JETS JOURNAL - #029
May 14, 2024
Hi All!
Here is your weekly round up of what I’m pondering and exploring. Feel free to forward along to a friend if you think they might enjoy.
The Lipstick Index
Last weekend I was speaking with my girlfriend about the state of the world and she introduced me to a concept called “The Lipstick Index”
Which is best defined as:
Which got me thinking about how even in times of financial hardship consumers still want to indulge in a little retail therapy.
If you’re a brand or wanting to start a business, this is a huge factor I’d be taking into consideration. What’s something you could create that’s extremely accessible that consumers still would want even in times of hardship?
I personally think this is why I’ve been enjoying collecting digital art for a couple dollars a day over on zora.co, probably because it feels like I’m still treating myself without breaking the bank.
Make Giving Up Hard By Making Trying Again Easy
Life is made up of a series of long term games that we choose to play. Our jobs, our relationships, our exercise routines–are all choices that dictate how our lives unfold. It’s easy to feel inspired and take action once, but it’s much harder to do it consistently. That’s why I choose to play games that are sustainable.
My goal is to stay consistent in every area of my life for as long as possible, as I believe this leads to the greatest chance of growth.
To illustrate this, let’s consider two creators starting out trying to grow a brand online.
Person A is a perfectionist, only sharing their work when they are completely satisfied. It takes them three months to produce their first video, expecting it to perform phenomenally due to the time and effort invested. If the video succeeds, Person A is motivated to create more. However, if it fails, the frustration of seeing no results despite the effort can be discouraging.
In contrast, Person B embraces imperfection, focusing on iteration and repetition. Their output is frequent, although sometimes messy. In their first year, they produce 10 times more content than Person A.
Who do you think becomes a better storyteller? Person A, who creates three works a year, or Person B, who conducts 300 experiments a year?
Results may vary, but I would rather follow Person B’s strategy. By not quitting, I see success as an inevitable by product of building resilience to failure through small experiments and making incremental improvements.
By lowering the bar, we can play more consistently over a longer period, avoiding high expectations that lead to discouragement and giving up when unmet.
The aim here is to structure life to make giving up hard by making trying again easy.
Will remote schooling be the future?
Here’s an interesting take by Jake I found over on Warpcast last week.
The 10 Principles of Good Design
Last week I found this list of design principles I thought were insightful by the great Dieter Rams.
Good design is innovative
Good design makes a product useful
Good design is aesthetic
Good design makes a product understandable
Good design is unobtrusive
Good design is honest
Good design is long lasting
Good design is thorough down to the last detail
Good design is environmentally-friendly
Good design is as little design as possible
Hope everyone enjoys their week.
Love,
Jet Williams