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6 April 2025

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Hey friend,

I'm currently struggling to deal with under-performance in my team. How to motivate, educate and assist the individual and get their projects back on track. Without getting destroyed myself. It is the most difficult part of the job. Ensuring progress, balancing responsibility and accountability.

Some Thoughts

“Decide in advance what you’re going to suck at.” ~ Oliver Burkeman

Author Oliver Burkeman suggests we should deliberately choose which areas of life we'll perform poorly in, rather than trying to excel at everything simultaneously. Just like spreading money too thin leaves you unable to make significant purchases, dividing your energy and attention across too many priorities means you'll achieve mediocrity in all of them. The key to success is deciding what truly matters most to you and accepting that other areas - whether it's a pristine house, a perfect inbox, or a thriving social calendar - will have to be "good enough”.

What you will learn this week:

☀️ What makes Google's design sprints unique

🌍 The best way to sprint to break through barriers

🍄 The weekly structure that actually works

How Google Does Design Sprints

Sometimes a project gets stuck. You and your team find yourselves in a spot where you need to progress on a design issue, but it’s just not working. Perhaps you are struggling to get input from someone, or maybe you just can’t reach agreement.

When this happens it’s time for you to step in.

Actively leading a design sprint is a strategy you should consider. It will allow you to make a leap that would otherwise be impossible. Luckily, Google has created the exact strategy you need.

Google’s design sprint methodology, developed by Jake Knapp and his team at Google Ventures, has revolutionized the way many organizations approach problem-solving and product development. This article will delve into the specifics of how Google executes design sprints, providing insights and practical advice for professionals like you.

What is a Design Sprint?

Design sprints are structured, time-constrained processes aimed at solving specific problems. They solve these through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with users. Originating at Google Ventures, this methodology compresses months of work into a single week.

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Postscript

I would like to create some more free resources for our community. But I need your help. Please let me know what resources interest you. I'll do my best to help create something substantial and useful.

Until next time,

Jonathan (The Effective Project Manager)

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