Bridgerton, shown on Netflix, has become a global success.Here’s a deep dive into what made it such a success and what lessons every creator needs to remember today. Bridgerton is a great example of a successful series with lessons that every creator can learn from.

That Netflix Show Set In The 1800s

Throughout the series, we don't see any substantial racism or discrimination.The show is for a modern audience, and everything on this show is filtered through a modern lens.

Bridgerton Didn’t Try to Be Historically Accurate

In the world of content creation, the content tilt refers to what makes you so different that your audience notices you and rewards you with its attentionThe creators of Bridgerton wanted to make something refreshing and unique, and that’s exactly what they did.

Finding Your Own Content Tilt

<ul><li>It is refreshing to have Indian culture represented so well in a British period piece.</li><li>Kate’s love for chai over regular English tea, Kate and Edwina oiling their hair as most Indian people do, the subtle use of Indian languages, and the stunning Indian-style jewellery.</li><li>To top it all off, we saw this beautiful pre-wedding tradition of a Haldi ceremony, with a Bollywood classic soundtrack playing.</li></ul>

The Indian Culture: Exotic Ideas Shown On The Show

<ol><li>Embrace “weird” ideas and work on bettering them, because chances are, they could actually be brilliant. Things don’t have to make perfect sense for your content to be amazing and resonate with people.</li><li> Adapt your work for different audiences and deliver what your community wants to see. Such levels of diversity and inclusion in a period piece may not be accurate, but escapism and representation were what people needed.</li><li>You’re going to make mistakes while finding your content tilt and that’s okay.</li></ol>

Three Lessons From Bridgeton For Creators

When I first watched Season One of Bridgerton, I was amused and perplexed. Amused because of the witty banter and the enchanting Pride and Prejudice vibes the series gave off. After watching Season…

movies

Movies & Shows

creativity

Creativity

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

3 Important Lessons Every Creator Can Take From Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’

Imagination frees us from the confines of our immediate reality. Imagining the future enables us to evaluate alternative paths forward, anticipate how we would feel if they happened, and choose which to pursue. For instance, by simulating a potential event via mental imagery, we can “test out” in the mind potential emotional consequences.

Imagining possible futures

Counterfactual thinking (alternative versions of one’s personal past) refers to the comparison of reality to hypothetical alternatives (“what if I had made different choices”). People create counterfactual alternatives to reality when they imagine how things would have turned out differently. Imagined alternatives may trigger guilt, remorse, and shame. However, thoughts about how things could have turned out differently provide a roadmap for change.

Counterfactual thinking

Imagining events from a distance encourages abstract thinking that boosts creativity. After several years of experience, people start to repeat themselves; it becomes more of the same old approach. They become insiders. One of the most effective ways of cultivating an outsider perspective is to feel distant from the problems. For example, traveling, getting away from the places we spend most of our time. The distance allows one to view problems in a more imaginative way. Suddenly, the mind is aware of those considerations that were previously ignored, and those facts that should be ignored.

Distancing from the problem

Any situation that affects our ability to visualize events and situations may affect our judgments. Visual images are more emotionally salient than words. We recall emotionally charged events far more than mundane ones. However, this emotional partiality impairs our ability to see the big picture. For example, lawyers have known for a long time that the vividness of the testimony offered by a witness can influence the judgments made by a jury.

The vividness effects

Imagination is central to understanding and interpreting figurative language. Metaphors are figures of speech to convey a truth about the real world. They are transferred from another context to give us new ways to think. We can imaginatively see a particular perspective on the focus of the metaphor. For example, the phrase, No man is an island, implies that no one is truly self-sufficient.

Metaphor

Delusions and ordinary cases of self-deception have been characterized as disorders of imagination. Delusions can be characterized as beliefs that are dysfunctional in their content or formation. That is, a delusion is an imagined interpretation that is mistaken by the subject as a belief.

The dark side of imagination

Imagination is deeply connected with reality. What we imagine can affect what we believe and vice versa. The richer the personal experience is, the richer the ingredients for imagining. That is, imagination is nourished by various resources on which the person can draw. Through books, art, discussions with others, and education, we can build our knowledge of events and places that we have never experienced.

