GG Notes

Thoughts on leadership, productivity, and entrepreneurship. Subscribe via RSS.

85 articles, most recent first.

Did we pick the right goal?

Ask a project leader you know and they will tell you there are countless ways to set goals poorly. We may define the goal in a way that is too vague or too specific. Or the goal can be well...

Announcing Papa Notes

If you've been following this blog for a while, you probably noticed that more and more of my content includes anecdotes and teachings from my fatherhood. I used to say that having kids turned my...

Why you need to waste time

There's a comic strip that circulates in entrepreneur communities. It's about a character who starts a new hobby. But before long, his entrepreneurial mind takes over and pushes him to turn the...

You will never be done

In the business world, work frequently happens within a project. Success depends on completing all the tasks on time and budget. And a project has a beginning and an end. At work, we are...

Unscheduled time off

I took an unscheduled week off. Not a vacation per se, but a week AFK. Away from the keyboard. I didn't answer emails. Not even the ones that would normally prompt me to reply right away. Not even...

It freaking doesn't matter

Last night, I experienced something I wish for all of you. My son and I were sitting in the kitchen. Well, I was sitting; he was lying in my arms, half asleep. He is teething and sleeps super...

Sacred ideas

The following is a republish of an old article from 2016. We live in an era where ideas are so powerful we sacralize them. They appear almighty: Get the right idea and succeed; get the wrong idea...

Hi, I'm Greg.

I'm an independent consultant and a digital artisan. I specialize in problem solving and innovation using code, design, process and mental models. I act as a trusted advisor. Over the past 22...

The glassmith tactic

The perceived value of your product is about to take a nosedive. Here's how to save it using the glassmith tactic. A glassblower blows air into a pipe. A beautiful vase appears from what was...

The best way to get unstuck

I started dabbling in entrepreneurship over 20 years ago and have experienced the feeling of stuckness more than I can recall. It is one of the most common struggles with this career path and can...

Finding joy in the mundane

There is a secret that parents know but only discuss with other parents. A few days ago, I met with an old friend of mine. He's not a parent, but he likes kids. When asked if he'd like to be a dad...

Progress is a journey

We are often caught up in thinking of progress as a static event. Or at least something that is the result of actions and decisions taken in the recent past. Take the example of a race. Our...

Background noise stress

Last weekend, my family and I decided to take a drastic rest day. We stepped out from the connected world to focus on being together. No phone, no work. An initiative that was part of practicing...

Protecting your motivation

Over the past few years, a few books have highlighted the importance of feedback. The entrepreneur community has blindly accepted that this feedback should happen earlier and earlier in your...

How to get lucky

Openai's CEO Sam Altman wrote: “give yourself a lot of shots to get lucky” is even better advice than it appears on the surface. Luck isn’t an independent variable but increases super-linearly...

Khabib Nurmagomedov on sleep

I recently wrote about 2 False ideas preventing rest. Continuing on this topic, and to further confirm the importance of rest to remain performant, check out what Khabib Nurmagomedov says about...

Uncomplicating productivity

"What project management software do you use?" Tens of thousands of views and countless replies. That's how popular a simple productivity question I asked on Twitter became. We are suckers for...

Enthusiastic participation

How can you participate more enthusiastically in building the culture? Over 15 years ago, when I was younger and didn't know the first thing about personal development, a friend shared an essay...

Using calmer language

"If the software crashes during the demo, it's game over for us!" This is something I'm still guilty of: using hyperbolic, epic language. Part of me probably believes that this increases...

CEOs and coaches

Did you know that only a minority of CEOs are coached? As I was looking through my notes, I found an article about coaching for CEOs. I figured this is something you might find interesting too....

Back to home • All articles • Papa Notes