Some principles I find helpful

• Don’t be bored - sometimes I’ve sat passively through things and done sloppy work in a disinterested way. But when I lean in and engage, I’ve found there are ways to do things better and differently, and I’ve always found there are ways to improve. And if nothing else, finishing the boring work faster gives me time to do the more interesting stuff later!

• Complexity is cost - more complex systems might seem better suited but they have a huge downside in higher maintenance costs. Also, complexity creates knowledge bottlenecks on a few people and makes it harder to bring new people along.

• Learn how to tackle aversive tasks - there are tasks that we feel reluctant to do, and try to avoid thinking about them. They’re the things that slide down the to-do list time and again. I think it’s important to spot these aversive tasks, and find ways to tackle them - it feels great when you’ve finally blasted through one!