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2003-11-01-getting-started-on-oblique-strategies-for-business.html
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2003-11-01-getting-started-on-oblique-strategies-for-business.html
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---
layout: post
title: "Getting Started on Oblique Strategies for Business"
permalink: getting-started-on-oblique-strategies-for-business.html
---
<p>I've long been a fan of <a href="http://www.enoshop.co.uk/">Brian Eno</a> both as a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/tag=pbblog-20&index=music&field-keywords=brian%252520eno&search-type=ss&bq=1&store-name=music/ref=xs_ap_l_xgl15/103-8214984-8427046">musician</a> (especially <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=pbblog-20&path=tg/detail/-/B000003S2O">Ambient 4</a>) and as a <a href="http://www.longnow.org/">thinker</a>, and I've recently found myself wishing for an <a href="http://www.rtqe.net/ObliqueStrategies/OSintro.html">Oblique Strategies</a> deck for business.</p>
<p>The idea behind Oblique Strategies was to put 100 generally useful (for artistic purposes) suggestions on cards like "Use a different color." or "Play it backwards." and then use the cards either en masse to get started on a project or individually as a means to get out of a creative funk. Clearly, it's a good idea to spend as little time as possible being stuck or stumped.</p>
<p>I'm getting started on a set of cards for personal use, based more or less on the strategies I use when I'm stumped or stuck. The first set are related to time management:</p>
<ul>
<li>Rank by the cost of failure instead of the value of success.</li>
<li>Rank by the value of success instead of the cost of failure.</li>
<li>Focus on the simplest tasks.</li>
<li>Focus on the most complex tasks.</li>
<li>Do the last part first.</li>
<li>Split items into smaller tasks.</li>
<li>Group items into larger tasks.</li>
<li>Delegate.</li>
<li>Eliminate the least important 50% of the tasks.</li>
</ul>
<p>and positioning:</p>
<ul>
<li>Rent it.</li>
<li>Give it away.</li>
<li>Turn your competitors into customers.</li>
<li>Break it into pieces.</li>
<li>Be different.</li>
<li>Be the same.</li>
</ul>
Now I just need 85 more and some card stock.