How to improve your imagination

A good imagination enables us to transcend present circumstances.

philosophy

Philosophy

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

problemsolving

Problem Solving

5 Benefits of Imaginative Thinking

Unfortunately, the power of the idea itself isn't enough. Even combining the idea and working insane hours to make it a reality isn't enough. The biggest problem with the creative mind is that oftentimes, it's too off the scale.The creative mind tends to flock and surround itself with others who can see the vision (or at least can imagine it well enough). While this reinforces the power of the idea and can even make the quality of the idea better through collaboration and brainstorming, it has the unintended effect of isolating people who "don't get it" as either dumb or lacking vision.

Powerful ideas aren't enough to build a business

The reality is that most of the people who get written off as not understanding the big picture would probably be supporters of the idea . The problem isn't the people, the problem is in the way that the creative vision is communicated.Most of the time, because the creative person gets so wrapped up in their own world, they forget how to translate what they see into a version that the average person can understand. Because the vision never gets translated into a way that the average person can understand, it never gets momentum.

Don't write people off as being 'unable' to understand your vision

More often, they're a couple of small changes, communicated extremely well, and showcased in a way that the highest number of people can understand without having to think too hard. So the next time your brilliant idea -- whether it be a pitch for a company, a new product, or a movement -- isn't getting traction, don't think that it's because everyone else doesn't "get it." Focus on how you can communicate and show the idea visually to people in a better way.

True creative genius is in how the idea is communicated, not the idea itself

The power of the idea is a start, but it's not enough.

entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

startup

Startups

The Creativity Myth of Entrepreneurship and What Really Matters to Grow

<a href="https://geni.us/live-by-free-audiobook">Algorithms to Live By</a> offers shortcuts and hacks to help streamline your life. Algorithms are inserted into computers and other forms of technology to solve problems. However, there is no reason that we cannot use algorithms in our everyday lives. Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths describe how algorithms have been used for centuries. Plus, how we use specific algorithms daily. However, some algorithms are more efficient than others. This book provides an outline of the algorithms that can help make your life easier and more enjoyable.

The Computer Science of Human Decisions

Unless we’re willing to spend eons striving for perfection every time we encounter a hitch, hard problems demand that instead of spinning our tires we imagine easier versions and tackle those first. When applied correctly, this is not just wishful thinking, not fantasy or idle daydreaming. It’s one of our best ways of making progress.

Some of the biggest challenges faced by computers and human minds alike: how to manage finite space, finite time, limited attention, unknown unknowns, incomplete information, and an unforeseeable future; how to do so with grace and confidence; and how to do so in a community with others who are all simultaneously trying to do the same.

Most people associate algorithms with computers and other forms of technology. However, the word actually dates back to the ninth century. The Persian mathematician, Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi, is the first person to use the word ‘algorithm.’ However, the use of concepts like algorithms dates back to the Sumerians. The Sumerians were a civilization that existed four thousand years ago. This civilization used a finite number of steps to solve problems. We use a finite number of steps to complete multiple tasks each day. Importantly, this is also the technique at the heart of algorithms.

Algorithms Do Not Just Apply to Computers

As long as a set of finite steps are followed, then anything can be an algorithm. For example, a recipe is a type of algorithm. It involves a series of instructions to obtain the desired result. Writing up a list of pros and cons for doing something is an Intuitive Algorithm. We might consider these algorithms as more subjective than computer algorithms. Still, these algorithms use the same process and reach the same solution. In both instances, when certain conditions are met, the next step is made in the process.

As well as telling us how to conduct a task step-by-step, algorithms can tell us when to stop doing a task. As humans, we struggle to know when to stop searching for something. Additionally, we have cognitive biases that impact our choices when searching.

