party.
I got home, changed into my running clothes and went out for a 2 mile run. Then I proceeded to run a little more than 1 mile every hour on the hour up until 4 pm on the Saturday. (doubled the last run because my knee was acting up when rested for 45 mins). When finishing the last run, I’d run my first marathon.
It’s been a goal of mine for the past year to be able to run long distance again, and now I am.
I want to talk about a couple of reflections I had from this experience.
39. on Structure
I’m in a period of my life right now where I’m extremely disciplined. I’ve been here before and quite enjoy it. It’s very intentional, and is done in order for me to track myself against a couple of long term goals that I have.
I have a flair for structure and discipline. I think it’s fun to explore, I like being disciplined and enjoy the results hugely. Hence, I’ve had questions asked about it quite a lot. Friends asking how I keep structure, or asking me to help them create discipline and structure in their lives.
To some extent I can. I’m reluctant to spread the gospel and tell people to do what I do. I’ve tried that, and it never works. There’s so much trial and error behind my systems that are vital to the result today.
What I can offer are a couple of principles that seem to be universal. They’ve worked well for me and as far as I know, for people who’ve used them in their lives.
→ Don’t focus on the tool
Going gear first is so so common. It’s what most people do when they want to get in shape. It’s what I tend to do when I want to become more creative. And it’s what a lot of people do when looking for productivity.
Even though I don’t use apple notes, I can completely relate to this image.
When looking for tools, we don’t focus on what’s important or is going to have the biggest impact on our structure. We’re making things complicated, messy and eventually things are going to get lost.
On top of that, I’ve been guilty of trying to “optimise” my tools rather than actually doing the work I’m supposed to do. The whole web in the middle takes time, and can feel like working, but it isn’t.
One last note: When you develop systems for structure, you’re going to be fine with whatever tool you’re using. I’m currently using one app at work and another at home. I’m sufficient in both because I have my systems down.
→ Build systems you trust.
In order for personal structure to work, you have to trust your systems. You have to trust that everything you need, be it notes, reminders, calendar invites or mathematic formulas, are in the right place. That’s why we build systems in the first place.
A challenge that I’ve managed to condition out of myself, is that we tend to flex these systems.
Most of us have a preferred place to take notes. If you don’t have one, you should. But when you’re in a meeting and forgot your computer, you’re gonna grab a pen and pencil to take notes. When you later on need those notes, you don’t instantly go to the notebook, you go to the app where you usually take your notes.
All of a sudden, you can’t trust the system to contain all your notes anymore, and the system is going to fail.
What you need to do is be ruthless with these rules for yourself. If you end up taking notes on a notepad once, you need to instantly convert those notes into your regular system.
The same goes for all the systems you build for yourself to become more structured.
→ Decide and revise
Every once in a while, I revise the systems I’ve built. The rules that I try to keep to. The way I do things.
Then I decide on what I want to keep, what to get rid of and what to tweak. And commit.
Systems is to a large extent about commitment. It’s about following through and doing what you’ve said you’ll do over and over again.
While that’s important, it’s also important to do the right thing over and over again. Reminding me of the line from Love yours by J.Cole:
The good news is, you came a long way
The bad news is, you went the wrong way
Coming a long way doesn’t really matter if you’re going the wrong way. Hence, make sure to revise properly and check your map.
38. on Experimenting
When I was 14, I was convinced I needed 10 hours of sleep. I spoke to my mom about it, and told her that I constantly felt tired despite sleeping so much. To be fair, I was doing 6-10 sessions of football and running per week. But ten hours every night seems a bit high looking back.
My mom told me that there’s such a thing as sleeping too much. I was confused, astounded and in disbelief. She then encouraged me to try it out. Test what happens if I sleep 6 hours a night for a week. Or 7, or 8.
I’ve run a bunch of experiments on myself, some more successful than others. It’s a way for me to get to know myself, know my limits and learn more about my abilities.
I’ve come to realise that not everyone does this, and I think it’s a shame.
