Learn more about personaldevelopment with this collection
How to create a productive environment
The importance of self-care in productivity
How to avoid distractions
The science of (smart) luck
People find comfort in certainty. We form organisations; we structure our activities and strategies around the idea of certainty; we find satisfaction knowing that planning will bring fruition. But the unforeseen makes the greatest difference to our futures.
We look out for the unexpected every day - for example, when we use a pedestrian crossing, we still look out for the unexpected driver who might race through the red light. That awareness of the unexpected is at the core of understanding the science of smart luck that we can use to our benefit.
174
1.07K reads
MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Employ daily serendipity practices
There are simple tools that can further help you exploit serendipity.
- The serendipity hook strategy. Whenever you meet someone new, cast a few hooks: Find out about hobbies, vocation, current interests, creating space for common ground and shared pas...
158
538 reads
Carve out ‘me time’
Serendipity often requires an incubation period. Some efforts result in an immediate spark, while others are like planting seeds that will produce fruit in the future.
Respect your time. Diarise this time like you would a business meeting. Give yourself space to ma...
153
456 reads
Serendipity has three characteristics
- Trigger - the moment when something unusual or unexpected happens.
- Connect the dots - observe the trigger and link it to something seemingly unrelated, thus realising the potential valued within a unique event.
- Sagacity and tenacit...
180
781 reads
Recognise and challenge your biases
Our habits and preconceptions can prevent us from spotting serendipity. Three major biases stand in the way:
- Underestimating the unexpected. Once we start to accept that the unexpected happens all the time (bad and good) can we begin to view it as a ...
152
505 reads
Preparation is needed for luck
Preparation is the main factor for creating smart luck. It is mostly about removing the mental and physical barriers to serendipity. These include overloaded schedules, pointless meetings, and inefficiencies throughout your day.
An unprepared mind often discards unusual en...
161
628 reads
Developing a serendipity mindset
Many of the world's leading minds have developed a capacity to use the unexpected in a positive way.
You can develop a serendipity mindset in yourself. Serendipity is not a passive luck that just happens to you. It is an active process of seeing and connec...
181
800 reads
Declutter your life
- You might discover patterns that stand out from your journaling that is cluttering your life. Consider why it doesn't work well. What was the underlying assumption that you based your decision on? What could you do instead?
- Another part is to clean up the s...
159
461 reads
Get in the habit of journalling
Beginners can set a timer for two minutes, then list in two columns the parts of your day that led to positive outcomes and parts that did not. Examine what parts worked really well, and what was inefficient, stressful or unfulfilling.
You might notice patterns that stand out for good or b...
162
582 reads
How to be lucky
It is vital to be open and alert to the unexpected.
In one experiment, two people were chosen. The one saw themselves as 'lucky,' the other as 'unlucky.' Both participants were taking separate trips to a coffee shop. On the pavement was a £5 note, and inside sat someon...
180
878 reads
CURATED FROM
IDEAS CURATED BY
"Yeah, I'm a thrill seeker, but crikey, education's the most important thing. " ~ Steve Irwin
Related collections
Other curated ideas on this topic:
The Implications of Luck
The game of poker is unpredictable and the luck of the draw lands in our favor, out of the blue.
A successful entrepreneur sticks to his creation, limiting his losses and keeps on working tirelessly for that moment to arrive.
The Superhuman Power Of The Brain
A simple look at our brain, we would see a blob of jiggly meat, however, this blob of jiggly meat is extremely powerful. Through years of evolution, our brains are responsible for conjuring our pasts and predicting our futures, control our bodies, and create our experiences in the past an...
The things out of our control
There are things that we can’t do anything about, and that’s life, a game of luck and skill. The skill( and decision part) you can control, along with how you feel about it.
Things like losing one’s job, or having a family member who is sick, are out of our control, and it is no u...
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Personalized microlearning
—
100+ Learning Journeys
—
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates