We can't pay attention to everything. Every waking moment of the day, the world hurls information at us. Given the firehose of data pumped in through our senses, our minds have to be selective about what deserves our attention. With bias built into our systems from the get-go, it's no surprise that there are additional … Continue reading On attentional bias
Author: T Coe
On using the Johari window to orient project process
Despite having loved Donald Rumsfeld's "unknown unknowns" for years, I only recently learned its origin: the Johari window. The "window" is a 2x2 grid of four boxes with axes of "known to self" and "known to others." https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Johari_Window.PNG The Johari window was developed by two psychologists in the 1950s, Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, as … Continue reading On using the Johari window to orient project process
On applying the BCG matrix to my personal life
I wrote a few weeks ago about how Amy Whitaker's appropriation of Hollywood's "major dramatic question" as a personal development strategy, and wanted to touch on another thoughtful exercise in her book Art Thinking. This conceptual framework was developed by consultant Alan Zakon at Boston Consulting Group in the 1970s as a tool to analyze … Continue reading On applying the BCG matrix to my personal life
On working with Gene Kohn
Gene Kohn died last week at 92. I was lucky enough to work with Gene a little bit during my time at KPF, the firm he co-founded. I've no need to speak of Gene's immense talents as a designer and business developer—Paul Goldberger's obituary for Gene in the New York Times covers more ground with … Continue reading On working with Gene Kohn
On 7 things from last week (3/13/23)
The White Lotus, Season 2. I liked this season more than the first—knowing that death is coming for one of the characters (excepting a single one) from the first minutes of the season gives the season a real narrative momentum. Painful (Yo La Tengo). An old favorite of mind, this album hits that sweet spot … Continue reading On 7 things from last week (3/13/23)
On template strategy, Part 1
A few months ago, I raced through Richard Rumelt's book Good Strategy, Bad Strategy. Curious about business strategy, I had been looking for a book that was more than just a compilation of business case studies. Case studies are great—but I wanted to go deeper—how were these business leaders thinking? what was the structure there? … Continue reading On template strategy, Part 1
On the mental exhaustion of a day in Excel
I love Excel, even though I'm not all that good at using it. I love Excel, because it does work for me: executing elementary school arithmetic at scale; evaluating a set of sales of data; suggesting formulas to solve my questions. But I also love Excel because it forces me to do mental work I'm … Continue reading On the mental exhaustion of a day in Excel
On functional fixedness
This didn't strike me as a bias at first. Though perhaps I'm so deeply affected by it that I resist the category. Closely related to the law of the instrument, functional fixedness is the cognitive bias describing the inability to consider the use of an object outside its typical function. Overcoming any cognitive bias is … Continue reading On functional fixedness
On email sign-offs
I don't remember how I signed off emails at my first job. I remember for my second job, though, because I aped my British colleagues and went with "Cheers." Cheers struck me as an inordinately delightful sign-off for business emails, but I loved it. At my next job, though—having no British colleagues—my Cheers felt a … Continue reading On email sign-offs
On being the student who always waited until the last minute to study
Transcribing my daily journals, which I began keeping six years ago, has been startling at times. First, my memory is as poor as I suspected (if not worse!). Second, I see myself more clearly now. Especially at work. A recent entry notes a comment from my boss about a close deadline: Busy day, especially at … Continue reading On being the student who always waited until the last minute to study
Taylor Coe 