Sleep has been one of the integral ones, but far from the only thing I’ve experimented with. Every experiment has made me grow a little bit. Every single one, especially the miserable ones. That’s what we’re speaking about today.
37. on Values
I remember vividly sitting in a workshop where we were speaking about our values. We’d been given a list of 60-something words to choose from, and were tasked with choosing 3-5 that felt important.
After that, we were split into groups. Each person was given 20 minutes to share a story related to their word with the prompt “A time when [value word] was important to me…”. I was 20 at the time, in a group with people older and younger.
It was wonderful speaking about these things. One woman in her 40s shared that feeling secure was important to her, that she’d declined job opportunities that fel too risky because of it.
As an ambitious 20-year old I couldn’t fathom it. She continued sharing how she just kept thinking about what would happen to her children if she couldn’t pay her mortgage. Not put food on the table. What her husband would say and think about her.
That’s when I understood.
We all have values that are more or less important to us at different points in time. I have one set of values today, but I know very well that I didn’t have some of them just 6 months ago. They change over time, with us and with our environments.
36. on Grit
Grit has proven one of the most important skills and traits in predicting success. That is, if you want to see who’s going to become successful, look for grit. Grit is what keeps you going when inspiration, motivation and sometimes even reason goes out the window.
I’ve practiced grit over the past 6-7 years. More or less intentionally, I’ve tried to find ways to keep myself going when I don’t feel like it. It’s a big part of why I’ve developed the way I have in those years.
Especially now, where I’ve set up a goal to become an ultra runner, I know that the practice is going to pay off. I’ve already felt it. I don’t want to exercise every day, despite that being my plan. But waking up at 4:30 on a windy/rainy/snowy Sunday morning, I don’t always want to go for a run.
But I do it either way.
35. on Problem Solving
We all solve problems all the time. It’s natural to humans to do so. Almost everything you see around you is a solution to a perceived problem.
But the skill of solving problems is hard to a lot of people. Having the right resources or tools doesn’t mean you’re able to solve a problem. You need to have a strategy on how to use those tools.
I haven’t spent nearly enough time on developing models or strategies for problem solving, at least not consciously. Now I’ve started, and I think you should as well.
Show notes →
34. on Upskilling
I think letting someone else take care of your education, of your learning and be responsible for your development is boring. It's quite naive, and frankly foolish. It's something that you need to be in charge of.
Hence, I’ve tried to take charge of these things in my life. It’s not always easy, and it’s most certainly not always comfortable. But I think it’s necessary if you want it to happen.
No one else is going to.
33. on Networks
I’ve been a part of all kinds of networks over the past 6-7 years. Business related, large friend groups, creative hubs and online Facebook groups. All of them have had impact on shaping me into who I am and have created opportunities for me that I otherwise wouldn’t have had.
They’ve also made me realise that there’s immense power in being part of a community, for a number of reasons. For growth, comfort as well as challenge and inspiration.
I think access to communities and networks is going to get harder in the future. People are going to protect their closest communities and we’re going to value small, exclusive groups rather than big networks with loose bonds between one another.
Hence, those of us that seek community need to act. Act by creating, participating and nurturing the networks we want today in order to have them in 10 years.
What networks and communities do you want to have in your life?
32. on Information and Learning
We don’t live in an information society anymore. Simply because information is virtually free and infinitely accessible.
What I think matters today is 3 things:
- Can you find the right information and make sure it is indeed the right information?
- Can you convert the information to contextual knowledge?
- Can you convert that contextual knowledge to an action or skill?
Simply put: How do you solve complex problems that you haven’t encountered before?
31. on Time pt. 2
Time and time again.
This riff is a bit more practical on time than the last one I did. A bit more in depth on two theories that I heard just a couple of days ago and since have pondered happily.
How we speak about time is extremely powerful. Just as I spoke about the last time around, the way you perceive time can impact your actions, behaviours and even mood. At leas it does for me.
