Alexandria — Issue #015: Growth Without Goals
A bi-weekly newsletter dedicated to bringing you the best content related to design, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Featured Article
Gratitude Goes a Long Way to Increase Creativity and Innovation — 99u.adobe.com
Developing a gratitude practice takes time and patience, but the power of thankfulness can shift your attitude toward your work and make the process more creative, innovative, and fulfilling — not just during the holidays, but all year long. In the words of the late poet, Mary Oliver, “Pay attention. / Be astonished. / Tell about it.” Look for it, feel gratitude for it, and express it.
More Amazing Reads
Design APIs: The Evolution of Design Systems
matthewstrom.com
Design systems have become an essential tool for fast-paced application development teams. A good design system provides some of the documentation developers need in order to get information about what they are building. Like an API, a design system is an abstraction. An API abstracts some of a program’s functionality; a design system abstracts some of the design process.
9 Creatives on Their Most Valuable Career Lessons
99u.adobe.com
We all dive into the unknown with plenty of excitement and a good measure of tenacity. The wisdom tends to come later, after a fair share of stumbles and tests of courage. Looking back at their careers so far, nine thinkers and creatives let us in on some of the most important learning moments that act as their touchstones when making decisions and planning for their future.
Growth Without Goals
investorfieldguide.com
It is only then [when the mind is completely still] that the mind is free because it is no longer desiring anything; it is no longer seeking; it is no longer pursuing a goal, an ideal — which are all the projections of a conditioned mind. And if you ever come to that understanding, in which there can be no self-deception, then you will find that there is a possibility of the coming into being of that extraordinary thing called creativity.
You Only Learn When You Reflect
lethain.com
So that’s the key advice here: if you’re in a rapidly changing, complicated situation — slow down! Stop working harder. There’s no door in that direction. You’ll never outwork deep problems, and that path is gilded with false progress, appearing to work but never getting you where you’re trying to go.
Why the Problem With Learning Is Unlearning
The problem isn’t learning: it’s unlearning. In every aspect of business, we are operating with mental models that have grown outdated or obsolete, from strategy to marketing to organization to leadership. To embrace the new logic of value creation, we have to unlearn the old one.
The Illusion of Transparency: Why You’re Not as Obvious as You Think You Are
effectiviology.com
Essentially, because you spend the vast majority of your time considering your thoughts and actions from your own perspective, it’s hard for you to adjust from the anchor of your own point of view when you attempt to imagine how others see you. This means that even though other people don’t have as much insight into your thought process and mental state as you do, and even though you rationally know that they don’t, it’s difficult for you to remember this when you intuitively estimate what others know about you.
The Ten Minute Rule of Productivity
nesslabs.com
The Ten Minute Rule of productivity is about “tricking” your limbic system by talking yourself into getting started. Instead of focusing on the outcome, it’s about focusing on the output. Avoid overplanning and overthinking. Don’t say you’ll read a chapter of that book; say you’ll read for ten minutes. Don’t say you’ll run a 5K; say you’ll run for ten minutes. Don’t say you’ll build a new feature; say you’ll code for ten minutes.
40 Top Bloggers Share Their Best Blogging Advice and Tips (to Grow Your Blog)
www.ryrob.com
To make sure this guide is actionable (rather than overwhelming), I’ve arranged all of this blogging advice into distinct sections spanning the blogging journey — and given you a quick summary right at the top of each section… so you can read up on the advice and jump straight into the actionable steps you need to take to grow your blog.
Resources
Illustrations — Open Source Illustrations Kit
illlustrations.co
Designed all 100 awesome illustrations during 100 days of illustration challenge. You can use these to design your — landing pages, mobile app or presentations.
Root — Website Wireframe and Design Starter Kit
Enjoy a perfectly organized library to help you create wireframes and website layouts quickly. Support for Sketch and Figma!
Walling — A Better Way to Organize Ideas
walling.app
Walling gives you an intuitive experience to collect thoughts, plan projects and visualize ideas side by side.
Distraction-Free Reader Mode
readermode.io
Distraction-free Reader Mode with support for people with dyslexia. Remove clutter, ads and distractions from any article. Instantly
