Big Think

“Never pump yourself dry,” Hemingway said. “Leave a little for the next day.” There is always more work to do. Do that work, but never at the expense of your wellness or ability to live life to the fullest. Hemingway protected his health by halting his projects at “an interesting place” every day — he essentially created cliffhangers for himself to maintain his desire to see things through without burning out. Kevin Dickinson explains: https://lnkd.in/gGChkcit

The “feedback sandwich” does not work. Adam Grant teaches a better method. Here's why the feedback sandwich fails: • Anxious people only hear the criticism, and miss the praise. • Confident people will suffer from primacy and recency biases: they accept the compliments and the criticism gets lost. Instead, a golden coaching principle is to clearly segment criticism from praise. Use this phrasing: "I want to tell you a couple of things you're doing well and a couple of things that you could work on improving. Do you have a preference for which we do first?" Then, when it’s time to share criticism, start with these words. They can disarm the ego’s defenses: "I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I'm confident you can reach them." A good coach does not attack. They do not judge. They help someone grow. “It turns out it is surprisingly easy to hear a hard truth from someone who wants to help you succeed.” When it comes to constructive critical feedback, the most important step is not to wait. Be candid, often. That’s what great coaches do. How does Adam Grant know? He’s the product of great coaches who delivered hard truths: https://lnkd.in/dBr7dqDm

Use technology, don’t let it use you. Yuval Noah Harari argues that our relationship with information is a lot like our relationship with food – too much junk and it can be harmful. Nowadays, we are flooded with information and much of it is filled with hatred and fear. Could it be time for an information diet? Catch the full conversation with Yuval Noah Harari, founder of Sapienship, on October 18th.

For my latest column in Big Think, I had the chance to speak with Kevin Kelly, founder of WIRED magazine and prolific author, about the practice and philosophy of long-term thinking. My favorite part of the conversation centered on his practical tips for staying optimistic: take the longest view you can, try to ignore the news, and trust the next generation. The Kevin Kelly interview: The power of “radical optimism” https://lnkd.in/gyMYWehQ

Do you act differently when you know you're being watched? You wouldn't be alone. That’s the “panopticon effect” – the idea that humans change their behavior when under surveillance. We explore how this plays out in today’s workplace – and why it might do more harm than good. In a huge meta-study entitled Workplace Surveillance: An Overview, Kirstie Ball presents four negative implications of excessive surveillance: 1. It might often be illegal; violating privacy is a violation of many countries’ laws and rights. 2. It often stifles creativity, where employees prioritize compliance over innovation. 3. Having certain tasks watched creates a sense that those are the most important. Employees work harder and longer at the observed jobs. 4. As is expected, being watched makes employees anxious and worried about their job. Ball’s paper concludes that this is not to say surveillance is all bad — sometimes it’s very useful — but the panoptical claustrophobia of a Big Brother is best to be avoided.

Below is my latest piece in Big Think entitled "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞" about the future of mobile computing, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality. Spoiler alert - I argue that the future of mobile computing will be devices that pump AI-powered voices inti our ears throughout our daily lives. I believe these will be useful products, but I also warn that policymakers need to quickly focus on the risks because these technologies are coming fast. Unfortunately, most policymakers (and journalists) fixate on the privacy risks of wearable devices because they are familiar with those threats. The far bigger risks will be threats to human agency. When AI systems mediated by third parties are whispering in our ears all day, privacy risks will seem quaint. Unanimous AI Responsible Metaverse Alliance GatherVerse Virtual World Society AI for Good Big Think XRSI AWE Metavethics Institute Future of Marketing Institute M. David Rice Brittan Heller Martin Waxman, MCM, APR Debbie Reynolds Debra Farber Kavya Avi Bar-Zeev Ethan Berg

Kaelynn Partlow shares her story about life with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, and how finding the right diagnosis helped her embrace her neurodivergent identity. Explore more of our work with Unlikely Collaborators through our shared hub, Perception Box: https://lnkd.in/gQruQBDi

“Catching” your enemy is a habit you should quit. Here’s why. – With Irshad Manji and Moral Courage

Nuclear power has delivered clean, reliable energy for decades, but accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima stoked public fears. As AI drives energy demand higher, could nuclear make a comeback? Here are 5 charts that explore the possibilities. We teamed up with Eric Markowitz, Cameron Tierney and Nightview Capital, LLC to create the first issue of Freethink Research, a new series bringing you the data behind the biggest trends, stories, and industries shaping our time. Full article linked in the comments.