The Work In Colour Blog is a free weekly blog covering all kinds of stuff to do with working in colour, from career tips to creative thinking ideas and much in between.http://workincolour.com.au/Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:20:19 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/152/how-how-how/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/152/how-how-how/A couple of years ago now, I wrote a blogpost called 'Why? Why? Why?' about Why Diagrams, a technique for getting to the real issues causing a problem, finding out (at a deeper level) why it happened. It's a very useful tool if you aren't sure why something went wrong, because otherwise any solution you implement will risk being 'hit and miss'.Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:51:13 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/151/i-have-this-great-plan-but-the-universe-isnt-listening/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/151/i-have-this-great-plan-but-the-universe-isnt-listening/Towards the end of last year, I decided that next year was going to be MY year. I would achieve some goals I have long held, get back into a consistent writing habit, restore my vim and vitality and generally let it rip. (I did have just enough sense not to wish for the fountain of youth...)Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:10:23 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/150/time-to-question-your-career/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/150/time-to-question-your-career/My last post for 2011 was a list of questions, and I can't resist the urge to bookend and make my first 2012 blog about questions, too. It's because January is often a month for questioning your current job or career (especially if you find yourself near-hysterical at the thought of having to go back to work!). If that's you, pay attention to the signals you are receiving from your mind and body. It's time to search for a better working life...Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:09:34 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/149/at-the-turning-of-the-year/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/149/at-the-turning-of-the-year/This week I want to say a heartfelt 'thank you' for your interest and support over this year. I love the emails I get, your online comments and the kind words from people I bump into who I didn't even know were readers of the blog. It means a lot to me. I'm off to Burma later this week, and this blog will be back in mid-January. Following on from last week's 'take a break' theme, here are some questions for you to think about at the turning of the year.Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:02:07 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/148/how-long-since-you-took-a-decent-break-from-work/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/148/how-long-since-you-took-a-decent-break-from-work/Like most of us about now, I have been thinking about taking time off. Next week I am going overseas for Christmas, and I am most definitely looking forward to that! Today's blog adds a work twist to taking a break, to stepping back from the day to day. It's about the power of taking time out from your work, for the sake of the quality of that work.Tue, 6 Dec 2011 09:07:58 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/147/fear-and-doubt-as-fuel-for-brilliance/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/147/fear-and-doubt-as-fuel-for-brilliance/I've been reading (Kindling?) a book by Jonathan Fields called Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance. I recommend it to anyone who is struggling on the edge of their comfort zone - he is a most creative man, and the book is packed with good advice. (He's the guy who said that in order to make a good guitar, you have to make five bad guitars...)Tue, 29 Nov 2011 07:01:12 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/146/red-herrings/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/146/red-herrings/When I was a teenager, I loved the novels of Agatha Christie (still do...). Her plots were great, the murders not too graphic or gory - and the murderer was always caught in the end. The red herrings were half the fun. You had to wade through clues, counter-clues and possibilities and try and work out which were relevant and which were deliberate attempts to mislead the detective - and the reader.Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:17:15 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/145/do-you-doodle-see-how-it-helps-you-think/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/145/do-you-doodle-see-how-it-helps-you-think/I found this mini TED talk recently, about how doodling helps you process information and think creatively. It's less than six minutes long, but makes a great case for encourage doodling at work, in meetings, when you are stuck...(Anywhere, really.)Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:22:38 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/144/i-exist-therefore-i-choose-what-about-you/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/144/i-exist-therefore-i-choose-what-about-you/I have long been drawn to the 19th century Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard. I can't say I knew a great deal about him, but I thought he had a very cool name. (Should you need further proof of my fundamentally shallow nature, I confess that I also pick racehorses by the jockey's colours, and that I was a big fan of the now-defunct Ansett airline, mainly because I liked the logo, especially the blue colour and the funky full stop at the end...)Tue, 8 Nov 2011 09:43:40 +1100http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/139/have-you-tried-a-random-input-tool/http://workincolour.com.au/blog/post/139/have-you-tried-a-random-input-tool/Random Input is a lateral thinking tool. It is very useful when you need fresh ideas or new perspectives during problem solving. We are hardwired to look for patterns in our day-to-day life, which is generally a very useful adaptation - it helps us get through our day efficiently, without constantly having to reinvent the wheel.