February 2020 Summaries

The author reflects on how the modern internet is designed to be as distracting as possible, using algorithms to keep users engaged for as long as possible. However, this can lead to a cycle of consumption where users watch videos about video games constantly because of their YouTube homepage's algorithmic feed. To take control of this situation, individuals can fine-tune their algorithmic feeds by clicking "Not interested" on videos that don't align with their interests. They can also use privacy modes in browsers like Incognito to avoid being tracked and shown related content. Additionally, users can replace algorithmic feeds with human-made ones, such as news sources controlled by editors who balance emotionally resonant stories with less exciting articles. By making conscious decisions about how they interact with online platforms, individuals can protect their attention and mental well-being.

The author used to keep track of annoying things that happened to them on a sticky note, but eventually found it exhausting. They now automate this process using Zapier's automated workflows, which allows them to consolidate their list from various sources such as emails, Slack messages, and online content. The author sets up Zaps that send certain types of emails or messages directly to a Google Sheets spreadsheet, where they can track and reflect on the things that annoy them. This process helps them reframe their annoyance and reduces stress, allowing them to focus on more positive aspects of their life.

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric used to measure customer loyalty by asking two simple questions: "How likely are you to recommend our brand/product/service to a friend or colleague?" and "What's the most important reason for your score?" The NPS score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters, with higher scores indicating better customer loyalty. A good NPS score is above zero, with +100 being the highest possible score. While NPS has been widely adopted and is considered an effective metric, its accuracy has been questioned by some critics who argue that it fails to predict customer loyalty. To implement a Net Promoter Score survey, companies can send surveys to 1/90th of their users every day for 90 days, with follow-up emails to engage with customers and improve the business. The true value of NPS lies in its ability to start a conversation with customers and lead to improved customer loyalty and retention.

In knowledge work jobs, employees play two roles simultaneously: the "boss" (making decisions) and the "worker" (performing tasks). This creates a conflict between focusing on planning and analysis versus executing tasks, leading to potential indecision. To manage attention effectively, one must recognize that attention is a limited resource, not time, and prioritize proactive attention for critical thinking and strategic decision-making. By understanding attention levels - proactive, active, and inactive - individuals can schedule their work accordingly, leveraging their most productive attention periods for high-priority tasks. To increase productivity, it's essential to create additional pockets of attention by changing the view, game, air, or incorporating specific habits like phone calls, reading, waiting, thinking, traveling, coffee breaks, and conversations. By doing so, individuals can maximize their attention levels, make better decisions, and achieve their goals more efficiently.

Designing Your Work Life is a book by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans that focuses on the importance of autonomy, relatedness, and competence in making one's job feel challenging and fun. According to self-determination theory, humans are intrinsically motivated animals with innate psychological needs for these three elements, which can be satisfied through work experiences. The authors argue that financial rewards alone do not motivate people as much as previously thought, and instead, human beings have an inherent tendency to seek out novelty, challenges, and exploration. They also emphasize the importance of autonomy, relatedness, and competence in job satisfaction and productivity. Managers are encouraged to design opportunities for their employees to experience these elements, which can lead to increased happiness, job retention, and success. The book suggests that passion may not be the starting point for one's career, but rather an emergent quality that develops over time through hard work and exploration. By satisfying autonomy, relatedness, and competence, individuals can develop their intrinsic motivation system and do their best work, feel more connected to colleagues, and experience a sense of meaning in their job.

I use snippets to manage and reuse small amounts of text in my personal and professional life, such as typing out contact information or code formatting, and even responding to common questions and messages on platforms like Slack and LinkedIn, allowing me to be more efficient and personalized in my interactions.

It's time for our daily standup! Those are my favorite!"—said nobody, ever. Standups are daily meetings where team members answer the same questions: What did you do since the last meeting? What will you do before the next one? Are you blocked on anything? In theory, this works well, but can quickly grow numb to the same questions repeated over and over, missing patterns that should be addressed. Geekbot is a tool used at Zapier to streamline standups, shortening them to about a minute or so, depending on how much typing is done. It allows for side discussions, archiving of updates, transparency in public channels, and helps handle repetitive meetings. However, there are also potential drawbacks such as too little information, showing off, ignoring the tool completely, and downtime. Despite these concerns, Geekbot's value outweighs its limitations, making it a useful tool for teams to improve their standup meetings.

Zapier has reached a milestone of supporting over 2,000 apps, including Data Soap as its 2,000th app, after nine years of hard work in building an open ecosystem to make automation easier for users. The platform is designed to be free and easy to use, allowing companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook to build integrations with other APIs. Zapier customers use these integrations to automate various tasks, such as streamlining meetings and email campaigns, tracking waiver forms, and improving Google Ads ROI. The expansion of the ecosystem opens up more possibilities for users, enabling them to be more productive and empowering them to do their best work. Zapier aims to make automation accessible to everyone, including leading SaaS companies and individuals, in its mission to empower users to achieve more.

The use of emojis has become increasingly popular, with over 3,000 universal emojis available, but its meaning can vary depending on the context and platform. The word "emoji" translates to "picture character" in Japanese and was first introduced by NTT DoCoMo in 1999 as a way for users to break up with each other or communicate with customers. Emoji keyboards are built into modern operating systems, allowing users to add emojis to any document where text is allowed. Zapier, a remote team, uses emojis extensively in their communication, including custom emoji created by employees, and also employs them to convey meaning and get work done, such as using reactions to express agreement or kudos. However, the use of emojis can be misinterpreted, and its tone and context should be considered when using it in written language.

Great customer support requires empathy and superior communication skills, and it's not just about following general rules of thumb, but also reading the room and matching the tone of the person you're speaking to. When responding to customers, avoid using phrases that come across as robotic or bossy, such as "I will," "No," "You'll have to," "Best, the Support Team," and "No problem." Instead, focus on empathy, explaining the reason behind decisions, offering alternatives, and using positive language to convey messages. To get your team on board, start by enacting changes yourself, audit frequently used phrases for improvement, and create a support lexicon of phrases that become second nature over time.

You are not a machine, and your brain is far more complex than any computer system. Unlike computers, you can process information in various ways, such as taking in multiple cues at once and acting on them intuitively. Computers excel in specific tasks like storing information with perfect fidelity or crunching numbers quickly, but humans have unique strengths like creativity, empathy, and improvisation. You don't need to measure up to machines; instead, use computers as tools to augment your abilities and focus on what makes you uniquely human.