Our memory fades with time. So we won't always remember how things went down. We best remember emotional experiences, such as important ideas you generated, but you will not remember all the details. You are also likely to forget things other people generated. This is why people invented contracts. Contracts help us recall the exact wording of an agreement and help resolve conflicts. People also tend to forget details of any important decisions. The solution is simple: document everything.

Time Corrupts Memory

Many ideas people generate are a waste of time. This is because it seemed like a good idea but are not being checked upon. Instead, they keep going because of the initial momentum. Larger companies can accommodate wasteful overheads, but startups won't be able to. If the organisation has capacity and resources, they often just hire more people instead of trimming the things that become irrelevant. That's why it's good to do a periodic irrelevance audit.

Collected Baggage Grows Heavier

<h3>Mental Models For Startups #5</h3><td title="2022-01-31T10:45:38.173Z"><time datetime="2022-01-31T10:45:38.173Z">Jan 31</time></td>Here are two important thoughts for organizing a team and managing a project.<OL><LI>Time Corrupts Memory</LI></OL>Human memory is not perfect and fades away with time. We don't always remember things quite the way they went down.In fact, our memory works more like <a href="https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2012/09/your-memory-is-like-the-telephone-game#:~:text=Every%20time%20you%20remember%20an,you%20remembered%20the%20previous%20time." rel="" dir="ltr">the Telephone Game</a>.You will best remember very emotional experiences. You are likely to remember the important ideas that you've come up with and thought through yourself, but you will not remember all the details.&nbsp;You’re very likely to forget things that are brought to you by other people.In the case of a group event, different people will remember things differently, and will also distort them in different ways, depending on <a href="https://models.substack.com/p/nothing-is-what-it-seems-" rel="" dir="ltr">their personal Reality Tunnel</a>. <BLOCKQUOTE>Time moves in one direction, memory in another. — William Gibson</BLOCKQUOTE>This is one of the biggest reasons why people have invented contracts. Contracts help us recall the exact word-for-word details of the agreement. Good contracts also help people resolve conflicts in a non-damaging way, in case some of them forget what they agreed to.You typically wouldn't prepare a contract every time your team have an important conversation, which leads to an important decision. In fact, in many organizations, most decisions are never documented, nor they are properly communicated.&nbsp;With time people tend to forget details of any important decision. In addition to people forgetting, there is also the problem of people leaving and joining the organization. This dissolves the “internalized knowledge” of the organization even more, and leads to “forgetting” important information or the reason for why certain things need to be done in a particular way.The solution is both simple and hard — Document Everything.Writing things down and making sure all involved people read them is one of the most impactful activities that can define the success of an organization.&nbsp;Especially if you do all your work on a computer - it is both easier more important than ever.<figure><img src="https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F21d4a053-4aee-4a46-bcac-b846a64595cd_1470x980.jpeg" width="626" height="417" alt=""><figcaption class="image-caption" dir="ltr">photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@wesleyphotography" rel="" dir="ltr">@wesleyphotography</a></figcaption></figure><OL><LI>Collected Baggage Grows Heavier</LI></OL>What you don't do is more important than what you do.&nbsp;It may come as a surprise to you, but if you work in an “idea economy”, many activities that people do at work end up being a complete waste of time. Even when they come with the best intentions and hard work. In a more general case, this is defined by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law" rel="" dir="ltr">Parkinson’s Law</a>.<BLOCKQUOTE>Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion— C. Northcote Parkinson</BLOCKQUOTE>This happens not because people procrastinate or waste their time intentionally. It happens because some activities ate started based on what seemed like a good idea at the time, but are never being checked upon and keep going purely because of the initial momentum.&nbsp;Quite often, some activities are continuing because of the Sunk Costs Fallacy. Or simply just because it is someone “job security”, and if this activity would stop making sense on paper, there is a chance they would be made redundant.&nbsp;And while bigger companies can accommodate many wasteful overheads — it might be a matter of life and death for a startup.&nbsp;What's even worse is that some things are not just a waste, but also slow down everything else. They take away attention and resources from other, more important activities.This problem tends to accumulate and grow bigger over time. If the organization has resources and capacity, in most cases it would just hire more people, instead of getting rid of things that became irrelevant.That is why it is extremely important to conduct a periodic Irrelevance Audit.“Do we really need that another expensive website redesign that’s taking 3 months and not going anywhere?”“Why do we have this extra weekly meeting that never brings any results?”“What is the purpose of this internal process that takes the time of three people?”Getting rid of things inside an organization doesn’t mean that some people have to lose their job. There is always more impactful work to do, and it is up to the leadership to identify that and make sure people always do meaningful work.Which of these two have you’ve had to struggle with the most? Share in the comments!<h3 dir="ltr">Subscribe to Mental Models</h3>By Vlad Bondarenko&nbsp;&nbsp;·&nbsp;&nbsp;Launched a year agoGet 2-3 FREE &amp; useful mental models or thinking hacks with practical examples, every month. Plus, tons of bonus content like startup idea reports, Q&amp;A's etc)<div><button tabindex="0" type="submit">Subscribe</button></div>

