CHRISTOPHER MURPHY Have you ever had an idea for a side project, perhaps a potential business, but never quite managed to get it off the ground? Let’s turn that idea into a reality. As a mentor to small businesses at Belfast School of Art and Tiny Books, Christopher has helped turn many an idea into a fully-fledged business. (In quite a few cases, quite big businesses.) He’ll share some practical advice that will encourage you to stop procrastinating and make the calculated leap of faith you need to, to make your ideas real. Christopher Murphy, Writer, Designer & Educator A writer, speaker and designer based in Belfast, Christopher has founded a number of successful digital startups. A passionate educator and mentor to many young entrepreneurs, Christopher leads Interaction Design provision at The Belfast School of Art. Informing his role as an educator, Christopher is a practicing designer whose work spans a variety of media, both analogue and digital. His work has featured in numerous magazines and books including Eye Magazine, widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading design journals. The author of numerous books – and a regular contributor to Net Magazine, Offscreen, Lagom and others – he is currently hard at work on Tiny Books, which publishes short, sharp books for creative entrepreneurs that explore the design of business and the business of design.

1. A Calculated Leap of Faith
Christopher Murphy
DIBI, Edinburgh · 30 March, 2017
www.tinybooks.org
• I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Jim for inviting me to speak today.
• I chaired DIBI London last year and I’m delighted to be today’s closing keynote speaker.

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@fehler #DIBI2017
Twitter
• I’m @fehler on Twitter.
• I’d appreciate if you’d hashtag any questions or comments you have with #DIBI2017, that way we can continue the discussion online.

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• I’m going to do my best not to swear…
• Should I be afflicted by this force of habit, however, I wholeheartedly apologise. It’s just who I am: I’m passionate about what I do.

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• I’d like to start with a short story.
• It’s 1 January, 2015; New Years Day. Just over two years ago…

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• This is the beach at Portnoo, on the west coast of Ireland, where I swim. On 1 January there’s a charity swim – it’s freezing, but it’s for a good cause.
• I swim every New Year’s Day. Well… except this one.

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• This is how I spent my New Year’s Day in 2015: loaded with morphine and rushed in an ambulance to Letterkenny General Hospital in Donegal. I
was having a suspected heart attack.
• Thankfully in the end things turned out fine, but as I was rushed to the hospital I was convinced my time was up.

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• Reflecting on the day, I wrote this, on the topic of ‘Time’:
http://fsck.monographic.org/time.php

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“ I’ll never forget that moment. The pain still radiating outwards,
though thankfully dulled by the drugs, I wrote messages, one
each for my wife and my children. I told them that I hoped to be
home soon and, above all, I loved them very, very much.”
• It sounds ridiculous to say it – standing here today – but I was writing ‘farewell notes’ to my family.

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“ All I could think of was everything I still wanted to achieve, the
things I still wanted to do in life. Time had been slipping through
my fingers and now I might be out of credit.”
• I can’t describe the thoughts that were racing through my head.
• I felt there was more to work on; important things that I hadn’t finished (or even started) yet.

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86,400
• You only have 86,400 seconds a day: you need to make sure they all count… which leads me to the focus of my talk today.

11. A Calculated Leap of Faith
Christopher Murphy
DIBI, Edinburgh · 30 March, 2017
www.tinybooks.org
• My ‘almost heart attack’, and a handful of other experiences I’ve had over the last few years, really forced me to question what I’m doing.
• They forced me to use every moment to pursue my passions.

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What I’ll be covering…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Taking the Leap
Finding Time
Designing Your Future
The Window of Comfortability
Start Starting
• Here’s what I’ll be covering.

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But first… a little light reading.
• Before I get started, I’d like to recommend a little light reading.
• In addition to my work as a writer and designer, I’m an educator, so you won’t be surprised to see a list of key texts that inform my thinking.

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• I’d like to recommend the following books.
• They’re all about managing your core asset: yourself and your time.

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• Sir Ken Robinson’s The Element, identifies the difference between a career and a calling. It’s about discovering your passion in life. I highly
recommend it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0141045256/monographic-21

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• John Perry’s The Art of Procrastination, is an excellent book dedicated to the art of effective dawdling and postponing (an art I’d recommend):
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0761171673/monographic-21

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• Finally, Peter Drucker’s Managing Oneself is a short, but powerful book, which focuses on the principles of managing oneself, ensuring you’re
delivering at your best:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/142212312X/monographic-21

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• Of course, this book is the one I’d recommend the most, but hold that thought, because I’m going to give it to you – for free – at the end of my talk. /
* Arrow builds automatically. */

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1. Taking the Leap
• To take a calculated leap of faith it’s important to think about:
1. Where you’re leaping to; and
2. Why you’re leaping.

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PASSION MONEY
SKILL
• I believe you can build a successful business or side project with these three key ingredients. /* Shooting star. */

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PASSION MONEY
SKILL
PURPOSE
• At the intersection of these three points you’ll find your purpose and – just as importantly – begin to identify an idea for a business that can sustain
you.

