Why this exists
Early in my career, I kept a notebook of ideas about work. I was frustrated by how much time and energy it took to get things done, even when everyone already knew what needed to happen. The goals were clear. The path to them was slow and wasteful. I wanted to understand why.
I often looked to nature for answers. Nature doesn’t tolerate imbalances for long, and living things are generally very good at conserving energy and using it wisely. Organizations, and the people in them, often aren’t. The name of this blog comes from one of those ideas: ants build remarkable things without anyone in charge.
Sixteen years later, I’ve reread those notes many times. Some held up. Some were naive. A few I got completely wrong.
Each post here starts with one of those original ideas, then takes an honest look at it: what I got right, where I was inexperienced, and what I think it means now.
Who it’s for
People who feel like corporate life isn’t letting them do their best work, and want something more useful than “just quit.”
Small business owners and entrepreneurs who want their hours to count for more.
Anyone who knows exactly what needs to get done, and suspects it’s taking far more effort than it should.
The idea underneath it
This is about energy, the same way it is in nature. Not working harder, but getting to the same goal with less waste. Most of us lose a surprising amount of time and attention to the path between knowing what to do and getting it done: waiting on answers, repeating handoffs, chasing approvals, and following processes that slow the work down. If we can cut that down, we have more left for the things that actually make our lives, our work, and the world better.
I’ll name the frustrations honestly. Then I’ll try to point to something you can do about them.
I’m Matthew Brown. I’ve spent my career working on how organizations and operations actually run, and I’m still learning.