Pick a Number
Apr 5, 2008

2 15 18 9 6 4.

Pick a number.

Now, how many of you picked 18? How many picked 6?

And how many of you picked 7? Or 951? Or 3000?

Why not? I didn’t say you had to pick a number that I wrote down. Yet most people assume that.

People tend to make assumptions. More specifically, people tend to make assumptions based on what they’ve seen in the past, and what they know. A list of numbers preceded the request, so an assumption is made that you were supposed to pick a number from the list.

But sometimes, these assumptions can limit your choices. You may have more opportunities than you think you have, if you get past the initial assumption.

What assumptions do you make that limit your opportunities? And how do you get past them?

Disclosure: As much as I wish I did, I didn’t think of the “pick a number” example myself. Saw it on Numb3rs, and thought it was a great lesson, so I thought I’d share it here. And admittedly, it works better in person, and not as well on a blog post, but I hope it got the point across well enough.

Making Decisions for Yourself First
Mar 14, 2008

A few days ago, John from 37signals blogged about why they disagree with Don Norman. Don had criticized them for designing for themselves, instead of other people. John responded by saying that “Designing for ourselves first yields better initial results because it lets us design what we know”, among other things (read the post for more).

I agree with John on this one, and I think it can be expanded to a greater theme, and one that raises an interesting question.

In your life, in the choices you make, who are you making the choices for? Are you making decisions for yourself first? Or are you making decisions trying to please others?

Personally, I do think that others are important. But I do also believe that you’re better of making decisions for yourself, living your life according to what you think is best.