Open Loops

Drill #2: Compare and Contrast

As an educator, I know that one of the most powerful learning techniques is that of compare and contrast. According to Dr. Robert Marzano, of the learning strategies that teachers utilize in the classroom, studies show that the use of compare and contrast yields the highest gains in student test scores. This is because of the way the brain operates. The brain learns by linking new knowledge to that already known. The stronger the association between that already known and new information, the easier the new information is assimilated. Exploiting this allows us to do astounding things with our brain. Memory experts, like Harry Lorrayne, memorize vast amounts of knowledge by using techniques that, for the most part, focus on association.

Comparing and contrasting known and unknown information can also be used in a creative drill that gives us insight into areas of study. By comparing and contrasting the known with the unknown we learn more about the unknown. This drill is taught by the Center for Creative Leadership, an institution dedicated to the development of leaders and leadership ability, with campuses in North America, Europe, and Asia. For example, try comparing and contrasting a tree (the known) with leadership (the unknown). What insights can be gained? One might see how a tree sways and bends in the wind and make the association that leaders must also be flexible and be willing to bend in adverse conditions rather than being too rigid. Another observation might be that although a tree grows high, there is a dense root structure underneath the ground that anchors the tree firmly. The link to leadership might be that skill sets that we possess and use extensively should be reinforced by a deeper understanding of what it is that we do. This allows us to adapt to changing conditions, something we cannot do unless we understand the theory behind the skills and techniques. At the same time, we also note that fruit can be picked from the tree without having a complete knowledge of the root structure. We can utilize techniques in our daily roles and gain advantages from them without completely knowing the theory behind them. Usually, the more interesting links and understandings come after one notes and dispenses with the obvious.

What can be learned if one takes the time to compare and contrast an automobile with productivity? What about comparing a digital camera with employee evaluations? How about comparing/contrasting a pizza with dealing with the emotional state of overwhelm? What can be noted if one compares a ship with employee motivation? This can result in new distinctions that one never noticed before.

Give it a try and see what you can learn by simple comparing and contrasting.

Drill #1: Bouncing Back From a Setback with X-Ray Vision

Drills, by their nature, are simple. The improvements that one sees, however, can be huge. I chose the first drill simply because it is short and fast. It holds within it, if practiced enough, a powerful skill that allows one to persevere through any adverse situation.

To be effective in what we do during the day, I think we can agree that a positive mental state gives us an edge. To allow ourselves to descend into a funk due to a setback, primes us for less than excellent results on our next project. The first drill that I use is one that is short, simple, and designed to keep me looking to the positive aspects of anything. It is designed to help me bounce back from a setback.

Drill Criteria

• The drill should be simple and easy to do
• The drill should focus on one skill
• The drill should be as realistic as possible
• The drill should be repeatable and be repeated often

X-ray Vision

Watching my son practice his chess game, I noticed that he would set up a position that would be considered bad. He would then try to find moves that improved his position. He tried to find good moves within his bad position.

This drill from this is easy and short. The name comes from the objective of looking through adversity to see the opportunities and potential benefits that may lie within. Find a negative situation that might be experienced in the future. Take a few minutes to close your eyes and imagine yourself in that situation. Feel the way it feels. Try to hear the sounds and see the sights that you might hear. Experience the emotion. Then, grab a pen and paper and list all the positives and opportunities which are embedded within it. Try to list at least five to ten advantages or opportunities in that lie within the negative experience. You will find that the truly important opportunities -- the ones that most people never see -- come after the first five.

Practice this daily until it becomes easy and second nature. When one actually finds themselves in a bad situation, spotting positives in a bad position should be an automatic response that keeps one from sinking into counterproductive mental states.

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A Secret They Should Have Taught You In School: How to Learn More with No Extra Effort

Effectiveness sometimes means we have to learn something new, whether it be reference information, new processes, or other data.  Although I firmly believe that memorization of simple data is a mistake as long as the data can be accessed when needed, sometimes, you just have memorize stuff! 

The faster we learn this new information, the more quickly we can effectively use it to be more productive.  There are ways to speed up the learning process to make this task as quick and painless as possible.  One way to increase learning is to use the Primacy and Recency Effect to our advantage.  In fact, the old adage that says to go fast, one must go slow, is quite appropriate here.

