From Overwhelm to Achievement: Harnessing Rapid Decision-Making

Let's kickstart with a quote :

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin

Hello, and welcome to the?Mindset Code, a newsletter that helps you use your mind to change your life. In this edition, we will discover how a simple technique can help you overcome your fears and anxieties. This technique is called the 5-second countdown, and it is based on the idea that you have only five seconds to act on your goals before your mind stops you with doubts and excuses. By counting backward from five to one, you can break your bad habits and start your good ones.

Jenny is a team lead in a cloud solution-providing company. She is responsible for managing a team of developers and delivering high-quality cloud solutions to their customers. One day, she receives an urgent email from one of their biggest customers, who is facing a serious problem with their cloud solution. The email reads:

Dear Jenny,

We are writing to inform you that we are experiencing a major issue with your cloud solution. Our data is not syncing properly across our devices and platforms, and we are losing important information and transactions. This is affecting our business operations and reputation, and we are losing money and customers every minute. We need you to fix this problem as soon as possible, or we will have to terminate our contract with you and switch to another provider. Please reply to this email with your action plan and timeline for resolving this issue.

Sincerely,

Your Customer

Jenny feels a surge of panic and anxiety as she reads the email. She knows that this is a critical problem that could cost her company a lot of money and reputation, and possibly her job. She also knows that she has to act fast and find a solution before it is too late. However, she feels overwhelmed by the pressure and the complexity of the problem, and she doesn’t know where to start or what to do.

She remembers reading about the 5 second rule, a technique that can help her take action and overcome procrastination, fear, or doubt. She decides to give it a try and apply it to her problem-solving process. She counts down from 5 to 1 in her head and then takes the following steps:

• Defining the problem. Jenny replies to the customer’s email and acknowledges their problem and frustration. She assures them that she is working on finding a solution and that she will update them as soon as possible. She also asks them for more details about the problem, such as when it started, how often it occurs, what devices and platforms are affected, etc. She then gathers all the relevant information and data from her team’s cloud solution dashboard and logs. She analyzes the data and identifies the root cause of the problem: a bug in the cloud solution’s synchronization module that prevents data from being updated correctly across different devices and platforms.
• Generating alternative solutions. Jenny brainstorms different ways to fix the bug and restore the data synchronization functionality. She considers various factors, such as the time, cost, risk, impact, and feasibility of each solution. She comes up with three possible solutions:
• Solution A : Roll back the cloud solution to the previous version that was working fine before the bug was introduced.
• Pros: It is the fastest and easiest solution; it does not require any additional development or testing; it has minimal impact on other features or functionalities.
• Cons: It may cause data loss or inconsistency; it may introduce other bugs or errors; it may not be compatible with newer devices or platforms; it may not meet customer's expectations or requirements.
• Solution B : Apply a hotfix patch to the cloud solution that fixes the bug without affecting other features or functionalities.
• Pros: It is faster and easier than solution C; it does not cause any data loss or inconsistency; it has minimal impact on other features or functionalities.
• Cons: It may require additional development and testing; it may introduce other bugs or errors; it may not be compatible with newer devices or platforms; it may not meet customer’s expectations or requirements.
• Solution C : Redesign and rewrite the cloud solution’s synchronization module from scratch using a more robust and reliable algorithm.
• Pros: It is the most reliable and robust solution; it does not cause any data loss or inconsistency; it does not have any other bugs or errors; it is compatible with newer devices or platforms; it meets customer’s expectations or requirements.
• Cons: It is the slowest and hardest solution; it requires significant development and testing; it has a high impact on other features or functionalities.

Jenny decides that solution C is the best option for her team and their customer, even though it is the most challenging one. She believes that it will provide the best long-term value and satisfaction for both parties.

• Implementing and following up on the solution. Jenny communicates her decision and action plan to her team members and assigns them tasks according to their skills and expertise. She also updates her customer on her progress and timeline for delivering the solution. She leads her team in developing, testing, deploying, and monitoring the new synchronization module for their cloud solution. She ensures that everything is working properly and that there are no issues or errors. She also verifies that the customer’s data is synced correctly across their devices and platforms. She then contacts her customer again and confirms that the problem has been resolved and that they are satisfied with the outcome.

Jenny feels relieved and proud as she receives positive feedback from her customer and her team members. She has successfully solved a major problem using the 5-second rule and her problem-solving skills. She has also improved her team’s cloud solution and their customer’s experience. She thanks her team and her customer for their cooperation and support, and she celebrates her achievement. She also reflects on what she has learned from this experience and how she can apply it to future problems. She realizes that the 5-second rule is a powerful technique that can help her take action and overcome procrastination, fear, or doubt in any situation. She decides to use it more often and to share it with others who may benefit from it. She also decides to improve her team’s cloud solution development and testing processes to prevent similar problems from occurring again. She is confident that she can handle any problem that comes her way as a team lead in a cloud solution-providing company.

