flow engines - hack the way you work, not the time you have

@WILLSH

FLOW ENGINES

21.09.2014 HAPPY STARTUP CAMP DEEPEST SUSSEX… 51.102816, -0.006946

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JOHN V WILLSHIRE SMITHERY / ARTEFACT CARDS

HACK THE WAY YOU WORK, NOT THE TIME YOU HAVE

@WILLSH

OHAII’M JOHN I RUN SMITHERY, AND MAKE ARTEFACT CARDS…

@WILLSH

SMITHERY, IN A DICTIONARY, HAS TWO HANDY MEANINGS…

@WILLSH

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“WORK OF…”

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“WORK OF”

“GOODS MADE”

@WILLSH

THIS IS A TALK WHICH IS RELEVANT FOR ARTEFACT CARDS, BUT IS BASICALLY ABOUT THE WAY WE WORK !

(OR, MORE IMPORTANTLY, DON’T)

@WILLSH

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I SPEND LESS TIME NOW WORRYING IF ARTEFACT CARDS WORK BUT MORE TIME WONDERING WHY THEY WORK…

@WILLSH

IN AUGUST, I SPENT 30 DAYS THINKING ABOUT ALL THE SMITHERY PROJECTS SO FAR… AND IT ALL COMES DOWN TO MAKING A DIFFERENT BETWEEN PEOPLE & SPACE…

@WILLSH

@WILLSH

*BTW !

YOU CAN READ ALL THE POSTS FROM THE PROJECT HERE: !

HTTP://RIVETIN.GS/65

@WILLSH

AS PART OF IT, I STARTED THINKING ABOUT THE WAY WE WORK AS A SIMPLE VARIANT OF A WELL-WORN EQUATION…

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WHAT IF: !

BY CHANGING THE SPACE WE WORK IN… !

….WE CHANGE THE RATE WE WORK AT?

@WILLSH

IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT WHY THE ARTEFACT CARDS HELP PEOPLE WORK REALLY QUICKLY AND WELL…

@WILLSH

“FLOW ENGINES”

@WILLSH

FLOW ENGINE !

A WAY TO TURN CREATIVE ENERGY INTO PRODUCTIVE FORWARD MOTION

@WILLSH

FLOW !

IN WHICH A PERSON PERFORMING AN ACTIVITY IS FULLY IMMERSED IN A FEELING OF ENERGISED FOCUS, FULL INVOLVEMENT, AND ENJOYMENT IN THE PROCESS

WIKIPEDIA

@WILLSH

“YOU KNOW THAT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS POSSIBLE TO DO, EVEN THOUGH DIFFICULT, AND SENSE OF TIME DISAPPEARS. YOU FORGET YOURSELF. YOU FEEL PART OF SOMETHING LARGER.”

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- MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI

@WILLSH

A VERY INTERESTING BOOK (WITH AN ADMITTEDLY CREEPY TITLE)

@WILLSH

7TRIGGERS FOR CREATING A SENSE OF FLOW1

IT SUGGESTS THERE ARE

@WILLSH

3ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS

I’M MOST INTERESTED IN THE

@WILLSH

I’VE MUCKED ABOUT WITH THEM A LITTLE TO EVOLVE A VERSION FOR USING WITH ARTEFACT CARDS…

@WILLSH

1. CONSEQUENCES

2. ENVIRONMENT

3. EMBODIMENT SOURCE: STEVEN KOTLER “THE RISE OF SUPERMAN”

@WILLSH

FIRST TRIGGER: CONSEQUENCES

@WILLSH

STATE AT THE BEGINNING OF ANY TASK - WHAT HAVE I GOT TO DO, AND WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T? !

