Orange Minds, Amsterdam (2026)

02/11/2020

📚 Early this year I brought together some people to start a book club. And it's awesome if I may say so myself 📚. I love to read and get through about 25+ books 📚 a year.

I review some on Instagram & LinkedIn because it helps me reflect 🤔. What I missed though was a deeper discussion & other perspectives💡. Hello ➡️ The Book Club!

What do we do? Simple.

📘 Read a book.
💬 Discuss.
📙 Next person picks a book.
📅 Meet once a month.

What does it bring me? Conversations, connections, deep reflections, discussions about life, growth✨. It also stretches my horizon to read books that were chosen by someone else.

Like this recent book: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is written as a letter to the author's teenage son about the feelings, symbolism, and realities associated with being Black in the United States. A very honest, raw and a must read to open up conversations that need to be had.

, , & .vanderploeg thanks for joining me on this ride. Go The Book Club😎. Up next: Walden🌲🌿.

Are you in a book club? If so, what's your formula for discussion? Book suggestions also welcome!

19/10/2020

😩 Zoom fatigued. The new reality of 2020 😩. And it's not so crazy. We run too many meetings online 💻. And we tend to run them poorly. (We think the same is true for offline, but that's another story.) This is why we teamed up with superstar neuro-economist Wouter van den Berg 🧠 from Brain Compass to better understand what the virtual space does to our brains.

Our brains were made for the offline world, this is what it is used to. Most of the information we take in there is processed automatically. Online is a different story 🖥️. It's a different way of processing data. Instead of our automatic system, the cortex kicks in which consumes much more energy🤯.

We're drained at the end of the day because our brain is processing data differently😫. It's continuously trying to make sense of the new situation in overdrive. So, what can we do to keep focused & energized? Limit uncertainty 🎯 for starters. How? Just a few practical tips:

📅 Set a clear agenda so that your brain knows what will happen the meeting and does not have to guess.
📹 Turn on your camera so that you know who you are talking to.
🌳 Take some no-put time between meetings so that your brain can take a rest.

They might sound simple and obvious but the most effective things often are. Make things explicit, your brain and your family will thank you!

Are you working in a company that can use more online etiquette and motivation? Get in touch for our full workshop on how you can make brain-based magical ✨ online meetings. It's your new minimal viable skill.

22/09/2020

🔑 What is essential? Today? Right now?🔑 That's question asks in Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Saying no is key. If we don't, we say yes by default. We end up majoring in minor activities.
But, saying no ⛔ gracefully is easier said than done. So how to make this easier? Be crystal clear on your Essential Intent🔮 Greg says. The one decision that eliminates 1000 later decisions. Once the decision is made, you don't have to spend energy every time thinking, will I? Should I? 🙏 So instead of energy going in one hundred directions, you combine energy in one direction⚡.
I like the comparison to Marie Kondo's technique, "Does it spark joy?"✨. Take the decluttering your house lessons and apply it to commitments. Ask: Does this excite me to a point of 'hell yes!'? Does it fit with your essential intent? Then do it! If not, say no⛔. However good the opportunity is.
Just remember Dieter Rams' philosophy "less but better". What are you going to say no to today? 😀

17/08/2020

🥴 Procrastination is a way of your brain telling you, I'm tired. 🥴 Tired of information. Tired of the way you’re working.

I go through phases of super focus & energy⚡ and slumps of 'uhhhhh where/how do I start!? 🤔 At the moment I'm in a slump. Which unfortunately means I spent way too much time on YouTube📱. That's why today I kick-started my week with Ditch the Distractions from

They mentioned the distinction between input, output (yes, we know those), but also no-put.

🤝 Input = incoming impulses. Interactions with others, brainstorms, emails, TedX, podcasts, social media.
✍️ Output = What you create. Writing, designing workshops, wireframes, whatever your specialty.
🌳 No-put = Nothing. Silence, walking, meditation.

What you do the first hours of the day matters.

✍️ Focus on output.
🌳 Recharge with no-put.
🤝 Soak up some input.
🌳 Decharge with no-put.

Thank you for the reminder. I am going to plan some more no-put time.

I'm on the Isle of good intentions, but ready to sail to land of creation ⛵😄. Where are you?

Image credits go to the talented .

11/07/2020

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a prototype is worth a thousand meetings!

Can you draw✏️ these basic shapes?