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PASSION MONEY
SKILL
* This is a hobby, not a business. (But that’s OK.)
• We can remove money from the equation, but what we have is a hobby, not a business.
• Hobbies are fine, they teach you many things, and – as an educator – learning is something I’m all for.

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I’ve taken many – often scary – leaps…
• I’ve taken many – often scary – leaps, and I’d like to share some of them now, so you know I’m not just talking theory, but rather I’ve actually applied
this thinking.

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What I do in one slide… *
* Just so you know that I practice what I preach.
• I’m not just an educator, I’m a maker too.
• I wanted to show some things I make so you know that my advice is drawn from real world experience.

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• These are just some of the things I’ve done: I ran a record label for over a decade; I’ve written seven books and lots of articles for a variety of
magazines; I’ve spoken at conferences all over the world; and I’ve been teaching for almost twenty years. Tiny Books is my latest venture.

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Over to you…
• This is where it gets interactive.

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• If you’ve a sketchbook (and I hope you always carry a sketchbook) draw a couple of circles in it, like this.

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3 × Passions
• In the first circle, I’d like you to write down three passions you have. Three things you love doing.
• Mine are: design, business and education.

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3 × Skills
• In the second circle, I’d like you to write down three skills you have. Three things you’re good at.
• Mine are: writing, building slide decks and explaining things.

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PASSION SKILL
FULFILMENT
• At the intersection of your passions and your skills lies something that will fulfil you. This is the sweet spot for a side project (and – who knows? –
maybe a business).

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The Next 48 Hours
• Something you can make.
• Three actionable points: things you can do to
make your idea real.
• Now I’d like you to spend a minute or two writing down something you could make that draws on your passion and skills.
• Finally, write down three things you’ll do in the next 48 hours to get the ball rolling to make your idea real.

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2. Finding Time
• Of course you’re going to tell me you’re too busy, you have no time, but I’m here to tell you that you have plenty of time.

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Procrastination ≠ Negative *
* Let’s reframe ‘procrastination’.
• I’m a firm believer in the power of procrastination and using every ounce of time available to work on exciting things.
• Procrastination is often seen as a negative trait. I want to make the case for procrastination as a positive trait, if you use it proactively.

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• First up, let’s not call it ‘procrastination’.
• When I’m accused of procrastination, I prefer to reply: “I’m not a procrastinator, I’m just ‘late binding’.”
• You can use late binding to maximise your time to explore other things.

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A Spot of Computer Science
• But what does ‘late binding’ mean? Time for a spot of computer science.

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Built in Advance Late Binding
• On the web, we can: build a web page in advance, delivering it readymade when it’s needed; or we can build it at the moment it’s needed.
• Building at the moment something’s needed is called ‘late binding’. /* Builds automatically. */

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“ Delaying decisions until the time for action is beneficial for
lots of reasons. First, it provides the maximum amount of time
to think, plan, and determine alternatives…”
—Don Norman
• Don Norman has lots of thoughts on ‘Why Procrastination is Good’. I’d recommend reading his thoughts on the topic:
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/why_procrastination_.html

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“ Second, it enhances flexibility, allowing the action to take
full advantage of the unique circumstances at the time it’s
required…”
—Don Norman
• Leaving the task until closer to the deadline has benefits.
• It provides time to think and enhances flexibility.

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“ Third, because the requirements are continually shifting and
changing, delaying decisions allows the most current issues and
situations to be accommodated.”
—Don Norman
• It also allows you to design for the current conditions (which might have changed since you received the brief).

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• Whenever you receive a task you’re usually given a deadline. The work rarely takes all of that time, however.
• You usually have a gut reaction at the point where you’d best start working to deliver on deadline. /* Points build on click. */

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ALL THE WORK WHILE CRYING
THE BRIEF DEADLINEFUCK OFF MAD PANIC
• This, I think, is a fairly accurate diagram of what we do day-to-day.
• We call it ‘the creative process’. /* Points build on click. */

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Widening Your Knowledge
Margin
Passion Projects
• By embracing strategic procrastination you can use this extra lead time to: widen your knowledge, build in margin and pursue your passions.

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“ A lack of time pressure allows the mind to be creative, to explore
possibilities. A bit of stress focuses the mind, allowing the
final compilation of all the earlier random, creative thoughts.”
—Don Norman
• Norman underlines that stress focuses the mind, allowing you to bring everything together at the last moment.
• I live by this, but remember: deadlines matter.

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• Every slide deck needs Ron Burgundy….

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3. Designing Your Future
• I believe you can design your future.

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Creative Visualisation
• As creatives we’re gifted with the power of imagination, we can ask ourselves: ‘What does the future look like?’ then give that future form.

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“ Humans are capable of a unique trick: creating realities by first
imagining them, by experiencing them in their minds.” […]
—Brian Eno
• As Brian Eno notes, humans have a gift for creating realities in their minds.