Hence, I think these two theories and thoughts might be quite useful in speaking about time with others.
Show notes →
30. On being Competitive
I’ve reflected quite a lot on my own competitiveness lately. I have a reputation among my friends of being obnoxiously competitive. It’s served me well at times, just as it’s been a hindering factor to many of my relationships. Hence, I want to work on making it a choice to be competitive. It's a superpower that should be used with care. Show notes →
29. On Time
I’ve tried to optimise time on being productive, on fitting the most things to do in the least amount of time and on feeling the best in the moment. Right now, I’m optimising it to benefit me over time. In trying to bend time to my current will, I’ve spent some time thinking about time. The mental models people have come up with, the metaphysics of time and most importantly, how do we perceive time as humans? These thoughts have become even more prominent in periods of my life where I’ve felt a shortage of time. I’ve had several periods where I try my best to optimise time spent in order to get to do the things I want. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, these mental models or thoughts have been helpful in thinking about time. Show notes →
28. On controlling your Emotions
I had a realisation last week. One of those proper ones where it seems like it came from nowhere, whilst out walking. The realisation was this: Control over emotions is a dial. In the past, I’ve seen control over emotions as something that I’m pretty good at. I can tone almost any emotion down at almost any time. I’ve got extreme patience, something I’m very happy about. The thing is, if control over my emotions is a dial and I’m really good at pulling the volume down, do I really have control? I’m horrible at pulling the volume up. I don’t like it and rarely do. I’m reevaluating what control over my emotions mean, and I think a lot more people need to do the same. At least if you, like me, believe it’s a dial. Show notes →
27. On being a Fanatic
I’ve been a fanatic in a bunch of different ways. Keeping sleep schedules religiously, keeping streaks and on mantras. And I still am, in many areas. More confidently and hopefully a bit more thoughtfully.
Being a fanatic is often thought of as being religious or political, but that’s quite limiting for a behaviour that’s present in many more areas of life. Being a fanatic is, according to Amos Oz, being a person who can only count to one. Meaning you only have one solution or can only take one single perspective.
In some areas of life that’s great. It makes life a lot easier. In others it’ll make you limited.
Reflecting on what areas being a fanatic serves you and when it doesn’t has been useful to me. It’s led me to think of when I want to be fanatic, how fanatic I want to be and in what ways I want to present that part of me to the world.
I hope this inspires you to do the same.
26. On Balance
This episode is personal on some level. All the advice and ideas are things that I’ve experimented my way to. Hence, they might not be applicable to your life. Have that in mind.
I’ve struggled with the concept of finding balance. Mostly because there’s been an emphasis on relaxation and that you have to DO relaxation in order to be balanced.
I think balance can be found in many different shapes and forms. As I go in to in this episode, we all have different cycles. And finding your cycle is, to me, at the core of finding balance. I hope you’ll find some inspiration to find more balance in your life.
25. On Trust
This week, I speak to the topic of Trust that I've pondered quite a lot lately. Show notes are found here →
24. On Change pt. 3
The last riff on change, for now. We’ve expanded the circle to cover more than your inner circle, extending it all the way to the world.
Something I don’t touch on in the episode is why you’d want to change the world. I touch on it in the show notes, but it might have to be a future riff.
I’ve had a couple of people reaching out over the past two episodes, discussing the ideas. If you’re taking the time to watch and/or listen, I want to encourage that. This becomes so much more fun if the episodes are starts for conversations rather than me just speaking to my phone. :)
23. On Change pt. 2
In this episode, I discuss the concept of changing other people. I share the advice my mother gave me, stating that we cannot change others, but we can change the way we interact with them. Emphasising again that we can only change the intersection of our relationship with someone else.
I introduce the concept of "me plus you equals we" and explain that we can only control what's in our control. I also discuss how my friend, who works as a consultant in digitalisation in schools, deals with resistance to change. He focuses on early adopters, who are more receptive to new ideas, and uses their influence to sway the indecisive middle and eventually the late adopters or "grumpy bunch."