Algorithms Can Tell Us When to Stop

The authors of this book suggest that the Optimal Stopping Algorithm is the solution to this. If there are 100 options, this algorithm will state that you should look at the first 37 without taking any of them. Use these first 37 as a standard. Subsequently, whichever item meets these standards should be taken. This algorithm will not guarantee the best result. However, it will mean you have a much higher chance of acquiring an item significantly better than just guessing. It does not matter what you are searching for: 37% of the total is where you draw your standard.

As well as advising us on when we should stop searching, algorithms can also tell us when to explore something new. In the book, the authors give the example of a slot machine. Some people will just sit at the machine until they win. However, there is always a thought in people’s minds whether they should simply walk away despite losing lots of money. Based on the alternative name for slot machines, this dilemma is called the Multi-Armed Bandit Problem.

Algorithms Can Tell Us When to Start

One strategy often used by gamblers is to stay if they are winning and shift if they are losing. However, this isn’t a logical way of choosing when to explore something new. Alternatively, a better method is to use the Upper Confidence Bound Algorithm.

Here are the steps to this algorithm, applied to gambling machines:<ol><li>Find a machine that offers the best expected value. In this case, it is the machine with the biggest jackpot as you are unaware of probabilities.</li><li>While playing, make sure that you keep track of the real outcome (how much money you’re winning). The real outcome should be compared with how much you were expecting to win by this point.</li><li>If the real outcome is consistently lower than your expected outcome, you should move on to another machine. This machine should be the one with the second-biggest jackpot.</li><li>Repeat the process.</li></ol>

The authors of this book explain that organized chaos can be fine. As long as you know where everything is, you will be productive. However, if your filing system is not efficiently organized, there are algorithms to improve your organization.

Algorithms Can Help Us Organize Our Work

The authors describe three algorithms, specifically:<ol><li>Bubble Sort</li></ol>﻿This algorithm is the least efficient. With this method, you organize one pair at a time. Then, you repeat this process over and over until everything is sorted. The authors give an example of the bubble sorting algorithm for alphabetizing books. With a disorganized shelf, you would start with the letter A. You would compare the first two books and sort these two alphabetically. Then, you compare the item that is now the second book with the third book. This process is repeated until you have reached the end of the collection.

The insertion sort method is far more efficient if you have to sort a substantial amount of items. If you consider the book analogy again, the insertion sort method would involve taking all the books off the shelf. Then, placing them back one-by-one, ensuring that the books are placed in the correct order each time you place a book.

2. Insertion Sort

Finally, the merge sort method involves dividing everything into multiple piles. Each pile should be sorted from A to Z. Then, these piles should be merged.

3. Merge Sort

Thrashing is a very recognizable human state. If you’ve ever had a moment where you wanted to stop doing everything just to have the chance to write down everything you were supposed to be doing, but couldn’t spare the time, you’ve thrashed.

Scheduling our lives can be highly complex and is often a daily challenge. As well as work demands, multiple other life demands make fitting everything difficult. However, some algorithms can help improve how you schedule your life. <ul><li>The Earliest Due Date Algorithm – A straightforward algorithm. The 1st task you complete is the one with the nearest deadline.</li><li>Moore’s Algorithm – It recommends skipping the task that requires the most time. Instead, you should work toward finishing more tasks overall. This algorithm is more effective when you do not have enough time to complete every task.</li></ul>

Algorithms Can Help Us Schedule Our Lives

The authors advise you avoid priority inversion at all costs. Priority Inversion is when you focus on too many small tasks, and none of them end up getting done. You should be aiming to solely focus on one task at a time rather than multitasking.

If you want to be a good intuitive Bayesian—if you want to naturally make good predictions, without having to think about what kind of prediction rule is appropriate—you need to protect your priors. Counterintuitively, that might mean turning off the news.

Predicting probable outcomes is viable when using the correct algorithms. Predicting probable outcomes based on algorithms dates back to 18th century England. Reverend Thomas Bayes developed a simple way of predicting future outcomes. The authors of this book apply Bayes’ theorem to lottery scratch tickets. It recommends people who buy scratch tickets consider the prevalence of winning tickets in circulation. With this as an assumption, it is possible to calculate the probability of your tickets’ specific results.

