September 2018 | Embrace mediocrity
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MEDIOCRE ALL OVER THE PLACE
Perfectionism steals creativity, burying our desire to work on things for the sheer pleasure of toiling away at something enjoyable or fascinating. I’ve never been a perfectionist, but I get perilously close sometimes (like a perfectionish … do you see what I did there? I have killer word skills), and every time I do, I hold myself back from learning something new, something that I might enjoy just for me. That’s not a way to live. We have incredible resources now. Many of us live cushy lives that, even when filled with toil, are more comfortable than at any other time in known history. And what should we do when we have that cushion? Let’s take advantage of it.
Here’s a memory: When I was nine, I entered the fourth grade, and in that year, students could join orchestra or band. I wanted to play drums. I thought the drums were so cool, but I was too nervous to try something that I wasn’t sure I’d be good at (what a waste). I don’t think I ever even floated the idea to my parents, that’s how nervous I was to give voice to that desire. I played violin (poorly) instead and only lasted in orchestra a year. Related: I was also too scared to join chorus because I didn’t want people to hear me sing (I can carry a tune, so I’m not sure what I was worried about). When I was in my late 20s, I finally got up the nerve to take voice lessons. Late 20s! What’s up with that? Don’t let fear lead you. Pick up a hobby. Try it. Get okay at something. You don’t have to run marathon to enjoy running two miles on the treadmill in your basement while watching comedy specials. Joy comes in many forms, including doing what you like to do without worrying what other people will think of your output.
I was listening to Marc Maron interview Kristen Bell, and she mentioned that she’d heard something on NPR (so this story is verrrrrry removed from the original; please take it through that filter) about how we as humans evolved to live in relatively small groups, and in a small group, every member shines for some reason. There’s the great baker, the strongest person, the most nurturing person, the best musician – but now we’re exposed to an unfathomably large pool of people out there being the best, and we can’t live up to that. Most of us won’t be the best out of a world of 7.5 billion people. And that sense of mediocrity, of being awesome writer #35,063 out of 16,000,000, can pull us down.
In an earlier newsletter, I wrote about my concern that micro-accomplishments were taking away from my ability to accomplish more focused, larger goals. (I was in a dark place when I wrote that) A blog reader pointed out that his greatest accomplishments were all the result of so-called micro accomplishments. As I reframed my micro-accomplishments, I realized that I’ve amassed some pretty awesome macro accomplishments from all those micro moments. I dug out of that sense of mediocrity. No, I don’t own a bakery, and I’m not making money faster than I can spend it from said bakery, but I am a damn good home baker. People get excited when I bake for them. My 22-year-old self didn’t have that level of accomplishment. I loved to bake then, but I wasn’t consistent, and my technique was elementary. But I kept working at it, simply because I love it.
I’ve never picked up the drums, but I can sing along in the car just fine, and I made a sticky toffee pudding sauce recently that knocked off my guests’ socks. So I’m good with mediocrity. Most days.
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ONBOARD YOUR WAY TO VICTORY
On both my product team and my content team, we’ve been discussing how to introduce new features and product experiences – or even how to intro an entirely product to someone. There are myriad ways to walk users through new features or a product they’ve never used, but it’s also easy to annoy or overwhelm users with too much info, bubbles popping up here and there, overlays hiding the thing people want to start using, flyouts trying to guess who wants to know what and when, videos eating up minutes of people’s time.
Every onboarding experience balances the need to teach people how to use new products and features with people’s desire for plug-n-play simplicity. Here’s what we know:
Keep it short
Make it look appealing
Use interaction to teach
Keep it simple
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ERROR ART
I was trying to go to a content strategy article hosted on InVision’s blog, but all I got was this gorgeous 404 message.
A primary challenge of sharing criticism is that the person you’re so kindly criticizing turns into a clam, shutting down, closing up, slamming shut because it hurts to be criticized, it’s uncomfortable, and it challenges our core understanding of ourselves. We humans don’t like to feel wrong, and it’s really hard to change our minds, but if you really really really want to try, follow these compassionate rules:
“How to compose a successful critical commentary:
You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.
You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement).
You should mention anything you have learned from your target.
Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism.”
If only this came naturally to all of us.
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YOUR BEST CRITICISM
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THAT’S SOME HARDCORE DATA VIZZING
Ever find yourself reading data visualizations and gotten stuck trying to figure out how to read the visualization? I KNOW. ME TOO. Here’s a data-viz dictionary and another one. (I still don’t get how an alluvial diagram works.)