There’s a seductive danger in a comfort zone that can leave your working life on autopilot, simply because stuff (kind of) works.
But how can we break that autopilot habit without confusing our colleagues or blowing up the organisation with unnecessary experiments?
We can use a cognitive trick that I have carefully hidden in the OPEN step of my FROST Framework.
OPEN is there for one reason: to force us to question the status quo. It creates space to explore our existing ways of working and question why they are the way they are.
And, crucially, during OPEN, we don’t rush to discover alternatives. We never look for better solutions. We simply OPEN our minds to spot areas of our work that have become invisible to us. We need to spot the tasks and processes that have blended so deeply into our routines that they have become the “Wallpaper of our Work.”
[The science bit: Psychologists call our inability to see past established routines “functional fixedness.” This is a mental shorthand where the brain categorises a process as “fixed” and stops thinking about it. That’s efficient, but to future-ready your work and career, you have to trick your brain into breaking that fixedness.]
The magic of the OPEN step lies in the separation of the question from the answer. As adults, our brains are trained to be super-efficient problem solvers. Leaving a question unanswered feels deeply uncomfortable, just as leaving a nearly-complete jigsaw puzzle unfinished feels horribly unsatisfying. That’s why, when we ask “Why do we do this?”, our reflex is to either (1) defend the process or (2) propose a quick fix.
However, by separating OPEN from the SURPRISE (ideation) step that follows, we can trick our brains. As we broaden our panoramic view of the business in an open-minded state of awareness, we start to see the things that could be improved. And by intentionally not zooming in on a premature solution, we create time for our brains to let better ideas come to the fore.
That’s the reason that OPEN questions always begin with the word “Why”:
o Why is the Monday meeting always on a Monday?
o Why do we spend two hours preparing slides for a ten-minute internal update?
o Why do I email a weekly update report when I suspect nobody ever opens the attachment?
As we ask “Why?” we aren’t looking for alternatives (that comes in SURPRISE). Instead, OPEN invites us to let those questions hang in the air until the most important strip of wallpaper starts to peel…
How to get ReadyAlready with OPEN
Stare at Your Wallpaper!
This is easy: Do NOT try to solve anything straight away! Just use one of these prompts to spot some routines you’ve stopped noticing:
- YOUR CALENDAR “WHY?”
Look at next week’s schedule. Pick one recurring meeting and ask yourself: “Why is this scheduled for 60 minutes?” Or, “Why do we do this every week?” Do NOT even think about rescheduling it yet! Just let the mystery of the default sit with you over the weekend. Keep probing, keep asking “why?” - YOUR INBOX “WHY?”
Look at the last three internal emails you were CC’d on. Ask yourself: “Why am I on this thread?” Is it because I need to act, or has my name simply become the wallpaper of someone else’s workflow? Again, don’t take any action. Just keep exploring the “why?” and see where your brain takes you. - YOUR WORKPLACE “WHY?”
Look around. Do it right now! Consider why your workplace space is arranged the way it is. Ask: “Why are there desks?” or “Why are the windows closed?” If your brain immediately tries to justify it with “Because that’s the way it is…,” congratulations, you’ve officially spotted some workplace wallpaper! Keep asking why as you re-explore your space with fresh eyes and spot countless things that could potentially be slightly different or better.
Being OPEN can feel weirdly uncomfortable. But as you rebuild your curiosity, I hope you’ll quickly see that knowing there are so many areas for improvement in your life can also feel empowering and exciting for your future.