Reading Time: < 1 minThere are times in my life when I know I should be doing something differently, but I just can’t convince myself to change. This could be exercising more often, writing more frequently, or just buckling down to finish the contract that I’m writing. In most cases, it’s because I’ve lost sight of the “why” behind […]
Learning
The less you think you know, the better
Reading Time: 2 minI was recently at an event where the speaker shared a quote from Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus that simply said: “It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows” It’s not unlike ideas I’ve shared before about being willing to change your mind, but I really like the way this […]
We remember what we create
Reading Time: < 1 minOver the years, I’ve discovered that one of the best ways to learn something is to try to teach it to others. In preparing to share a concept, I’m forced to learn more about it and break it down in a way that can be understood by others. The process of doing that has incredible […]
Books and Meals Make You
Reading Time: 2 minI recently heard a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson that gave me pause: “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” As first read, I love it! It makes a lot of sense. Just as the meals I’ve eaten over the years […]
Reading versus studying
Reading Time: 2 minA little over a year ago I shared my shortcut of using Blinkist to read book summaries in about 20 minutes versus the hours it takes to read a full book. There are advantages both ways, but I’m finding that Blinkist helps meet the Pareto Principle — I’m getting 80% of the value of the […]
Curiosity over worry
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen looking at the days ahead, none of us know for sure what’s going to happen. We can treat that uncertainly with curiosity or with worry. In the book Four Thousand Weeks, the author Oliver Burkeman encourages us to choose curiosity, saying: Not knowing what’s coming next—which is the situation you’re always in, with regard […]
It’s an open book test
Reading Time: < 1 minWhile I spend a decent amount of time trying to memorize various things using tools like Anki, for the most part rote memorization is unnecessary. Learning systems and frameworks for understanding are vitally important, but for most everything else you can just look it up when you need it. Similar to the “you won’t be […]
Comfort and growth come from different people
Reading Time: < 1 minThere are generally two kinds of people in your life: those that comfort you, and those that help you grow. You may get lucky and have a few friends that are both, but most people fall into one group or another. Frank A. Clark put it this way: “We find comfort among those who agree […]
Learning fast versus learning deep
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen you’re trying to learn something new, you can choose to learn it fast or learn it deep, and there is a place for both. For example, I’m using Anki right now to work on my knowledge of the Periodic Table. I just want a better cursory understanding of it (“Au” = “Gold”, for example) […]
Using 2022 to get better, not great
Reading Time: 2 minI recently saw a quote from the user “Kinsey” on Deepstash that said: “A New Year’s resolution shouldn’t be at becoming great at something but at becoming better or happier.“ I generally don’t set “New Year’s resolutions”, but there are some things that I’m working toward in 2022. While there are some bigger goals I’m […]