Ali is a final year B.Tech CSE student who is working on a robotics project with his team. They are building a robot that can navigate a maze and perform various tasks, such as picking up objects, avoiding obstacles, and communicating with other robots. They are using an Arduino board as the main controller for their robot, along with various sensors, motors, and modules.

They have been working hard on their project for the past few months, and they are almost ready to present it to their professors and peers. They have tested their robot several times and fixed any bugs or errors they encountered. They are confident that their robot will impress everyone and earn them a good grade.

However, five days before the final presentation, disaster strikes. Ali is testing their robot one last time when he notices that it is not responding to his commands. He checks the Arduino board and sees that it is not lighting up or connecting to his computer. He tries to reset it, but nothing happens. He realizes that the Arduino board is broken and needs to be replaced.

He feels a surge of panic and frustration as he thinks about the consequences of this problem. He knows that without the Arduino board, their robot will not work at all. He also knows that buying a new Arduino board will take time and money, which they don’t have much of. He wonders how he will explain this to his team members and his professors. He feels like giving up and abandoning the project.

He remembers reading about the 5 second rule, a technique that can help him take action and overcome procrastination, fear, or doubt. He decides to give it a try and apply it to his problem-solving process. He counts down from 5 to 1 in his head and then takes the following steps:

• Defining the problem. Ali calls his team members and informs them about the situation. He apologizes for the inconvenience and asks them for their support and cooperation. He also emails his professors and requests an extension for their presentation deadline. He explains the reason for his request and assures them that he will do his best to fix the problem as soon as possible. He then gathers all the relevant information and data from their project documentation and code. He analyzes the data and identifies the root cause of the problem: a power surge that damaged the Arduino board’s components.
• Generating alternative solutions. Ali searches online for possible ways to fix or replace a broken Arduino board. He considers various factors, such as the availability, cost, risk, impact, and feasibility of each solution. He comes up with three possible solutions:
• Solution A : ?A: Repair the Arduino board by replacing the damaged components or re-flashing the firmware.
• Pros: It is the cheapest solution; it does not require buying or borrowing anything; it has minimal impact on project code or design.
• Cons: It is the riskiest solution; it may not work or cause more damage; it requires soldering skills and tools; it may take longer time.
• Solution B : ?Buy a new Arduino board from a nearby electronics store or an online vendor.
• Pros: It is the most reliable solution; it is guaranteed to work; it has no impact on project code or design.
• Cons: It is the most expensive solution; it may not be available or delivered in time; it requires money.
• Solution C : Borrow an Arduino board from another team or a friend who has one.
• Pros: It is the fastest solution; it is easy to obtain; it has no impact on project code or design.
• Cons: It is the least reliable solution; it depends on availability and generosity of others; it may not be compatible or functional; it requires trust.
• Evaluating and selecting a solution. Ali evaluates each solution based on its pros and cons. He compares them using a simple table:

Ali decides that solution C is the best option for him and his team, even though it is the least reliable one. He believes that it will save them time and money, and that he can find someone who is willing to lend them an Arduino board.

• Implementing and following up on the solution. Ali contacts his classmates and friends who are also working on robotics projects and asks them if they have an extra Arduino board that they can lend him for a few days. He explains his situation and promises to return it as soon as possible. He also offers to help them with their projects in exchange for their favor. He manages to find someone who agrees to lend him an Arduino board that is compatible with his project. He thanks them sincerely and picks up the Arduino board from them. He then connects it to his robot and tests it with his team members. He ensures that everything is working properly and that there are no issues or errors. He then updates his professors on his progress and confirms that he will be ready for the presentation on the new deadline.

Ali feels relieved and grateful as he sees that his robot is working again. He has successfully solved a major problem using the 5 second rule and his problem-solving skills. He has also improved his relationship with his classmates and friends by asking for their help and offering his help. He thanks his team members and his professors for their understanding and support, and he prepares for his presentation. He also reflects on what he has learned from this experience and how he can apply it to future problems. He realizes that the 5 second rule is a powerful technique that can help him take action and overcome procrastination, fear, or doubt in any situation. He decides to use it more often and to share it with others who may benefit from it. He also decides to improve his project’s power management and protection system to prevent similar problems from occurring again. He is confident that he can handle any problem that comes his way as a final year B.Tech CSE student who is working on a robotics project.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Mindset Code. I hope you found it enjoyable and informative. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear from you. Until next time, remember: You have the power to change your life with your mind. You just need to count backwards from five to one, and then do it. 5…4…3…2…1 – go!