Articles from metaphor
We Live in Liquid Times
We live in liquid times: the institutions, conventions, identities, and ideals that defined Western Civilization can no longer hold their shape. What does this state of constant change mean for creativity and the arts?
On Curiosity, Dieter Rams, and Brian Eno
You'll often find the word “curiosity” in close proximity to “creativity.” There are many types of curiosity, but two are particularly relevant to creativity: specific curiosity and diversive (or general) curiosity.
Software Tools, Creative Thinking, and Craft Workflows
Our lives are mediated by technology, but there’s there’s not much discussion about how “general purpose” software tools, such as word processing applications, influence our creative thinking and work.
Your Personal Annual Review
An annual “year in review” highlights your recent accomplishments, provides insights into lessons learned in the past year, and sharpens your focus on your goals for the year ahead. Try my new annual review workbook!
Songs from Home
There’s been a lot written about the challenges of working from home: staying organized, prioritizing, work-life balance, dealing with interruptions and more... This article is about something else: how our homes shape our creative lives and work.
Reviving Your Productivity System
It’s going to happen: no matter how disciplined you’ve been about maintaining your productivity system (aka “second brain”), you’re going to hit a stretch where you just can’t keep up. Don’t despair! You can bounce back and so can your second brain. Here’s my five-step action plan for reviving your productivity system.
How to Build Your Toolkit of Mental Models
Mental models help you understand complex problems and make better decisions. They can also limit you: there’s no single model that perfectly explains everything in the universe. You need a toolbox of mental models. This article introduces my Mental Models Workbook as well as some of my favorite websites and books on mental models.
Using Mental Models to Improve Your Creative Thinking
This is the first installment in a series on mental models—one of humankind’s most powerful problem solving and thinking tools—and how to use mental models to improve your creative thinking and productivity.