Algorithms Can Help You Predict the Future

As with many things, the more information you have, the more precise you will be. One method that utilizes vast amounts of information to predict future outcomes is the phenomenon’s distribution pattern. Other names for this distribution are the normal distribution or bell curve. If something is normally distributed, you can assume it will be characterized by features in the middle rather than extremes when you encounter it.

Data overload is often considered in relation to a classic thought experiment. In this thought experiment, two generals are preparing to launch a joint attack on a city. This city is located in a fortified valley. These generals are on the two hills either side of the valley. So, the only way they can simultaneously attack is by agreeing on an exact time. On top of this, they can only communicate by sending individuals through the valley where their enemies lie. This thought experiment was used by computer scientists as a way of determining algorithms for safe message transmission.

Algorithms Prevent Data Overload

This was the first method created. This solution involved sending multiple messengers with the hope that one would slip through undetected. However, sending too many messengers can lead to an overload. With regard to computers, this would be a server overload.

Method I – Retransmitted Till Breakdown

If a server overload is created, then exponential back-off is a method that should work. Instead of frantically hitting refresh, you could wait a few minutes for the traffic to ease. The exponential part relates to how long you wait between refreshes. The authors suggest waiting twice as long each time you are given an error message when refreshing.

Method II – Exponential Backoff

This one hopes to prevent the overload from happening. It determines the max. amount of data a network can handle. It starts by only sending one package of data. Then, if this is fine, it sends double the amount. It continues this process until it reaches the point of overload. This can be applied to your everyday life. Too much info. can lead to your brain overloading. ∴ you should start by introducing small amounts of information and test how far you can go before your brain is overloaded. Once you know the limit, you'll have a better understanding of when you should stop working on a task.

Method III – Additive Increase, Multiplicative Decrease

Even the best strategy sometimes yields bad results—which is why computer scientists take care to distinguish between “process” and “outcome.” If you followed the best possible process, then you’ve done all you can, and you shouldn’t blame yourself if things didn’t go your way.

Complicated scenarios often require complex algorithms to fully understand what is happening. However, algorithms are limited in the complexity with which they can be applied. The issue is that, when predicting something complex, you will be tempted to add variables until the algorithm can fully explain your data. This includes explaining the errors in the data. However, doing this is problematic as it leads to something called over-fitting. You have made the model highly complicated and specific to the data you are using. Hence, it cannot be applied flexibly to other data.

Algorithms Do Have Their Limits

The greater the uncertainty, the bigger the gap between what you can measure and what matters, the more you should watch out for overfitting – that is, the more you should prefer simplicity.

Algorithms let us go for ‘good enough’ rather than always striving for perfection. If we consistently use algorithms in our lives, we will benefit greatly and can start to relax more. Our brains are built like computers. Therefore, like computers, we should start complementing them with algorithms.

Concluding Points

Compelling and entertaining, Algorithms to Live By is packed with practical advice about how to use time, space, and effort more efficiently. And it's a fascinating exploration of the workings of computer science and the human mind

A fascinating exploration of how insights from computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind All our lives are constrained by limited space and time, limits that give rise to a particular set of problems. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of new activities and familiar favorites is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they are not: computers, too, face the same constraints, so computer scientists have been grappling with their version of such issues for decades. And the solutions they've found have much to teach us. In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, acclaimed author Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths show how the algorithms used by computers can also untangle very human questions. They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to understanding the workings of memory, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.

computerscience

Computer Science

An exploration of how computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of the new and familiar is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they are not. Computers, like us, confront limited space and time, so computer scientists have been grappling with similar problems for decades. And the solutions they’ve found have much to teach us. In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths show how algorithms developed for computers also untangle very human questions. They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one’s inbox to peering into the future, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.

Brian Christian is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Brian Christian has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Brian Christian's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Brian Christian

Tom Griffiths is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Tom Griffiths has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Tom Griffiths's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Tom Griffiths

Algorithms to Live By

Games have existed probably for more than 3000 years, the first we can recollect being the invention of rolling the dice in Persia. However, gamification is a different term, which is defined by including the game experience in elements that are naturally not necessarily all fun and games.