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Here are two important thoughts for organizing a team and managing a project.

<ol><li>Time Corrupts Memory </li> </ol>

Human memory is not perfect and fades away with time. We don't always remember things quite the way they went down.

In fact, our memory works more like <a href="https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2012/09/your-memory-is-like-the-telephone-game#:~:text=Every%20time%20you%20remember%20an,you%20remembered%20the%20previous%20time.">the Telephone Game </a>.

You will best remember very emotional experiences. You are likely to remember the important ideas that you've come up with and thought through yourself, but you will not remember all the details.

You’re very likely to forget things that are brought to you by other people.

In the case of a group event, different people will remember things differently, and will also distort them in different ways, depending on <a href="https://models.substack.com/p/nothing-is-what-it-seems-">their personal Reality Tunnel </a>.

Time moves in one direction, memory in another.

This is one of the biggest reasons why people have invented contracts. Contracts help us recall the exact word-for-word details of the agreement. Good contracts also help people resolve conflicts in a non-damaging way, in case some of them forget what they agreed to.

You typically wouldn't prepare a contract every time your team have an important conversation, which leads to an important decision. In fact, in many organizations, most decisions are never documented, nor they are properly communicated.

With time people tend to forget details of any important decision. In addition to people forgetting, there is also the problem of people leaving and joining the organization. This dissolves the “internalized knowledge” of the organization even more, and leads to “forgetting” important information or the reason for why certain things need to be done in a particular way.

The solution is both simple and hard — Document Everything .

Writing things down and making sure all involved people read them is one of the most impactful activities that can define the success of an organization.

Especially if you do all your work on a computer - it is both easier more important than ever.

<ol><li>Collected Baggage Grows Heavier </li> </ol>

What you don't do is more important than what you do.

It may come as a surprise to you, but if you work in an “idea economy”, many activities that people do at work end up being a complete waste of time.

Even when they come with the best intentions and hard work.

In a more general case, this is defined by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law">Parkinson’s Law </a>.

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion

This happens not because people procrastinate or waste their time intentionally. It happens because some activities ate started based on what seemed like a good idea at the time, but are never being checked upon and keep going purely because of the initial momentum.

Quite often, some activities are continuing because of the Sunk Costs Fallacy. Or simply just because it is someone “job security”, and if this activity would stop making sense on paper, there is a chance they would be made redundant.

And while bigger companies can accommodate many wasteful overheads — it might be a matter of life and death for a startup.

What's even worse is that some things are not just a waste, but also slow down everything else. They take away attention and resources from other, more important activities.

This problem tends to accumulate and grow bigger over time. If the organization has resources and capacity, in most cases it would just hire more people, instead of getting rid of things that became irrelevant.

That is why it is extremely important to conduct a periodic Irrelevance Audit .

“Do we really need that another expensive website redesign that’s taking 3 months and not going anywhere?”

“Why do we have this extra weekly meeting that never brings any results?”

“What is the purpose of this internal process that takes the time of three people?”

Getting rid of things inside an organization doesn’t mean that some people have to lose their job.

There is always more impactful work to do, and it is up to the leadership to identify that and make sure people always do meaningful work.

Which of these two have you’ve had to struggle with the most?

By Vlad Bondarenko  ·  Launched a year ago

Get 2-3 FREE & useful mental models or thinking hacks with practical examples, every month. Plus, tons of bonus content like startup idea reports, Q&A's etc)

What They Don’t Teach You in Business School

Time Corrupts Memory

Collected Baggage Grows Heavier

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