A Solid Filing System

People seem to always inquire as to how to handle next action support materials.  From simple letters and memos to large items that don’t fit in a file drawer, people are always debating how to handle the support material.

Here’s a quick peek into my system of three files that keep my support material organized:

Hey! Get a Life!

One of the important things that I understand about learning and teaching is that one must love learning in order to teach well.  In that spirit, the state of North Carolina set up the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching.  At these facilities, teachers, who must be selected for the program, become learners again and, for a few days, are secluded away from the hustle and bustle of the world and take classes on various subjects.  The teachers, who attend free of charge, stay in the hotel-like facilities and have access to walking trails, exercise rooms, musical instruments, a library, and a world-class dining room with meals prepared by gourmet chefs.  In this environment, teachers get re-infused with the passion and excitement of learning.  In the renewal courses, they are encouraged to take courses that are not related to what they do or teach back at home.  Math teachers learn the intricacies of soaring in a glider, history teachers may learn art, while others learn about crime scene investigation.  The curriculum changes each semester.  Teachers go home rededicated to teaching.

Keeping this in mind, I have, for the last 10 years or so, done this on a personal level, taking on one special discipline each year on which to work.  For that one year, all my discretionary time and money go toward my "become an expert" goal.  Although one cannot become a true expert on any topic in one year, one can gain a strong level of competence and appreciation for it.  In addition, the effort revitalizes one's love for learning and for our chosen profession.  In fact, the more challenging the effort, the easier "work" gets.  It also keeps life exciting for me because my interests change from year to year and I can change my area of study each year.  Some topics stretch over several years as my interest continues beyond the one-year mark.  During the last 15 years, I've learned:

• HTML and how to create and maintain web sites
• How to play acoustic guitar
• How to play the bass guitar
• How to play mandolin
• How to play the Irish and Low Whistles
• Gourmet cooking
• Chess (to the level of competing in tournaments)
• Backgammon (to a master's level)
• Knitting/Crocheting
• Calligraphy
• Shagging  (the dance...get your mind out of the gutter -- My wife and I did this one together)

This year, I'm a little ambitious and I've chosen two things to do.  First, I made a move to a different aspect of my job where I'm working with a more diverse clientele, so I'm beginning to learn Spanish.  Then, I've decided to pursue a dream I've always had.  So last week, I called my local flight school and arranged flying lessons to work toward a private pilot certificate.  Today, I begin my lessons. It takes a minimum of 40 hours to achieve this so my goal is to have it within a year.  Next year:  Skydiving!

My point is that each of these things, except learning Spanish, has nothing to do with what I do professionally as an educational administrator.  They keep life exciting and fun.  They keep me young.  Above and beyond that, I find that I'm more productive at work when I engage in these activities.  It's almost like I don't want to take work home because it would interfere with my life, so I "get it done"!  Hey...I have a life to get home to!

Everyone should be doing something that does this for them.  What things that are unrelated to what you do make you more productive at work?  What gives you the "juice of life", that keeps your life exciting?

Do What Your Teacher Says

The unique perspective that I feel I bring to the table regarding GTD comes from the fact that one of my degrees is in education.  I know how people learn.  I know strategies that shorten the learning curve.  I know what brain research says about learning.  So, from time to time within these posts, I’ll be dropping nuggets of information about how to learn and integrate GTD into your life and do so faster and with less effort.

The first secret that smart students know is that they never use only one textbook.  Successful students utilize several sources of information.  No one explains information in a way that clicks with all learners.  That’s why teachers can teach a concept to a child for months with no success, but when the student is moved to a new teacher (who explains the concept differently), he/she is suddenly successful.  When my sons were in school, we routinely bought several textbooks for each of their classes.  When one didn’t make a concept clear, we moved to the others.  Eventually, we found an author that explained in a way that my sons related to.

Shorten your learning curve with GTD, look for multiple sources of information and then study them.  There are, as you know, many blogs that contain a lot of GTD knowledge.  You can hunt them all down for yourself, or you can go to a centralized site that provides links to a lot of GTD sites where they have been pre-screened for their GTD value.  One site is the Office Zealot’s GTD Zone.  Loaded with GTD information, it also contains links to many GTD blogs, thanks to Marc Orchant.  So do what smart students do…use multiple sources of information.  But do it the smart way by using an aggregator site, specifically, Office Zealot and it’s GTD Zone.