What is gamification? 

In order for a game to be fun, it has to respect four principles:<ul><li>it is tied to a goal: every goal has an outcome in mind, a definition of win or lose or of finding something</li><li>it has rules: every game has constraints that its players has to know and respect in order for the game to exist</li><li>feedback: there is constant feedback on how you are progressing in the game</li><li>voluntary participation: what makes it fun is that it is not mandatory to play it, and people can choose not to enter it or start it whenever they want</li></ul>

Basic principles of game fun

The easiest way to boost endorphin release with gamification is create situations where your users will feel they have achieved something. Rather than giving rewards for clicking buttons, you need to create challenges that actually require skill and effort to complete. If they feel they have worked hard, they will get that feeling of fiero and with luck a hit of endorphins.

<ol><li>Manage the mission: whenever using gamification, it is crucial to have a mission tied to it (e.g. we want our gamification to result in 80% of people coming to our platform 1 week after onboarding) </li><li>Monitor motivation: at each step, understand what motivates the user and if your game mechanics are applied correctly</li><li>Measure the metric: at each step, measure where you are compared to the original mission</li></ol>

The 3Ms of Gamification

There are different types of players in a game with different motivation: <ul><li>The Achiever - the objective is to collect accomplishments among the way and showcase status (10% of people)</li><li>The Explorer - he/she wants to discover and learn new things (10% of people). Likes to gradually discover new areas and skills</li><li>The Socializer - wants to collaborate with others, the objective is to achieve things but not on their own, rather in teams (70-80% of people)</li><li>The Killer - want to see other people lose and he/she winning compared to them (1% of people)</li></ul>

Player-Centered Design

Gamification can boost engagement in a product if tied to the right motivation

What You’ll Learn: The power of gamification and how it can increase user engagement and fulfilment . Why and how gamification is not the same as game design. H...

business

Business

product

Product & Design

Gamification - How to Create Engaging User Experiences

One reader asked Tim Ferris how he incorporates the different facets into his life:<ul><li>being creative, </li><li>getting stuff done, and </li><li>finding time for self-reflection and contemplation,</li></ul> considering that we all only have 24 hours in a day, and each endeavour can take your full attention. Tim answers that you will never find balance. You have to create balance. You have to schedule it in your calendar in advance to cover these bases in your daily, weekly, or monthly life.

Finding balance in your life

You have to put what you want to do on the calendar. If you don't, it's not real and you are not going to find balance. You have to fight every lesser tendency by putting it into the calendar. This is the only way to integrate various parts into your life. If they are not in your calendar, it's not going to work. You will neglect important areas and pay the consequences in the long run.

Integrate various parts into your life

The cost of daily switching between activities is extremely high and may not work very well. <ul><li>Instead, block out a day where you batch the productive things such as recording videos or phone calls with your team. Then try and cover the artistic and self-reflection on other days.</li><li>On a quarterly basis, you can also block off a week for creative endeavours.  </li><li>Prebook a time off where you get to unplug.</li></ul> Whichever way you do it, stay consistent.

Block time off in your calendar

How to balance being creative, getting stuff done, and finding time for self-reflection and contemplation. | Sign up for Tim's free "5-Bullet Friday" newsletter: https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/ SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

productivity

Productivity

videos

Videos

How to balance being creative, getting stuff done, and finding time for self-reflection and contemplation. | Sign up for Tim's free "5-Bullet Friday" newsletter: https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/

SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW
 
About Tim Ferriss:
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running.

Connect with Tim Ferriss:
Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ 
Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/
Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/
Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/
Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and one of Fortune’s “40 under 40.” He is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. The Observer and other media have called Tim “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, which is the first business/interview podcast to exceed 100 million downloads. It has now exceeded 800 million downloads. 