IT FOCUSSES THE MIND…

@WILLSH

YOU’RE AIMING FOR THIS CHANNEL

SOURCE: GAMASUTRA

@WILLSH

WHAT I’VE NOTICED IS THAT IT REALLY HELPS TO WRITE ANY OBJECTIVE DOWN ON ONE ARTEFACT CARD…

@WILLSH

SECOND TRIGGER: ENVIRONMENT

@WILLSH

CREATING A DIVERSE, RICH ENVIRONMENT OF STIMULATING MATERIAL TO WORK WITH CREATES MORE CONNECTIONS, AND BETTER IDEAS

@WILLSH

KOTLER SUGGEST THREE WAYS OF DOING THIS…

@WILLSH

NOVELTYTHINGS YOU

HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE

@WILLSH

COMPLEXITYLETTING YOUR MIND SIFT THROUGH THE IMPLICATIONS OF A MULTIFACETED WORLD

@WILLSH

UNPREDICTABILITY

KEEP PEOPLE GUESSING… ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN NEXT

@WILLSH

CREATING THIS RICH ENVIRONMENT PHYSICALLY ON THE ARTEFACT CARDS ALLOWS YOUR PERIPHERAL VISION TO MOVE ELEMENTS AND MAKE CONNECTIONS MORE QUICKLY AND NATURALLY

@WILLSH

THIRD TRIGGER: EMBODIMENT

@WILLSH

HOW DO YOU MAKE

TEN FINGERS, TWO EYES AND A BRAIN PAY ATTENTION?

@WILLSH

QUICKLY MAKING A PHYSICAL OBJECT OF YOUR IDEA, LIKE AN ARTEFACT CARD, BRINGS IT INTO THE WORLD IN A TANGIBLE, TESTABLE WAY.

@WILLSH

CONSEQUENCES ENVIRONMENT

EMBODIMENT

WAS IT THAT SIMPLE, THEN? THREE SIMPLE ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS, IN ORDER?

@WILLSH

I REALISED THAT IT WASN’T JUST THE THREE TRIGGERS, BUT THE REINFORCEMENT OF EACH IN THE OTHER TWO STEPS…

@WILLSHSTEP 1

@WILLSH

CONSEQUENCES

ENVIRONMENT

EMBODIMENT

STEP 1

@WILLSH

PRIMARY: CONSEQUENCES

SECONDARY: ENVIRONMENT

TERTIARY: EMBODIMENT

USE SCENE SETTING - E.G. “PRETEND IT’S FIVE YEARS IN THE FUTURE”

SET UP THE THING THAT YOU NEED TO DO, AND WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T

MAKE EVERYONE WRITE DOWN THE TASK AS THEY UNDERSTAND IT

STEP 1

@WILLSH

STEP 2

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CONSEQUENCES

ENVIRONMENT

EMBODIMENT

STEP 2

@WILLSH

PRIMARY: ENVIRONMENT

SECONDARY: EMBODIMENT

TERTIARY: CONSEQUENCES

CREATE AS MUCH OF THIS WORLD IN PHYSICAL SPACE; LET PEOPLE MAKE CONNECTIONS QUICKLY

CREATE A RICH TAPESTRY OF THE NEW, THE COMPLEX, AND/OR THE UNEXPECTED

CONTINUALLY REFER BACK TO THE TASK - WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

STEP 2

@WILLSHSTEP 3

@WILLSH

CONSEQUENCES

ENVIRONMENT

EMBODIMENT

STEP 3

@WILLSH

PRIMARY: EMBODIMENT

SECONDARY: CONSEQUENCES

TERTIARY: ENVIRONMENT

REFER BACK TO THE TASK; HOW DOES THIS ANSWER THE FIRST CARD?

MAKE A PHYSICAL VERSION OF YOUR IDEA USING THE ARTEFACT CARDS

USE THE OTHER PHYSICAL EVIDENCE YOU’VE DRAWN FROM TO BACK IT UP

STEP 3

@WILLSH

CONSEQUENCES

ENVIRONMENT

EMBODIMENT

THIS IS A FLOW ENGINE

@WILLSH

A FLOW ENGINE CAN HELP YOU HACK THE WAY YOU WORK, INSTEAD OF WORRYING ABOUT THE TIME YOU HAVE…

@WILLSH

TRY AND BUILD YOURSELF SOME

FLOW ENGINES WITH ARTEFACT CARDS

@WILLSH

THANK YOU

21.09.2014 HAPPY STARTUP CAMP DEEPEST SUSSEX… 51.102816, -0.006946

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JOHN V WILLSHIREARTEFACTSHOP.COM