The Black Sock Syndrome

An excerpt from ‘Overcoming Stupidity’ by Andy Green.

The first and foremost excuse for not getting anything done is ‘I haven’t got time?’

I have yet to meet anyone who says they have loads of spare time.

Whether you are challenging stupidity or coming up withy new creative ideas, you will similarly face objections of ‘You don’t have enough time.’

It is inevitable that if you are exploring new ways of doing, or taking up new challenges it will consume valuable time.   

So the first task of either a Stupid Aid ambassador or creative person is to create time for themselves.

In my house I once had a thief. After doing the laundry I would find I would have odd socks missing. Where had they gone? Have they walked away, or been eaten? I just found it an incredible waste of my time acting as a sock dating agency matching up different socks together.

My solution: I now wear just black socks and get away with wearing socks that may not be an original pair, but being uniformly black, people don’t seem to notice. The solution has generated sufficient added value to provide a solution to the problem, and I now have created more time for myself from.

What is the equivalent of your ‘black socks syndrome’? Where in your life can you save time on unnecessary or unimportant things?

You can use this new spare time for either your new creative ideas or for tackling compound stupidity around you.

Learn more about the book "Overcoming Stupidity" by clicking on the link

www.flexiblethinkingforum.org.uk

Stupid Aid Tour 2008

Well, a big week ahead with the second Stupid Aid Week (September 1st-5th). The idea is to promote the new book - 'Overcoming Stupidity' and spread the word about our mission to encourage flexible, creative thinking.

Early start with a 6.40am interview on BBC Radio Merseyside. Already, the breakfast show at BBC Radio Oxford making it their lead item on their breakfast show encouraging listeners to submit their favourite examples of stupidity.

Already this morning I have done two stupid things. Unfamiliar with the shower at my brother's house in London, instead of switching it off, I inadvertently pressed the wrong button and blasted myself with cold water! An example 1 star stupidity - not taking into account all the potential information available to me!

I also left my mobile phone on during my live radio interview - that could have created a 2 star stupidity - not taking into account wider interests!

Later this morning will be doing two photocalls in London - one on the Millenium footbridge, to highlight how the bridge's 'wobble' was a great missed opportunity, the other on the Air Ministry building, the site of turnijng down Sir Frank Whittle's jet engine design in the 1930's. (World War II could have been over a lot quicker if they had seized the opportunity.)

Face a busy week - Tuesday in Wilmslow with the Information Commissioner's Office in Wilmslow, Wednesday with West Yorkshire Police in Wakefield, Thursday with the Institution of Safety and Health, and Friday with the Admiral Insurance Group in Cardiff.

Just hope people will realize this is not a tounge-in-cheek exercise but a genuine effort to empower people andstand up to beaurocratic and inflexible thinking.

Please spread the word.

www.flexiblethinkingforum.org.uk