Listen to The Tim Ferriss Show podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast
Sign up for Tim's "5-Bullet Friday" free email newsletter with 1.5M+ subscribers: https://tim.blog/friday 


Tim Ferriss

How to Live a Full Life: Integrating Productivity + Creativity + Self-Reflection | Tim Ferriss

Suppose you get a candle, some thumbtacks and some matches. Your job is to attach the candle to the wall so the wax doesn't drip onto the table. How would you do it?<ul><li>Some people try to thumbtack the candle to the wall, which doesn't work.</li><li>Some will try to light a match, melt the side of the candle and try to stick it to the wall, which doesn't work.</li><li>However, most people will figure out the solution after five or ten minutes.</li></ul>The key is to overcome what's called functional fixedness.

The candle problem

Building on the candle problem, scientist Sam Glucksberg divided participants into two groups: <ul><li>He asked one group to establish norms and averages for how long it typically takes someone to solve the candle problem.</li><li>In the second group, he offered rewards for finding the solution the quickest.</li></ul> It took the second group, on average, three and a half minutes longer.

The power of incentives

Businesses often use incentives to motivate people. If they want people to perform better, they reward them. But science shows that contingent motivators work only in some circumstances. For many tasks, they not only don't work but cause harm: It narrows focus and restricts possibility. Yet most businesses use extrinsic motivators, a carrots and sticks approach. And it doesn't work.

Extrinsic motivators don't work for creativity

Glucksberg did another similar experiment using the candle experiment, but this time the thumbtacks were left out of the box.  The result is that the incentivised group beat the timing for norms groups.  If-then rewards work well for tasks where there is a simple set of rules and a clear destination to go to. Rewards, by nature, narrow focus and restricts possibility. But they often destroy creativity.

If-Then rewards work for repetitive tasks

White-collar workers are doing more routine, rule-based work and less creative, conceptual work. Certain types of accounting, financial analysis or computer programming have become easier to outsource or automate. Too many organisation are making their policies about talent and people based on outdated assumptions. If we want high performance, the answer is not in incentives. We need a different approach.

Routine-based work can be automated

Intrinsic motivation is the desire to do things because they matter, are interesting, or part of something important. The new operating system consists of three elements:<ul><li>Autonomy: the urge to direct our own lives.</li><li>Mastery: The desire to get better and better at something that matters.</li><li>Purpose: The longing to do what we do as part of something larger than ourselves.</li></ul>

Intrinsic motivation

The traditional idea of management is compliance. But if you want employees to engage, self-direction will work better. It means paying people adequately and fairly, then giving them autonomy. For example, Atlassian, a software company in Australia, allow its engineers a few times per year to work on anything they want for 24 hours. The engineers then present the stuff they've developed to their teammates the following day. This worked so well that the company has taken it to the next level with 20% time.

How to motivate people

In a ROWE, people don't have schedules. They show up when they want and don't have to be in the office. They just have to get their work done.  This results in increased productivity, worker engagement and worker satisfaction, while turnover goes down.

Results Only Work Environment (ROWE)

Needing to feel motivated? Enjoy these inspirational Ted talks that will change your perspective and make your day better.

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

communication

Communication

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

7 Days of Inspiration 

Many organisations are trying to improve performance using outdated assumptions. If we want high performance, the solution is not rearranging the wrong strategy. We need a new approach.

Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward. The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. Follow TED on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TEDTalks Like TED on Facebook: http://facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: http://youtube.com/TED TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. 

Follow TED on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TEDTalks
Like TED on Facebook: http://facebook.com/TED
Subscribe to our channel: http://youtube.com/TED

TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com

The puzzle of motivation | Dan Pink

Creative self-efficacy is the internal belief that you have the ability to complete creative tasks effectively. If you can learn to leave behind the fixed mindset of “I am not a creative person”, you will be able to make more room for personal growth, exploration, and innovation.Creative self-efficacy is the belief one has the ability to produce creative outcomes. The greater the belief in your own creativity, the more successful you will be in pursuing your creative goals.

