Sketchplanations
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Metaphor sketches

Explore sketches, drawings, and illustrations that simplify ideas related to Metaphor.

What is the Eat The Frog time management and productivity technique and its meaning with a person about to eat a frog and a to-do listEat the frogMuddy puddle leaky ceilings - James Clear's model of two types of problemsMuddy puddles, leaky ceilingsRivers and buckets metaphor illustration: one person sits calmly by a river watching interesting things go by, another gently stresses holding a bucket with an overflowing list surrounded by more buckets on the floor, each with long listsRivers and bucketsChickens and pigs illustration: also known as the bacon and eggs principle, shows a bacon and fried egg breakfast with an egg for the chicken's involvement and a cleaver for the pig'sChickens and pigsThe Overton Window illustration: with the example of two children lobbying their parents on bedtime policies and the range of politically acceptable ideasThe Overton WindowPoint positive illustration: Rafters pointing towards the safe way down a rapids for a swimmer in the water rather than pointing towards the dangersPoint positiveCake wreck: a cake where instructions for the cake—"Happy birthday in purple, no nuts"—have been smartly written across the front. Intended as a metaphor for literal misinterpretation.Cake wreckThe frog boil metaphor illustration: showing a frog put into cool water that is slowly raised not complaining until it's too late. Poor frog. Don't try this.The frog boil metaphorSharpen the saw from Stephen Covey illustration: A woodcutter explains that they have no time to stop and sharpen the saw as they have so many trees to cutSharpen the sawPeeling away the intent and subtlety behind what seems a simple metric. Next to an onion.The metrics onionPrimary metaphor examples: Important Is Big with parents and a small child, Knowing Is Seeing looking in a box, and Affection Is Warmth with a parent hugging a babyPrimary metaphorWhat is the Front stage back stage metaphor example: the Irving Goffman metaphor of life as theater illustrated with a couple and a waiter at a fancy restaurantFront stage, back stageUmbrella and Funnel management style example explained: Todd Jackson's shit umbrella or shit funnel metaphor shown with on the left, the effective manager uses an umbrella to shield their team from a downpour of tasks and requests coming from all directions. This sheltered team are focussed and productive and celebrate their achievements. On the right, in place of the umbrella, the less effective manager uses a funnel as a catch-all, showering their team with actions, sending the team members running scared. Umbrellas and funnelsLooking under the lamppost, the streetlight effect, or the drunkard's search: a person asks someone scrabbling on the floor under a lamppost at night if they've lost their keys. The person replies they lost them elsewhere, but the light's much better here.Looking under the lamppost: the Streetlight Effect or the Drunkard's SearchThe Learning Pit illustration: a journey from left to right; an individual faces a learning challenge represented by a large pit they need to reach the other side of. Having fallen down into the pit, the challenge seems more difficult than first anticipated. As the picture becomes clearer they discover what they need to climb up the other side to a point where they can look back down at the pit having mastered the challenge. The Learning Pit2 people interpreting an idea of using bubbles, one in black and white only seeing the bad, and one seeing the spectrum including the good in the ideaThe spectrum policyWhat is the trust battery example explained with a manager considering 2 employees based on their past interactionsThe trust battery: A handy metaphor to think about trustCompliments are gifts - not sharing one is like keeping a gift in your pocket: with one person complimenting another and it feeling like receiving a giftCompliments are giftsMobile is snorkelling. Desktop is divingMetaphors for ideasISAs are like bucketsPhD metaphors: a journey, product and quiltA good teacher is a DJ for learningA portfolio can reduce your overall riskInvestments are like building blocks
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