In summary, if we want to change someone else, we should focus on changing the intersection between our relationship with that person. The key takeaways from this episode are to change our perspective or approach in a relationship and to focus on early adopters when trying to implement change within a group.
Ep 22. On Change pt. 1
I’ve been pondering change for quite some time
I think most of us have at one point or other. As we should.
I think Change is one of the most important things to ponder. It has been for me. In this episode, I speak to how I think one changes themselves. Or rather, how I at this point in time think I change myself. Because that’s what these riffs are, photographs of some thoughts I have at the moment.
In this episode I speak about how I've gone about changing myself. The thoughts, ideas and principles have helped me greatly in those processes, and I hope they help you too!
(don't sleep on them, there's a bunch of extra curricular for you if you want it!)
Caspian with a riff on Change – intro
I'm starting this project up again!
This time, there'll be show notes. You can find them here →
I’ve been pondering change for almost three months, that’s when i started thinking about getting this project going again. It started with a question from someone who’s been listening to the podcast, and for that I’m really grateful.
Ep 21. On celebration
I’ve been doing some reflective thinking on the importance and difference in celebration lately. I recently graduated from my university studies and due to the pandemic, our graduation ceremony wasn’t what it usually is. I was reluctant to go to the live one, and even more so to the zoom version, so I didn’t.
The class that I graduated with decided to throw an unofficial graduation ceremony and party, and I chose not to participate in that one either. My justification for not participating is that my mom is in the risk group for Covid, and my grandmother recently passed from it. Even so, I could very well have gone.
The thing is, I really didn’t want to. There are multiple reasons, but the main ones are that I don’t really feel like my degree is something worthy of celebration, and the second one is that the way we celebrate things over here doesn’t at all suit me.
And so, I want to write some about those two things. The stance on that I have different standards for celebrating than many others, and the way we pursue celebration.
Ep 20. Another one on Decision making
I decided to make good decisions,
It's the best decision I ever made.
A couple of texts that might be interesting to read on the subject:
https://medium.com/@caspianalmerud/beslutsl%C3%A5dan-aa2f3d5666b9
https://medium.com/@caspianalmerud/4-things-that-will-make-you-a-better-decision-maker-e5a38b55d81
https://medium.com/@caspianalmerud/five-pointers-for-decisionmaking-c38fac362dba
https://medium.com/@caspianalmerud/decisions-8eb32767a639
Ep. 19: On pace.
There a number of ways of talking about pace, and a number of areas to apply it in. I think it's important for all of us to start thinking about the pace we're keeping, and at what pace we'd like to go.
Ep. 18: On planning.
Plans seldom go according to the actual plan. That can't be the reason we plan - for plans to go accordingly. There must be another reason.
My aim with planning is to be comfortable enough to know that things are going to happen, for me to be able to get rid of the plan entirely. If I plan my week, I know exactly what needs to be done, and when it's due. I can then do my tasks in whatever order I want to.
There's a really important lesson in this episode, on how to handle the fact that your plans aren't predictions.
Ep. 17: On rules to live your life by.
This week, the riff is on exactly those rules. I explain my six mantras or rules that I consult when I'm feeling like I'm in a rut or a bit confused. Those rules are, for me:
Macro patience, micro speed.
Don’t believe all of your thoughts
Doing has a higher value than not doing
Don’t make 1000 decisions when one will do
You're a human being, before you’re a human doing
Move fast and break things
Ep. 16: On fear.
This week, the riff is on fear. More specifically, fear as an obstacle.
The attitude we have towards anything can either help us or make things harder for us. The attitude is oftentimes a layer with an automatic emotional response to something. So if I have a very positive attitude, I will perceive things in a more positive manner.
When the attitude is negative, our automatic response is often fear. The thing with fear is that it helps us in a bunch of cases, but those cases are more and more rare, and the response itself rarely stand in proportion to the reality of the situation we're responding to.
In this episode, I riff on changing your attitude, especially in relation to fear.