Creative self-efficacy 

<ul><li>Develop a creative network. By building a strong professional network of people who are driven to produce excellent creative work, you can start imitating part of their creative self-efficacy to increase your own. </li><li>Get creative support. Identify people whose creative efforts are often successful, and ask whether you can work under their guidance. </li><li>Cultivate creative autonomy. The professional freedom to expand on your basic duties and responsibilities can increase your creative self-efficacy. As a bonus, perceived autonomy also has a positive impact on our mood. </li></ul>

How to cultivate creative self-efficacy

Creative self-efficacy is the internal belief that you have the ability to complete creative tasks effectively. If you can learn to leave behind the fixed mindset of “I am not a creative person”, you will be able to make more room for personal growth, exploration, and innovation.

career

Career

How to increase your creativity by cultivating creative self-efficacy

You don’t talk about these ideas, because you’ve never put them into words. They’re just gut feelings.
Turning gut feelings into tools means understanding their origin, limits, and how they interact with other ideas. Which requires turning them into words.

We're full of ideas we’re not aware of

And it does that in ways thinking on its own will never accomplish.It’s difficult to focus on a topic in our heads for more than a few seconds without getting distracted by another thought, and distractions erase whatever we attempted to think about. But words on paper stick. They aren’t washed away by the agitator in our heads.

Writing crystallizes ideas

Sometimes writing is encouraging. You realize you understand a topic better than you thought. The process flushes out all kinds of other ideas you never knew you had hiding upstairs. Now you can apply those insights elsewhere.Other times it’s painful. Forcing the logic of your thoughts into words can uncover the flaws and biases of your ideas. Seeing the words on paper looks ridiculous. Things the mind tends to gloss over the pen tends to highlight.

Putting ideas on paper

Some of the things I think I think, I find don’t make any sense when I start trying to write them down. You ought to be able to explain why you’re taking the job you’re taking, why you’re making the investment you’re making, or whatever it may be. And if it can’t stand applying pencil to paper, you’d better think it through some more.

Writers don’t know exactly what they’ll write about until they start writing, because the process crystallizes the fuzzy ideas we all have floating around. This is probably why writing is intimidating for some people. They don’t think they can write because, in their head, they don’t know what they’d write about. But hardly anyone does.

Where do your ideas come from?

Everyone should write. You know why? Because everyone is full of ideas they’re not aware of. You don’t talk about these ideas, even in your own head, because you’ve never put them into words. They’re gut feelings. Intuitions. You use them a dozen times a day. But you’d shrug your shoulders if someone asked why. How you react to career risk. Why you invest the way you do. Why you like some people and question others. We’re all brimming with opinions on these topics that we may never discuss, even with ourselves. Like phantom intelligence. Intuition is strong enough to put these ideas into practice. But intuition isn’t a tool; it’s a safety net at best, and is more often the fuel of biased decisions. Turning gut feelings into tools means understanding their origin, limits, and how they interact with other ideas. Which requires turning them into words. And writing is the best way to do that. Writing crystallizes ideas in ways thinking on its own will never accomplish. The reason is simple: It’s hard to focus on a topic in your head for more than a few seconds without getting distracted by another thought, and distractions erase whatever you attempted to think about. But words on paper stick. They aren’t washed away by the agitator in your head who won’t shut up about the tone of an email someone just sent you. You might be able to hold focus just briefly in your head, but a sentence on paper has all the patience in the world, waiting for you to return whenever you’re ready. It’s hard to overemphasize how important this is. Putting ideas on paper is the best way to organize them in one place, and getting everything in one place is essential to understanding ideas as more than the gut reactions they often hide as. Take four questions: What is your edge over competitors? How do you react to unforeseen risk? What have you changed your mind about recently? What part of your job are you not good at? These are vital questions that most of us, if asked on the spot, couldn’t answer well. Not because we haven’t thought about them; we certainly have. But the thoughts are probably vague, unsubstantiated, or pure emotions. Many people’s response to the first question would be an uncomfortable pause, a ponder, and a lump in the throat. Which says a lot, just not in words. It’s not until you put thoughts on paper that everything from ignorance to denial to unfulfilled potential is viewed in the raw, ready to be analyzed. Sometimes writing is encouraging. You realize you understand a topic better than you thought. The process flushes out all kinds of other ideas you never knew you had hiding upstairs. Now you can apply those insights elsewhere. Other times it’s painful. Forcing the logic of your thoughts into words can uncover the madness of your ideas. The holes. The flaws. The biases. Thinking “I want this job because it pays a lot of money” is bearable. Seeing the words on paper looks ridiculous. Things the mind tends to gloss over the pen tends to highlight. Warren Buffett once said: Some of the things I think I think, I find don’t make any sense when I start trying to write them down. You ought to be able to explain why you’re taking the job you’re taking, why you’re making the investment you’re making, or whatever it may be. And if it can’t stand applying pencil to paper, you’d better think it through some more. A common question people ask professional writers is, “Where do you get your ideas?” A common answer is, “From writing.” Writers don’t know exactly what they’ll write about until they start writing, because the process crystallizes the fuzzy ideas we all have floating around. This chicken-and-egg problem is probably why writing is intimidating for some people. They don’t think they can write because – in their head, as this moment – they don’t know what they’d write about. But hardly anyone does. So, write. A journal. A business manifesto. An investment plan. You don’t have to publish it. It’s the process that matters. You’ll uncover so much you never knew.

