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NotesForSessionThree002

Making Conscious Choices For Change

We put a schedule ahead of survival. We treat time as a rival or a boss.

Some people see the past as being behind them. Others see the past as off to one side of them. This appears to make a difference in how they deal with the past.

Rather than setting and trying to enforce a schedule, can you set a group goal to meet at a point in time? Then look at what each of you need to do to get there.

We are more conscious of spending money than of spending time. We forget that money can be replaced, but time can't.

We did an exercise to draw something based on the description of another person who could feel the object, but who could not see it.

• the most useful thing for me was a comment that said one of the other drawings was close
• the biggest problem was beginning to draw to quickly, rather than waiting for more information. (We do this so often on projects, when we feel that we can't wait. On the projects, like in this exercise, the result is often that we have to start over.)
• starting over helped
• breaking the rules and talking to the customer helped. We are often too well behaved for our own good - or the customer's.
• do not work blindfolded. Watch out for times when you are.
• feedback and sharing info both helped.
• Remember that this is hard, not easy
• When you notice that your model is different, do not assume that either one is wrong. Compare and refine them.

Someone brought up paper prototyping, since it is so fast and we can't pretend that it is code. I worked on a project where it was used and found it very effective.

Do not allow yourself to be trapped by the model. Models can help enormously, but they do not always help.

We can get into a hurry because we feel time pressure to do something in a specific time, EVEN WHEN we do not know how much time we need. We do not wait for enough information to know that we have insufficient time. When we hurry, our work is not as good.

Sherry Heinze 2003.11.16

• With models the rule of three applies - one is a trap, two is a dilemma, three is a choice.
• Our models of time mostly arise from our normal perception of it, but there are occasions when we perceive time differently. When bored, time stretches out - we wish we had less of it.

LaurentBossavit 2003.11.30