Ep. 15: On structure with Love.
I've been interested in structure for a very long time, almost as long as I can remember. To have a personal structure of my days, keep track of the projects that I'm working on and to keep the information I gather very neat has been a core success factor for me.
With all that being said, when I've read up on personal structure, there has always been a system. Let's take GTD as an example. The system is there, and the user has to conform to it. The thing is, all of the things that GTD suggests aren't applicable to all of us. So instead, I suggest you start with love.
Start with yourself, and then build the systems of structure around you. If you need a To-Do list, it wouldn't make sense to get an app if you rather stay of your phone. And if you, like me, want to be able to sync all of your devices and be able to keep track of your tasks wherever you go, it makes a lot of sense.
That's what this episode is about. To start with yourself and build structure around you.
Ep. 14: On Core Principles
Tools are incredibly important. That's where I usually start out when entering a new domain. If I would start with photography, I'd start by buying a really good camera. But that might not be the way to go.
In every area or field, there are some core principles. Principles explaining how we can achieve better within that field. And I think we've all encountered those core principles within a field. Realising that a good stamina helps enormously when playing soccer, or that a clean structure for your e-mail eases the use of the inbox.
This episode is on just that. The core principles of things. Inspired by "The book of five rings" by Miyamoto Musashi.
Ep. 13: On Mindfulness
Mindfulness is absolutely, without a doubt, one of the things that myself and my friends have been spending the most time talking about in the past 5 years. It's also something that most people have a relationship to, as do I. That relationship is a bit complex, and not always at its best.
I think mindfulness, if practiced, should be practiced as a proactive activity. I also think it needs to be done because one thinks it's worth doing. Those two components, to me, are at the heart of mindfulness. Rushing to yoga class is counterproductive and it doesn't serve the purpose of mindfulness itself at all.
And that's what this riff is about, the core principle of mindfulness, and how you can practice it without practicing it.
Ep. 12: On Sense-Making
Being able to make sense out of complex matters is one of the most appreciated skills to have in my experience. To help people understand and make something out of an experience or even a couple of experiences is hard at times and at times we need help doing it.
It’s something you can practice. So please do, because your life will be easier.
Ep. 11: On Perception and Observation
There seems to be a difference between perception and observation, even though they’re quite similar.
Observing something when you need an output that’s quick and easy isn’t always a good idea. Similarly, perceiving something that needs detailed examination might not always work the best.
Ep. 10: On Design.
I've had a hangup on design for quite some time now, and want to spend some time discussing the ideas that have passed through me during that time.
Design has two parameters that we judge design by: beauty and functionality. Sometimes they interact and combine in the same product or process, sometimes they leverage each other and sometimes you have to choose.
Most importantly from this episode, I'd like you to think about how you design processes for yourself. Sometimes we forget to put ourselves in the centre of the design process when we're designing for ourselves. Whatever you're trying to accomplish, spending some time to understand yourself is always key.
Ep. 9: On Help.
I've been actively working with becoming better at both offering and asking for help for the past 4 years. It's been one of the most prominent things for me, and it all started with one single question:
What do you need help with?
In this episode, I describe a way in which we can all become better at asking people what they need help with. I riff on why there are ways that are worse to offer help in, and why I think it's important to talk about how we offer help to one another.
Ep. 8: On Passion.
I think passion can be a choice, rather than something that just happens to you. Of course, there are times at which we might be struck or even stuck with a passion that's impossible to explain. But more often I think it's possible to choose passion as a way of doing things.
Ep. 7: On giving up
Grit and stubbornness are two vastly different things, although they might seem similar.
Being stubborn is, for the most part, not constructive and nobody gains from it. When you’re stubborn, you’re not using all of the information coming to you, like in a rage. Grit, on the other hand, is the ability to push through when needed yet being able to give up when it’s time to do so.
Giving up might be hard, but at times it’s necessary
Ep. 6 On Generalists and Specialists.
