The QLog

Content and Context

On the blogosphere, many people claim that "content is king" as good information is vital to a great post. However, this is only half the equation. Context is equally important. They are two-sides of the same coin.

Let me demonstrate what I mean with a simple sentence:

Woman without her man is nothing.

Wow. I can not believe such a sexist comment is on my blog...or is it? I am sure many of you read it this way: Woman, without her man, is nothing. Yet, is this the only conext? With a few dots of punctutation, I will illustrate the correct context to consider this statement:

Woman: without her, man is nothing.

You need not agree with either statement to understand my point. If "content is king" then "context is key" as both are needed to successful communicate the meaning of an idea.

The Last Lecture

"We can not change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." - Randy Pausch

Former Disney Imagineer and Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch is an inspiring man at age 47. He is also dying from pancreatic cancer but you would not know from his enthusiasm for life. On September 18, 2007 he gave his 'last lecture' to a packed audience at McConomy Auditorium. Also, more recently, his new book The Last Lecture, was published and I do recommend it. However, I suggest that watching the original lecture should be mandetory for just about every adult at any age!

As someone who strives to enable the goals of others, I promise that if you choose to spend the full 76 minutes viewing this very enjoyable lecture, you will be well rewarded. It will help focus your thinking on what should be most important for your life: striving to acheive your dreams!

Practice Makes Perfect, Part Two

Practice is Important; however, good feedback is the key!

After more research, Thorndike revised his original model some years later to include feedback as an essential ingredient. Without some metrics, it is virtually impossible to measure progress. Both negative and positive feedback loops are necessary to improve any skill over time. This is why students receive grades and professional athletes review their own performance after the game.

Practice Makes Perfect, Part One

Psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949) offered the "Law of Exercise" which stated that "the more times a response is made in a given situation, the stronger it becomes. As a behaviorist, he suggested that stimulus-response associations are strengthened through repetition. This was an early idea about learning, based on animal studies.

In other words, he claimed that Practice Makes Perfect.

Question: is it really that simple?

What Are You Learning in 2008?

What one subject do you want to learn in 2008? An additional skill? A second language? A new hobby? Or do you want to become a subject matter expert in specific field or niche?

Both formal and personal studies are important for self-growth. Successful output is linked to wise mental inputs. Make sure that you have decided to learn something novel and worthwhile this year.

THE Answer or Answers?

As we grow up, schools often instill the idea that problems have a single answer. