Each and every week the Square Holes team are deep in the bowels of a number of projects, working to mine all of the insights that we can to help grow businesses and support thriving cities.

These insights are used by businesses and organisations to innovate their offerings, move into new markets, track their impact and hone their products and output. Each week we will be sharing a broad insight that we have learnt for you to use in your own work.

Let us know what you find valuable!

Jason: As a tool, not a rule

The past six months, past actually year/s, have been super busy, not through repetition but through breadth. Qualitative focus groups and in-depth interviews spanning everything from wine emissions and lead in blood to education pathways, the music sector, wine consumption, public sector employment, flooding, workplace safety, business, brands and the environment. Focused thinking is easier and often more comforting, with tradition providing useful scaffolding to make sense of complexity. But this year has demanded wider curiosity. Moving constantly between contexts means tradition can’t be followed blindly. It has to be treated as a tool, not a rule. Amid the apparent chaos, the same human themes keep resurfacing: uncertainty, trust, trade-offs, fatigue and resilience. Thinking may be easier when it’s narrow, but in a volatile world, it is wider curiosity and the ability to sit with uncertainty that makes thinking more useful.

Dylan: Timeboxing against fatigue

As the end of the year approaches, workloads often intensify, deadlines converge, and the pressure to “get everything done” can feel overwhelming. While to-do lists are a common response, research shows they are often ineffective, with many tasks left unfinished due to overload, poor prioritisation, and lack of commitment. I’ve found Timeboxing offers a stronger alternative by scheduling tasks directly into your calendar and dedicating focused time blocks to one task at a time. By deciding what to work on and when, timeboxing reduces decision fatigue and boosts focus and productivity during the busiest periods of the year.

Mahalia: Making tradition

I’m generally wary of tradition, as it has come to symbolise restricted thinking and outdated belief systems in recent times. However one place I welcome tradition is in the world of making. It’s been a joy to watch friends learn to quilt, hand spin their own wool, and resurrect old traditions and techniques in the name of keeping certain crafts and practices alive. It’s especially beautiful during this gifting season, to make and receive hand crafted gifts that have taken time and focus – in a world that constantly pushes towards ease and automation.

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