deepstash
Beta
Deepstash brings you key ideas from the most inspiring articles like this one:
Read more efficiently
Save what inspires you
Remember anything
9
Key Ideas
Save all ideas
Nobody wants to read anything you write at work. It's not personal though. We just happen to live in a world where there is so much information asking for our attention.
We can take action and make it easy for our colleagues to read our emails, messages, texts, and memos.
126 SAVES
192 READS
Things that are rare and dwindling become more attractive and are perceived as more valuable. The less we write, the more valuable our writing becomes.
Refrain from responding immediately. If another recipient should answer, give the person the right of first response. Ask yourself:
126 SAVES
163 READS
We long for clarity and for other people to say what they mean in as few words as possible.
Making wordy sentences that lose their fluency due to needless complexity in a text negatively affects the receiver of your message. In short: big is bad.
121 SAVES
155 READS
Tell your recipients from the start what you expect.
If they need to read and comment on it before a Tuesday afternoon meeting, instead of "Agenda for Tuesday," use "PLEASE COMMENT: Agenda for Tuesday."
124 SAVES
169 READS
Communication is eighty percent listening and twenty percent talking.
In writing, ask clear, concise questions, so they know they'll be heard.
131 SAVES
156 READS
When you discover problems, don't compose an email with a long explanation, opinion or instruction as this will make co-workers less inclined to take ownership.
Instead, use one or two sentences to describe the situation, then ask a single question and let the team contribute.
148 SAVES
162 READS
Because most of us start rambling with our insecurities - don't try to write a final draft on the first try. Allow yourself a few first drafts, then flip it.
Take the final sentence, the conclusion, and move it to the top. This inversion forces you to lead with the need. Then, you'll find that you can eliminate much of the rest.
134 SAVES
149 READS
Especially for memos, agendas, and group emails, add a TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) summary.
Follow this formula: Who does what by when and how are we going to track progress. Write this person by person if needed. If the TL;DR clearly summarizes everything, send only the TL;DR.
92 SAVES
135 READS
Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and ask, “What’s in it for them?”
When we seek assistance or buy-in, asking for an opinion produces a critic. Asking for advice provides a partner.
Pay attention to your pronouns as well: "You" is selfish. "Them " is selfish. But "we " means working together.
121 SAVES
148 READS
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
13
Key Ideas
"Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever you’re writing.”
... for establishing what and how you will write:
13
Key Ideas
An essay exists at multiple levels:
A good essay works at every one of those levels simultaneously.
Writing begins with these 3 steps:
7
Key Ideas
You don't need to master every detail of every subject to become a world-class thinker.
If you can master the fundamentals of each discipline, then you can develop a remarkably accurate and u...
Mental models are the various thinking frameworks that are used to understand life, make decisions, and solve problems.
Just raw intelligence is not enough to solve problems. A different or a broader set of mental models can provide a different view of the problem, leading to an unconventional, new solution not thought of before.
A mental model is an explanation of how something works. They are beliefs, worldviews or frameworks of thinking. You carry a certain kind of thinking in you to arrive at a solution to a problem.
Some examples: