Idea Surplus Disorder #147

This week: This week: why the ability to do almost anything makes strategy harder, the danger of tossing an AI “slop grenade” to your colleagues, a simple way to tackle the tasks you keep avoiding, what finishing makes possible, and why getting more efficient may only make you busier.

Idea Surplus Disorder #146

This week: why getting out of your chair might make you better at your work, what happens when AI improves performance without improving learning, what work gives us beyond a paycheck, why writing things down still matters, and what your meetings might be telling you about your leadership.

Idea Surplus Disorder #145

This week: why naming an AI agent may make us less careful, what a perfectionism audit can reveal, why ordinary has become so hard to accept, the difference between rest and idleness, and why a pocket notebook can still beat a phone.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #144

This week: how leaders teach culture without realizing it, why “teamwork” isn’t a behavior, what useful friction protects us from, whether every company needs an AI Cassandra, and how prediction is making everything look the same.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #143

This week: the hidden cost of searching for the best, how a raccoon makes dissent easier, why video calls turn us into actor, audience, and critic, and where introspection turns into rumination.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #142

This week: my Arch City Report podcast appearance, why nonstop thinking may be our era's hidden addiction, a better phrase for business disputes, reasons your strategy keeps changing, responding to devil's advocates, and the ideal team size for managers.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #141

This week: why writing by hand is good for your brain, how leaders own the toxic cultures they tolerate, lessons from the original Mac, news as the new smoking, why consensus fails, an AI prompt for surprising detours, and another Thinksgiving ask.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #140

This week’s Idea Surplus Disorder starts with an ask: help us find great nonprofits and business partners for Thinksgiving. Plus: curiosity, screen-sharing, em dashes, workplace apologies, happiness, questionable metrics, and a few fun finds.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #139

This week: what "dementia" really means, the experiences that shape our beliefs, the five roles every project needs, why worthwhile work should have weight, and how AI can help you move beyond the billable hour.

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Idea Surplus Disorder #138

This week: why friendship frays when life becomes a project, how likability may be your future superpower, what an Italian cashmere king can teach us about work, and why your internal worrier is a terrible forecaster.