Square, circle, line, triangle, blob? I bet you can.

And with that you have the basis for all visual communication.

We're not saying you'll be an artist, but we are saying you can draw. 👩‍🎨

It's a skill, like so many things that gets better by taking tiny steps.

Don't you hate meetings where there are long discussions and you think, what are they talking about?

Draw it out!

Most people don't draw for the fear that they're not good enough. Pitty🙁.

Good ideas go unexpressed, solutions are undiscovered.

Start by making use of the drawing skills you already have (basic shapes 🔵🔺◼️) and add to that.

Focus on the quality of the idea, not quality of the sketch.

Everyone is creative and so are you⚡!

Design Sprints are a great way to practice this too.

Credits to for the picture.

Happy weekend everyone!

07/07/2020

☀️Why you get more done when you work less☀️

It's been a crazy year for us, as for many.

When COVID-19 hit we all of a sudden had no work & loads of time.

Now, 3 months later, it's busy. Very busy.

All postponed work came in one go and all our stillness is hard to hold on to.

Rest by is a good reminder to do less.

Rest is not given to you, you need to take it. Resist the lure of busyness.

Deliberate rest is a skill that you can train and has direct results on the quality of life.

So what if we take rest as serious as we take work?!

10 strategies to take try & test:

Stimulate creativity
👩‍💻 Work 4 HOURS
☀️ Establish a MORNING ROUTINE
🚶‍♀️ Go for a WALK
🛏️ (Power) NAP daily
✋ STOP before the end & continue next day
😴 SLEEP well

Sustain creativity
🌳 RECOVER: detachment from work
💪 EXERCISE frequently
⛰️ DEEP PLAY: get a serious hobby
🌴 SABBATICAL: take time off

Work 4 hours is my goal for Q3.

Where does your rest take you?

Happy summer holidays everyone!

23/06/2020

⚡“Life's too short is repeated often enough to be a cliche, but it's true. You don't have enough time to be both unhappy & mediocre. It's not just pointless, it's painful. Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from." ⚡ These words from Seth Godin remind me everyday to take action🏃‍♀️.

To help (I had gotten into a habit of snoozing) I read Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod ☀️. My biggest take-away from the book: every time you hit snooze😴, you subconsciously say to yourself, "this day can wait, it's not important". This mindset sticks with you. No wonder I felt like I achieved nothing all day😕.

I've set my alarm at 5:30 ever since and it's been a gift🎁. (Robert has a slighly different take on this 😅). 2️⃣ to 3️⃣ extra hours a day to work on things I would otherwise leave for the end of the day (and not do them because I was too tired).

I just finished 66 days of Miracle Mornings, which research says is enough to make it a habit. Let's hope that's true😊. For habits to stick, you need to create a system. Here's mine:

🌳 05:30 Get up & get outside
☕ 06:30 Coffee & journal
✍️ 07:00 Write
🥝 09:00 Breakfast
📱No email or phone before 10:00

The latter is crucial as otherwise I'm thrown out of my happy flow 😁.

What's your morning like?

11/06/2020

✨ To do something new we need courage.✨ Innovation isn't something that belongs to one department. It's something that should be embodied by the whole organisation.

To accelerate innovation companies have spent much time on methods, tools & processes 🛠. All necessary for a common language, but not the key ingredient if you ask me. Asking employees to innovate is asking them to change. To look at their work & the world differently🌏💫. Spot opportunities within challenges, ask questions to customers, test assumptions, let go of the usual way of doing things.

This requires courage 🙏. And courage means that we have to let go of fear. Fear of doing something wrong, not being good enough, fear of success. Unformtunately this isn't a conversation we often hear. People talk about the methods & tools because it's an 'easy' conversation.

But we think that by talking about fears, understanding & addressing them, will make the real difference. It's more uncomfortable because we're not used to talking about it. Dare to be vulnerable.🧡

🗣 Next meeting, ask everyone to write down their fears. Talk about them. By addressing fear you can unlock the courage to do something about it and take away a barrier of innovation. Barriers are often in our minds, not in our methods & tools.

10/06/2020

Say Hi to our Yellow Wall 👋! You might have seen it in a picture or two since we've been home... And if we were a good singers, we'd probably would have written a song about it 🤪🎤.