Soldiers are often trained to do one single thing. They learn to shoot, and shoot really well. Of course, that’s a complex action as it involves a lot of small skills and a precision that’s uncanny. Not to talk of the morality of the whole thing. Still, they’ve learned to master one tool - shooting. Of course, that’s a simplification of what makes up a soldier, but for the case, we’ll stick to this premise.
In the HBO-series Westworld, there’s a scene where soldiers are encountered with a problem. They have a bunch or raging bulls coming at them with short notice. The bulls are coming in with full speed and they’re about 10 metres away when the soldiers first see them. The soldiers are stunned, but then get to use their tool - shooting. They open fire.
The problem for the soldiers is that at that distance, there’s little they can do about the bulls with that tool. The bulls have such speed that the bullets are doing little to stop therefrom running straight in to the soldiers. The soldiers die, as do the bulls.
The soldiers had a real, potentially lethal problem at their hands with the bulls. They decided to solve it with the tool closest at hand, both literally and figuratively, their guns. Hed they stopped for a second to think about it, they’d probably jumped out of the way or started running.
The point is that the soldiers are incredibly specialised in one thing - responding quickly with gunfire. They’ve practiced their reflexes and aim for hours and hours. It’s just not that great of a solution all the time.
The specialist has a real competence in something, in this case, firing a gun. That’s a really great tool in wars. The specialist is really good at doing what they do. But the tool isn’t at all effective in other situations, such as with the bulls.
The challenge for a specialist is to know what situations the tool is applicable in and what to do if their tool isn’t the best in that particular situation. They can, of course, ask for help. But that requires them to know whether or not their tool is applicable, and what tool might be if theirs isn’t.
The generalist, on the other hand, have challenges of their own. A generalist might have a sufficient knowledge of a number of tools, but they’re rarely as good at using them as the specialist. A generalist programmer might do okay in a number of different coding languages, but the specialist will outdo them in their specific language.
The difference is about as prominent as it can be in athletics. In all of the individual competitions, there are great runners, jumpers and shot putters. They’ve trained in one or a few branches of athletics. But in the competition of heptathlon, Usain Bolt wouldn’t stand a chance. There are people that are good enough at all of the things except running that would beat him in that.
The generalist knows what tools and skills are required to solve a number of problems. The specialist is great at using one or a few tools to solve a very specific problem.
Now, ask yourself: Are you more of a generalist or a specialist? And more importantly, which would you like to be?
Ep. 5. On Inspiration.
I think inspiration is highly overrated, mostly because it's become an excuse not to act and do. "I wasn't feeling inspired". I don't ever want to say that.
On the other hand, I think inspiration is inevitable. You can't not have it.
Ep. 4: On Responsibility
Responsibility can mean so many different things. It can mean "You get the blame if this goes south", or "You're going to have to carry this all by yourself.".
The way I see it, responsibility is a way to get impact. If you have responsibility, you're able to impact. You have the opportunity to make your mark and to do what needs to be done. It also means that you can ask your personal advisory board for help, and grow from their experience.
To have responsibility is to take initiative, and to lead.
Ep. 3 On Creativity.
Episode 3 is here, with a riff on Creativity and Creative Work.
I have loads of friends who want to write a book. Or record a song. Or learn knitting. Most of those friends also struggle with starting that, and I think most people are struggling with starting.
When you've started, the rest comes a lot easier. Until you need to ship. That's often tricky as well, as you can't really say when you're done.
I think we need to start things often, and ship them more often than that. Move fast and break things, and learn from that.
Ep. 2 On Decision making.
Decisions is one of those things that most people struggle with. We all have decisions to make, numerous each and every day.
Today, I talk about mindset regarding decision making, about a mental model that I've used not to make decisions more often than I need to, and Gary Vaynerchuk gives us some food for thought on his approach to making decisions.
Ep. 1. On problems.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about problems, and our relation to them. This is a riff on what I think problems are, how I think we can change our perspective on them, and a question to ask yourself when facing a problem.