In this day and age, it's so easy for us to keep occupied (or distracted).
Waiting is almost synonymous with checking your emails, Facebook or playing a game. With the advent of smartphones, we're now almost always connected to the world - plugged in.
I've noticed this for myself. Whenever I'm sitting down for a meal on my own I turn on YouTube or when I'm waiting for something I grab my phone. When I'm in the car I've got the radio on. There's always something occupying my attention.
It's not a surprise then that a lot of my best ideas come when I'm having a shower. I'm not occupied, it's an automated action now and my brain is free to create.
There's a lot of brain time that could be put to better use.
People say to me, "there's no way I could drive the two hours you do everyday in Auckland traffic". It's not a problem for me. I turn the radio off, sit in traffic and I get two hours a day of thinking time. I actually think it's a great use of my time!
I've taken on catching myself when I feel the urge to distract myself. It's actually amazing how attached I am to having the radio on. My brain must be a scary place.
So when I catch myself, I ask the question, "is this how I want to use my attention?"
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Monday, 18 February 2013
The honeymoon is over...
At least it is for me. I just had mine just over a week ago and man it was fantastic. If you haven't spent much time up in Northland, make sure you do it!
There's a honeymoon period for ideas/concepts as well (how's that for a segue?).
Halo is a great example. I bought it when it first came out and I read all the books that went with it too. I've watched the fan videos, I've watched the short films. What a massively successful franchise however its honeymoon period is over.
When it first came out, it was the bees knees. I bought my first Xbox so I could play that game. It was the rage in FPS. Amazing graphics, groundbreaking AI, cinematic storytelling. It had it all.
These days, it's just another game except to the die hard fans. The anticipation has disappeared and it's not surprising considering the series has spanned almost 12 years.
The problem that the Halo series faces is that it's now built on old gameplay and old ideas. Stay the same and it doesn't compete with the likes of Call of Duty... or make innovations incrementally and lose your loyal fanbase.
The only choice is to change altogether or make a big leap in innovation. You'll get a far better return on your efforts. Bond is a great example, just compare the new Daniel Craig to the old Bonds decades past.
And an example in the other direction is the Die Hard series. I've heard the new movie is rubbish (which actually brought about this blog post). The reviews agree. Old formula, decades old. Fond memories but it's time to leave them at that.
There's a honeymoon period for ideas/concepts as well (how's that for a segue?).
Halo is a great example. I bought it when it first came out and I read all the books that went with it too. I've watched the fan videos, I've watched the short films. What a massively successful franchise however its honeymoon period is over.
When it first came out, it was the bees knees. I bought my first Xbox so I could play that game. It was the rage in FPS. Amazing graphics, groundbreaking AI, cinematic storytelling. It had it all.
These days, it's just another game except to the die hard fans. The anticipation has disappeared and it's not surprising considering the series has spanned almost 12 years.
The problem that the Halo series faces is that it's now built on old gameplay and old ideas. Stay the same and it doesn't compete with the likes of Call of Duty... or make innovations incrementally and lose your loyal fanbase.
The only choice is to change altogether or make a big leap in innovation. You'll get a far better return on your efforts. Bond is a great example, just compare the new Daniel Craig to the old Bonds decades past.
And an example in the other direction is the Die Hard series. I've heard the new movie is rubbish (which actually brought about this blog post). The reviews agree. Old formula, decades old. Fond memories but it's time to leave them at that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)