Читать книгу Non-Obvious 2017 Edition - Рохит Бхаргава - Страница 29

1 Consume “Brainful Media” – Sadly we are surrounded with “brainless media,” including reality shows featuring unlikeable people doing unlikeable things (sometimes on islands, sometimes in our backyards). While often addictively entertaining, brainless media encourages vegetation instead of curiosity. Curiosity is fueled by consuming “brainful media,” such as a short documentary film or inspirational 17-minute talk from TED.com instead.

2 Empathize with Magazines – Curiosity helps you see the world through someone else’s eyes, even if it is initially uncomfortable. One technique I often use is buying niche magazines to learn about unfamiliar topics. Simply walking into the magazine section of a bookstore offers plenty of options. For example, Modern Farmer, Model Railroader and House Beautiful are three vastly different magazines. Flipping through the stories, advertisements and imagery in each will do more to take you outside of your own world than almost any other quick and easy activity.

3 Ask Bigger Questions – Last year I was invited to deliver a talk at an event for the paint industry. It is an industry I know very little about and so it was tempting to show up, deliver my keynote and then leave. Instead, I stayed and walked around the exhibit hall asking questions. In less than 30 minutes I learned about how paint is mixed and what additives are typically used. I heard about the industry debate between all-plastic cans versus steel and the rise of computerized color matching systems. As a result my talk was far more relevant because I chose to stay and ask more questions instead of taking the easy path.