writing

Reading & Writing

Why Everyone Should Write

Before being shared on the MIT website, Asimov’s essay On Creativity had been gathering dust for nearly 50 years in a filing cabinet at the Allied Research Associates, a thinktank tasked with generating ‘outside the box’ ideas for a missile defence system. Asimov had been hired by the agency but soon thought better of it; he felt that knowledge of government secrets would compromise his freedom of expression. In the hope of leaving something useful behind, Asimov decided to address the question ‘How do people get new ideas?’

Asimov “On Creativity”

Succinct, astute and occasionally anachronistic – happily it’s no longer true to say that “the world in general disapproves of creativity, and to be creative in public is particularly bad” – the essay is packed with insights about the creative process and is particularly good on what Asimov calls “cerebration sessions”, or brainstorms as we call them today.

“Cerebration Sessions”

Is any creative tool more widely maligned or justly ridiculed than the brainstorm? Probably not.Yet even though brainstorms are often poorly conceived and, as Asimov observes, individuals are capable of extraordinary creative breakthroughs on their own, there is often merit in coming together for “cerebration sessions”, if only to share “theories and vagrant thoughts”.

For The Sharing Of “Theories And Vagrant Thoughts”

So what are the right conditions to induce collective creativity? How do you get right what others have got so wrong? And is there such a thing as the perfect brainstorm?Here are some simple principles:<ol><li>Get the personnel right</li><li>Mood matters</li><li>Don’t begin with the brainstorm</li><li>Don’t let the loudmouth win</li><li>Have a leader</li><li>Without quantity there’ll be no quality</li><li>It’s the most uncomfortable ideas that are often the most valuable</li></ol>

The Brainstorm “How-To”

The make-up of who you choose to invite is important. The more diverse, the better. Choose a mix of characters, backgrounds, expertise and experience. Asimov encourages the recruitment of “eccentrics” who are “willing to fly in the face of reason, authority, and common sense” – though you probably don’t want too many of these in the room at the same time.

Brainstorm Principle #1: The Right Personnel Mix

When it comes to numbers, five people should be the upper limit. Any more and the opportunity for genuine interaction and exchange disappears. If lots of people need to be involved, or want the opportunity to solve the brief, then stage more sessions. Don’t be tempted to invite them all in one go.

Brainstorm Principle #2: The Right Personnel Number

Brainstorming has something of a bad name these days. But with a little bit of help from a classic essay by Isaac Asimov, Richard Holman offers some advice on how it can be done well. 

Brainstorming has something of a bad name these days. But with a little bit of help from Isaac Asimov, here’s some advice on how it can be done well

How To Conduct The Perfect Brainstorm

Find 100+ Facts about Creativity - Curated by others from trusted sources like Books, Podcasts & Articles - Genuine Insights from like-minded Users like You!