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“ When Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream,” he was inviting
others to dream it with him. Once a dream becomes shared
in that way, current reality gets measured against it and then
modified towards it.” […]
—Brian Eno
• By inviting others to dream your dream with you, you start the process of moving towards that dream and making it real.

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“ The dream becomes an invisible force which pulls us
forward. By this process it starts to come true. The act of
imagining something makes it real.”
—Brian Eno
• Your dream will act as a magnet, pulling you towards it.

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Tomorrow Headlines (Tool 1)
• Tomorrow Headlines – fictional articles from the future – are a powerful tool, allowing us to imagine our future success and give that success form.
• By concretely defining what ‘success’ might look like we provide a concrete point to aim for that we can work back from.

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Here’s one I made earlier…
• Working with the Senior UX Team at John Lewis we conjured up an idea for an app during a prototyping workshop that I ran for the team.

52. • This was an idea for an app called ‘Wander’. Designed to encourage you to explore more and wander.

53. • Over the course of an afternoon, the team created a simple visual, giving their idea form.

54. • Their tomorrow headline really made the idea feel real. /* Magic Move */

55. • This tomorrow headline – which only took fifteen minutes to create – helped the team believe in the potential of their idea. It allowed them to
tangibly feel their future success.
• Tomorrow headlines are a powerful way to design your future and are a great addition to your design toolbox.

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Imaginary Infomercials (Tool 2)
• Another tool you can use that gives your idea form is what I call an ‘imaginary infomercial’.

57. • This short video makes the idea real and is an incredibly visceral tool to give you a glimpse of the future of your idea. /* Movie plays on click. */

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In just one day…
• The UX team at John Lewis created an idea that felt
real and executable.
• This took one day, but the result felt like it had a huge amount of potential.
• All that was needed was to make it real.

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4. The Window of Comfortability
• Side projects are a great way to push out of ‘The Window of Comfortability’, pushing you beyond your comfort zone.

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£ € $ ¥
• You don't need to focus on the money. The important part is to stretch yourself and learn something new in the process.

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The Overton Window
• The Overton Window is a term used in politics to describe the range of policy ideas the public is comfortable with.

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• Someone like Donald Trump promises to build a wall and this moves or widens the Overton Window. /* Trump builds in on click. */

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• This idea can either move the window to a new place…

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• …or it can expand the window to encompass new ideas.

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The Window of Comfortability
• I think it’s useful to map this thinking over to the idea of a ‘window of comfortability’, the place we feel comfortable working in day-to-day.

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• Designing a publication for Little Printer was a little intimidating when I embarked on the project, but it widened my ‘window of comfortability’.
• It added a new string to my bow.

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The Window of Comfortability
• The result? More knowledge, applicable to future projects.

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5. Start Starting
• I believe it’s important to stop talking and start starting.

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“ Each morning you go to the time bank. The cashier gives you
86,400 seconds to spend. You have to spend it come what may.
So you can or should make each second count.”
—David Hieatt
• We’re all given an allocation of time from ‘the time bank’.
• The time bank treats everyone the same. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor: no one can buy more time. As such, you need to use your time
wisely.

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31,025
17,311
13,714
–
–––––––
• I’ve used 17,311 of my 31,025 days so far, and I’m officially well into the second half of my life.
• Knowing that is sobering. It’s important to make every day count.

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• When you’re lying in a hospital bed, convinced this is your last day, you need to be able to look back on your life and know you used your time
wisely.

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“ Time once seemed infinite. As we get older, and I’m now 63,
time speeds up exponentially. It’s incredible. The same hour that
felt like a decade when young, now feels like a minute.”
—Steven Heller
• I recently interviewed Steven Heller for the final issue of 8 Faces magazine, this is what he shared with me. He went on to say: “Life’s not fair.”

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Don’t Waste Time, Make It Count
• Time is finite, it’s incredibly valuable. Once it’s gone, you can never get it back.

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I want to help you make your time count… *
* As an educator, that shouldn’t surprise you.
• As an educator – and a writer and publisher of learning materials – I want to help you make your time count.

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• I think you’ll enjoy my first Tiny Book, ‘Start!’, it’s filled with practical tools for making your ideas real.
• I’m giving it to you, 100% free.

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100% Free, No Strings Attached
• https://gum.co/navigator
• VOYAGER
• I’d encourage you to get a copy. What have you got to lose? It’s free.
• Use the code ‘VOYAGER’ and you’ll get the book for free and you can start starting.

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• If you want the full package, with screencasts and worksheets, I have wee discount cards.
• Use the code ‘MERCURY’ and you’ll get 1/3 off the bigger bundles.

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• I’d like to wrap up with a short video by Alan Watts that stresses the importance of making every moment count:
https://vimeo.com/60087670

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“ Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention
of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather
to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up,
totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a Ride!’”
—Hunter S Thompson
• In closing: Don’t worry about arriving at the grave safely, make the most of your journey in life to build incredible things, filled with purpose.
• Embrace the opportunities of the here and now, and take a calculated leap of faith.

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@fehler #DIBI2017
Thank You!
• Thank you!

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