I am a slow reader and it is ok!

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Dear Readers,

Thank you for coming here!

 

I read very slowly. 

Despite several trainings, I still read every word (pronounce it silently) and I still keep going back to re-read the paragraph I just finished.

It used to bother me a lot.

Time is scarce and there are too much to read. Why cannot I read more effectively?

But when I consciously increased my reading speed, I felt tired and I did not feel that I had read and understood the book.

After a few tries, I gave up and settled with my current speed.

But from time to time, I am still angry with myself for not being able to read faster.

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Recently I got to know that a senior who I admire a lot also reads slowly.

That gives me much comfort, not only because he shares the same problem, but also because of his 3 attitudes towards reading.

1. Reading should not cause anxiety. If we read slowly, so be it. Do not feel the anxiety or need to read faster. We should feel peace while reading.
2. Reading should be continuous. The key is to keep reading. We need to get into a habit of reading — find good books, read at our own paces and keep at it. Even if we only read a few pages per day, we will experience the benefits.
3. Reading should involve thinking. This is not only about extracting the content of the book, e.g. by making a mind map. We have to connect the content of the book to our reality. Only when the book deals a blow to our perspectives and beliefs, do we get connected with the book and author. This is how we learn and improve.

This applies not only to books, but also to blogs, magazines, research papers etc.

To us all readers!

 

Till next time!

Dreaming

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Dear Readers,

Thank you for coming here!

I used to day-dream a lot.

I would be so deep into my day-dream that I would completely disconnect with the real world.

Sometimes, in school, I would start day dreaming in English lessons and wake up seeing math teacher on the stage…

The things I dreamed about were usually me achieving something impossible after hard work, me helping people around me or me saving the world.

I guess this happens to most kids.

But it was a problem for me because I appeared to do this to a much higher extend. And it affected my focus.

For example, I would miss a big part of the lessons and have to catch up afterwards.

I consciously fought it and fought it hard.

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Fast-forwarding to today, I rarely day-dream.

Maybe I can claim victory in the war against day-dream.

However, in my job where thinking is a big part of the scope and being able to visualize success from the beginning is valued, I found it challenging to think right.

I cannot help wondering whether the victory contributed in some way.

Maybe I focused too much on winning the war and consciously suppressed some attributes that were potentially more valuable in the long term.

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I think day-dreaming should be done more.

Visualizing success before it happens does motivate me.

And it does reveal some insights sometimes.

It makes me realize the areas I miss or potential risks I do not predict.

And it tells me a lot about myself — what kind of victory I want, which part of the victory really excites me etc…

The challenge is to keep it on the thing we are doing now.

 

Till next time!

Complexity and Impossibility transformed into Simplicity with higher dimensions

 

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Dear Readers,

Thank you for coming here!

If you are in a room, how do you describe the exact position of a spider hanging from the wall?

With only two dimensions, it is difficult and complex to say the least, if possible at all.

However, with three dimensions (three lines from a corner of the room), it is simple.

Complexity and impossibility under two dimensions is transformed into simplicity under three dimensions.

This is how three dimensions was invented.

Simplicity is the result of having enough dimensions.

Therefore, upgrading our thinking models to incorporate more dimensions will help us understand and solve the complicated problems in life.

This also aligns with Charlie Munger and Scott Page, who advocate the model thinking.

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To have more dimensions, we need to both go up and go down.

Going up to discover and incorporate more dimensions, such as going from 2-D to 3-D.

Drawing up the whole picture, such as the value chain, helps. 

When we select suppliers, we do not only look at the prices, but also the quality, maintenance frequency and costs, consumable cost, lead time and even payment terms.

When we deal with packaging, we do not only look at how visually appealing to customers, but also the branding image it reflects, the cost, the transportation requirements and even the environmental friendliness.

Going down to break down something into pieces, such as breaking down working hours into number of FTEs and working hours per FTE or breaking down revenue into price and sales volume.

This is critical to isolate root causes and engineer targeted fixes.

This is the basics for consulting, by the way.

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We also need to know when to stop. 

There is always the practicality. 

It means two things:

1. It is enough to solve the problem
2. It is cost-effective and affordable

Going up to incorporate too many dimensions or going down to break down into too detailed levels is not necessary, wastes resources and often decreases the efficiency in solving the problem.

We do not need 5-D to describe the position of the spider in the room.

We do not need to know the behavior of any specific customer as long as the segment he/she belongs to is adequately represented in the analysis.

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Conclusion

Simplicity is the result of having enough dimensions.

To have more dimensions, we need to both go up and go down

Meanwhile, we also need to know when to stop to cater for practicality.

I know it is hard. That is why it is valuable and appreciated!

Till next time!