They don’t call it the Yale software library for nothing. The library contains a wide variety of technology and software, and contains collections of interesting items. One such item is a collection of bizarre practices. One person suggests that “competing with oneself” could be helpful in dealing with procrastination, as you can recognize your own skills and weaknesses, which is likely why many companies offer “competitions” for employees or even for themselves to help motivate them to learn new skills or improve old ones.
Another person suggests playing to one’s weaknesses and exploiting them in a way that helps one become the best version of oneself, which would make sense as they often provide feedback on how a particular skills is being used by other people. A third person suggests getting feedback from others to help improve performance.
These Local Practices In Yale Software Library Are So Bizarre That They Will Make Your Jaw Drop :
1. Cracking your knuckles on the feet
– This practice is believed to be preferred by software engineers for a variety of reasons. One person suggests it helps them think more clearly, and another individual claims that it helps improve typing skills. A third person is also confident that it improves overall thinking as well. So far, so good.
2. Playing to one’s strengths
– This is an interesting idea and something I would like to try someday in my career. If I were in a role such as software development, I would look for ways to get feedback from others on my weaknesses. It won’t be easy, but I found some articles on the topic online. One of them suggests that looking for areas to improve, both in personal and professional life, should give one the will to work harder at improving upon those weaknesses.
3. Doing something silly for no valid reason
– It’s hard to argue against this one since we are all guilty of it myself included from time to time. One person suggests that doing something silly like eating a spider or tossing a Frisbee while on a run is good because “everyone else is doing it.” Another person mentions how they wrote down their goals and achieved them using this technique as well.
4. Pretending to be an evil genius
– This is a really interesting one and probably something that I would recommend trying. One person suggests doing something as simple as going out and pretending to be an evil genius as a way of improving one’s personal brand or trying to think outside the box. Another person, who had the same experience, took it a step further and actually wrote down his goals then set out to achieve them with the persona of an evil genius. He made some great points in his own article and is definitely worth checking out!
5. Playing to one’s strengths
– This is an interesting idea and something I would like to try someday in my career. If I were in a role such as software development, I would look for ways to get feedback from others on my weaknesses. It won’t be easy, but I found some articles on the topic online. One of them suggests that looking for areas to improve, both in personal and professional life, should give one the will to work harder at improving upon those weaknesses.
6. Hitting one’s head against a wall
– This is a good idea that I think everyone can use. One person suggests that it’s best to do this by getting into the role of someone who is too hardheaded and stubborn which can be beneficial as software development is filled with people like this. Another person claims that hitting your head repeatedly against a wall helps in making one focus more on the topic being discussed or on the issue at hand.
7. Overcoming initial hesitancy towards something new or different
– I had no idea that this was encouraged by software engineers and honestly, it seems like a good strategy to pursue in my business life as well. It makes sense, especially when learning something new. One person suggests that it’s best to play to one’s strengths so that one does better regardless of what it is, and another individual also believes that this is the case.
8. Taking a break from work in the middle of a project
– This is the number one suggestion from everyone in a position of leadership or management. It’s hard to argue against this as we all get distracted from time to time. One person claims that it helps them focus and do their job better. Another individual feels the same way and suggests taking a break for as little as 20 minutes, but only if you need it, of course.
