Treasure 105 – Future, Selfcheck, Worktime

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What is Design Fiction? How can I do a personal selfcheck? Does the equation working time equals pay still make sense? This treasure is about the future of work.

Nugget #1 – Building the future

In treasure 104 the topic was artificial intelligence. What is certain is that algorithms will significantly change our corporate world. In Nugget #1, an episode of the “Sinneswandel” podcast by Marilena Berends, the topic is briefly discussed. In an interview with Aileen Moeck from Zukunftsbauer, the question arises: “What do we do when 50% of jobs are replaced by algorithms?” We will probably no longer exchange time for money.

Together with pupils, the future builders use the “Design Fiction” method. Professions and scenarios for the future are developed. The results are professions such as oxygen producers. One then goes back from these visions to the present. The method certainly also works in companies. I could well imagine a design fiction exercise as part of a Brownbag lunch. What roles would come out of this exercise? Citizen Data Scientists, as detailed in the last treasure, probably not. They are no longer fiction but reality. (27 min, audio, German)

Mission Utopia: How do we want to learn in the future?

Nugget #2 – Check yourself

The subscribers to my weekly newsletter, the Flaschenpost, have recently received an article on the subject of “axe grinding”. Since then I have had half an hour of axe grinding in my calendar every Friday. My activity consisted so far in grooming my ToDo list. Förster and Kreuz are a serial supplier of nuggets. With Nugget #2 they provide a valuable upgrade for my axe grinding program.

I’ll add the question “How did I spend my time this week?” to the beginning of the axe grinding routine. I also liked to check the value of an activity with the termination exercise. Suppose I leave the company shortly. Would I still spend time on the activity? If not, why do I do it now?

As the second part I will analyze my network. Who have I met this week? In my company, there is the tool “Connecting Lunch”. By chance you will be assigned a partner for lunch. An uncomplicated way to expand your network within the company. I will expand the Connecting Lunch and register for another location once a month. I would also like to have lunch with someone outside the company at least once a month. If you are interested, please contact me. 

PS: Would you also like to get inspiration and tips on how to grind your “axe”? Then sign up now for bottle mail. (5 min, text, English)

Check yourself

Nugget #3 – Result instead of hours

In Nugget #1 it came up briefly. The exchange of time for money is more and more a thing of the past. Aytekin Tank has addressed this in Nugget #3. Already in 1950 a study found out that more working time does not correlate with more productivity. Already starting from 25 hours working time per week, one could measure no increase in productivity. Productivity even decreased among the test persons with more than 35 hours.

It sounds plausible to me. I know days when you somehow can’t get into flow. Why not just take a day off and do other activities? On the other hand, I have creative evenings where I suddenly have the ingenious idea for a presentation and the story translates itself almost by itself into the corresponding documents. 

In general, I ask myself more and more what actually counts as working time? Writing this treasure also generates value for my company. I will grind my “axe” more effectively in the future. So how much of my contractual 40 hours can I credit for the treasure? For me it is clear that the equation working time against money no longer works. (6 min, text, English)

How to measure achievement, instead of hours