Over the past months we've given many workshops, webinars and video calls in front of our yellow wall! 👨🏻‍💻👩‍💻 Each and every workshop the yellow wall was mentioned one way or another. Here are some of our favorites:👇

👀 'Because of your yellow wall, I can easily find you in my video call, that's super useful.'

🖼️ 'How many frames are on that wall?'

🎨 'Did you match your logo with the wall or your wall with your logo? ;)'

🔰'I thought about painting my wall green, but now I see yours, I'm gonna make it yellow.'

The last person actually DID paint her wall yellow. 🥳 We feel like influencers now 🙌🏝️.

When we first painted the wall, we were shocked by its Banana Yellow-ness (yes, official paint colour name ;)). 🍌 But now it not only brings bright and sunny days to us 🌻☀️, but to many others too and has become our home office signature... ✍🏻😆.

Happy Wednesday.

08/06/2020

🏆 Psychological safety: the marker for success in innovation 🏆. We've been exploting this topic more and more lately as we see that with this ingredient magic ✨ happens.

Organisations speak of cultures where it's ok to fail. Yet when I look close I see people who are still held accountable for old-school KPIs. People struggle with letting go, exploring, making mistakes, failing. And thus learning.

The poster is there: "It's ok to fail". But companies don't address how to get there. This is where psychological safety comes in. Which is different than trust.

Trust exists within the mind of an individual and another. Eg. I trust Kim. I don't trust Mark. It's between two parties.

Psychological safety is experienced at a group level. A team working together will have a similar perception if the climate is safe. It covers all interactions and space.

Imagine what a team can do when they're safe. Take risks, raise problems, speak up, accept different perspectives, value unique talents, ask for help.

A psychologically safe climate sets the stage for a more collaborative, engaged & challenging workplace. This is what we need to innovate. To grow.

The Design Sprint is a great tool to create & practice this. And a facilitator who understands these dynamics can guide a team to create magical outcomes ✨. Both on prototype level and even more importantly: a safe team.

02/06/2020

Not travels from us, so lots of time to read! ✨ Bring your best self to work ✨ Emotions are part of you, at work too. No point in hiding that & yet at work we often put on a facade called 'professionalism'. To us there is nothing professional about keeping things pressed beneath the surface. Success is letting emotion into the workplace without letting them run wild.

write a super cool book about this: No Hard Feelings. It's filled with behavioural research, practical tips & our favourite; witty illustrations.

They created the 7 New Rules of Emotion at Work to help you navigate 🌊:

🌡️ HEALTH Be less passionate about your job: Why taking a chill pill makes you healthier
🚀 MOTIVATION Inspire yourself: Why you're stuck and how to get moving
🤟 DECISION MAKING Emotion is part of the equation: Good decisions rely on examining your emotions
🔗 TEAMS Psychological safety first: The how matters more than the who
🙏 COMMUNICATION Your feelings aren't facts: Why you shouldn't get emotional about your emotions
⏩ CULTURE Emotional culture cascades from you: Small actions make a big difference
🛡️ LEADERSHIP Be selectively vulnerable: How you share matters

We would suggest this book to facilitators, managers & anyone because don't we all want to be our best & happiest self at work?

28/05/2020

🐝"Every man dies; not every man really lives." 🐝 - William Wallace. That's something to not forget. The Art of Non-Conformity by is all about setting your own rules, living the life you want & changing the world.

Set you own rules:
💪You don't have to live your life the way others expect you to. This is the basis of the book. I call it; challenging defaults.
💪Many people live an average life and do things they're supposed to do. Settling for "good enough".
💪Life planning is like planning a wedding but much more important, so take the time for it! Design your life.

Live the life you want:
🎯You can have unlimited goals and dreams. But you can't have unlimited priorities.
🎯When you look at others and think "I wish I could do that", you can. Just choose your priority.

Change the world:
😁Life is most meaningful when we combine our own desires with an active strategy to help others people at the same time.
😁Think about your legacy now, not later. Live your life with that vision in mind so that your work, whatever it may be, will outlast your time on this planet.

This book was a good reminder to assess if I am taking responsibility for my life. I think I am still on track :).

"Taking the road less traveled is a good start, but you can also build your own road".

Orange Minds

02/11/2020

19/10/2020

22/09/2020

17/08/2020

11/07/2020

07/07/2020

23/06/2020

11/06/2020

10/06/2020

08/06/2020

02/06/2020

28/05/2020

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