Welcome to the Classy Problems weekly mash-up for Monday, October 28th – Sunday, November 3rd, 2024.

Classy Problems is a daily post of thinking in motion by Dan T. Rogers. Each post stands alone as a thought-provoking piece, yet together, they create a puzzle of ideas. They invite you to see things from a different angle, rethink what you thought you knew, and explore what’s beyond your current understanding.

October 28 – When More Awesome is Better Than Bigger

As life becomes more complex, it’s increasingly important for us to be precise with our words.

It’s easy to confuse a system with a network when looking from the outside. But the difference lies in what’s not essential and what is.

A system is a collection of two or more connected essential parts that can only express their properties when they work together — IN SYSTEM. Each part is vital, and if one is removed, the system stops functioning. Think of a car engine — removing a single piston turns a working machine into a very expensive sculpture. Systems are defined by the interdependence of their parts to achieve a specific purpose.

The value of a system is based on the interactions of its essential parts AND its functionality of essential properties. When dealing with a system, focusing on awesome in terms of its functionality is the only effective modification. Chasing scale in terms of bigger or more in a system is backwards. Scale is a byproduct of a well-designed and well-functioning system.

Back to the engine, I don’t know anything about engines, but getting more horsepower is more complex than making a bigger piston. Getting more horsepower out of the engine is about focusing on the interdependence of the parts, not bigger — it’s about getting better or more awesome.

Where are you chasing more in terms of scale when being more awesome would be, more awesome?

October 29 – When Bigger is Better than More Awesome

As life becomes more complex, it’s increasingly important for us to be precise with our words.

It’s easy to confuse a network with a system when looking from the outside. But the difference lies in what’s essential and what’s not.

A network has a single essential part with a collection of non-essential, interchangeable parts around it — IN NETWORK. Each non-essential part can be replaced or removed without collapsing the whole structure. Think of a social network — remove one person and the connections shift, but the network still functions. Networks are defined by the core holding it all together, not any single connection.

The value of a network is based on its functionality of its one essential part AND the size of the network. When dealing with a network, focusing on scale in terms of its size can be an effective modification. Chasing more awesome, in terms of better in a network is backwards. Better or more awesome is usually a byproduct of a well-functioning growing network.

Back to the social network, I don’t know anything about social networks, but getting better at the essential part will only add incremental value and likely only to some portion of the users. Adding value in a social network is about expanding the reach and that comes by adding more non-essential parts in the form of scale.

Where are you chasing more awesome in terms of functionality, when bigger would be better?

October 30 – Appropriate Pacing

We often feel overwhelmed by the volume of information and demands for our attention. In a word — toomuchness. While we may not be able to control how quickly this happens, we do hold significant agency over how we can respond.

A key to managing this is appropriate pacing, specifically, cadence and dosage.

Cadence is the frequency of our interactions. HOW OFTEN determines what is required to maintain balance without becoming overwhelmed.

Dosage is the amount we take on in each interaction. HOW MUCH determines what is required to maintain balance without becoming overwhelmed.

By reflecting on ‘How often?’ and ‘How much?’ we can better align our interactions with our environment. These decisions, made intentionally, can decrease overwhelm and increase effectiveness.

How can adjusting your cadence and dosage with toomuchness reduce its impact?

October 31 – My Story With Preference

Perfect is a preference. The idea of perfection emerges AFTER I apply my preferences to a situation. It represents an ideal, but this ideal is based on my personal opinions and assumptions.

Preferences are inescapable and essential for navigating all relationships. Awareness allows me to recognize them as a ‘lens’ through which I view situations — how I choose to perceive and interact with the world around me.

Through my practice of Intentional Review, I’ve discovered that when I don’t regularly examine my preferences, they shift. They evolve from simple preferences about how I would like things to be, to rigid opinions about how things should be, and eventually to beliefs about how things are. Much like a physical lens, my metaphorical lens needs regular cleaning to ensure my vision remains clear. Awareness is vital to maintaining this clarity.

Classy problems grow out of misalignment, which starts with dishonesty — the dishonesty in the disconnect between how I think things should be and how they actually are.

Are you certain of your beliefs or are your beliefs certain?

November 1 – Too Much Toomuchness

Life is an unsolvable puzzle because of the overwhelming amount of complexity. We call this dynamic too much toomuchness.

The dynamic is inescapable, but the feelings it invokes are not inevitable.

The story we choose impacts how we feel.

What if too much toomuchness is meant to help us align our thinking, relationships, and actions for meaningful impact?

November 2 – Paradox of Rebellion

Rebellion challenges what is AND accepts chaos.

November 3 – Who and What

Who and what is a story. A story we make up, mostly about who and what should be included. A story we tell about the inclusion of things.

Mostly to ourselves …

If I include this, I’ll get that. If I include that, I’ll get this. If I include this, I won’t get that. If I include that, I won’t get this.

Or told in reverse …

If I don’t include this, I’ll get that. If I don’t include that, I’ll get this. If I don’t include this, I won’t get that. If I don’t include that, I won’t get this.

Same story, about you …

If you include this, you’ll get that. If you include that, you’ll get this. If you don’t include this, you’ll get that. If you don’t include that, you’ll get this. If you include this, you won’t get that. If you include that, you won’t get this. If you don’t include this, you won’t get that. If you don’t include that, you won’t get this.

Or told about me and you …

Same story, about you and me …

If you include this, I’ll get that. If you include that, I’ll get this. If you don’t include this, I’ll get that. If you don’t include that, I’ll get this. If you include this, I won’t get that. If you include that, I won’t get this. If you don’t include this, I won’t get that. If you don’t include that, I won’t get this.

Same story, looking back …

When I did include this, I got that.

Same story, about us …

If we include this, we’ll get that.

Same story, about us looking back …

When we did include this, we got that.

And we’re just getting started with the number of combinations and possibilities.

With all of these whos and whats, it’s easy to forget who’s really deciding what’s included.

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