Webby Clare

Thoughts and other writings by Clare Conroy

Book Review: Making Ideas Happen

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Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and RealityMaking Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Enjoyable read with some good ideas. A couple of the parts that really ‘stuck’ were:
– the danger of focusing too much on idea generation at the expense of the execution phase (becoming addicted to the ‘brain-spinning indulgence of idea generation’)
– the three types of people (dreamers, doers and incrementalists)
– importance of follow up and persistence
– need to share ideas (‘the more people who lie awake in bed thinking about your idea, the better’)

The book also goes into detail about the Action Method (personal productivity/project management/to-do system) which I found quite interesting, but it’s not a system that I’ve implemented or that I think could work for me (at least not at this point in time). [Read more…]

Trade School

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Trade School was delivered as a collaboration between OurGoods and GrandOpening where teachers offer their time, skills, experience and knowledge to classes of students who barter their own goods and services to attend.

For example, you could learn everything you wanted to know about composting in exchange for a pretty blouse or some homemade bread. Or you might bring along a small trinket to provide to the teacher of the WordPress course.

I love this idea! Something similar could be launched in a whole range of different spaces and places…. Will need to ponder if/how this could work in Canberra… Got any thoughts, then let me know….

And I’m also seriously inspired/excited by the whole GrandOpening shopfront idea which transforms on a regular basis and, as well as hosting Trade School and art exhibitions, has been everything from a single-table ping pong parlour to a wedding chapel to a drive-in theatre.