Getting out of the Comfort Zone
Spinning Raincatcher Newsletter | Issue 2, April 2023
1. Fortnight thoughts
3 - 7 April 2023 | Enjoyable Easter Break
Finally had some genuine rest during the Easter break. I didn't really turn anything off; it happened to be so quiet over the holiday, so I guess everybody was using some rest?
We planned to make a brief visit to Macau, but were horrified by the news: visitors took hours to cross the border and wait for busses or taxis. So we decided to join our besties Zane and Bessie for a car ride to a nearby beach on Wednesday, and had a barbecue gathering on Friday. The most memorable thing happened on Sunday afternoon, when Zoe tried riding a bicycle — she had been afraid to since she was young, but she managed to expand her comfort zone and overcame her fear of tripping over.
Mm… comfort zone… is a big phrase to ponder, as a teacher-scholar…
9 - 14 April 2023 | Lots of Research Prep Works
Compressing the week into four days because of the Easter break means the schedule became really tight, as I had to start laying the groundwork for whatever happens during summer and in the next academic year. I'm not particularly a workaholic (or am I?), but who is it to blame when I'm committed to many different things, only to find time is so limited?
Productivity gurus, even my wife, advise us to prioritise all the tasks/ projects that we have. It’s easier said than done: the reality is, the end time for many projects are similarly close, if not the same. So it’s not procrastination; it’s more like not knowing/ being able to say no is the root cause. Everything is exciting to me, in many cases like doing this study or another analysis, writing up this essay or that post. This feels like another kind of “comfort zone”: feeling the comfort of “expanding” but not going deep at all. That’s the very definition of “Jack of all trades, master of none”.
Anyway, perhaps it’s time to start “lifting the net”. Having reached an important milestone at work, I now consider taking up a role that I feel less comfortable taking. This is “choosing my own pain”, I reckon, and is possibly a way to help me make up my mind and set clearer goals and priorities.
“Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” — A buddhist saying.
2. What I’m reading
Highlighting something I read about “comfort zones”:
Why Great Things Never Came From Comfort Zones https://durmonski.com/self-improvement/great-things-never-came-from-comfort-zones/
The comfort zone theory, as Durmonski explains, suggests that individuals who stick to familiar and safe routines may struggle to achieve success. To overcome this, individuals must challenge themselves by doing things that are more difficult than what they are used to. This can help individuals become more resilient and adaptable to change. Also, the article proposes that individuals can leverage cognitive biases to enhance their decision-making abilities. To further improve their chances of success, the article recommends finding a mentor or support group.
When You Plateau, So Does Your Company
https://every.to/no-small-plans/a-founder-s-guide-to-expanding-your-comfort-zone
This article by Rosengren explains that it is possible to stretch and expand your comfort zone. The article suggests four key aspects to consistently getting out of your comfort zone in service of building a life that matters: Clarify what’s important, Ramp up the costs, Build discomfort tolerance and Create commitment scaffolding. The author explains that a comfort zone represents a set of behaviors that feel safe to us and our brains believe that if we step outside that zone, something bad might happen, so we experience discomfort. To avoid it, we move back toward what feels safe.
The concept of the comfort zone can, of course, extend towards the personal level — everyone is a brand nowadays. The “Andrew Grove Question” interests me in particular: What would I do if someone came in to replace me? I don’t want to give a neoliberal answer, in that “someone who has a similar track record and years of experience, but is willing to walk an extra mile at a lower price tag” may replace me. This is, however, what reality is: if one isn’t committed to what is considered important to them, and cannot stand the discomfort, someone else will take their place.
Another term I’m thinking about now is Zone of Proximal Development, roughly meaning a state in which a person meets a challenge slightly beyond their capability, but the situation allows them to grow. I’ll explore this topic next week.
3. What technology I’m using
Ask Your PDF | https://askyourpdf.com/
This website is a lifesaver as much as Elicit: it is AI-powered, and read content from a PDF file so that you can ask questions about the file. It doesn't give you a detailed summary right away, but after a very brief note about what the PDF is about, Ask Your PDF would provide three sample questions for you to ask.
In this way, I can use the tool as a journal article reading assistant, asking for the information I need about the research in the article, from a summary of the research design, findings and key takeaways. I can also ask whether the article mentions any limitations. Now I can decide whether or not I'm going to read the whole paper or simply tease apart the key messages, and integrate them into my notes or articles. It's very useful for colleagues who want to keep themselves updated with the field, or extract information in a short time, or are simply short on time to read the whole thing (for the time being).
4. Other rain buckets
In My Head | The Lemon Twigs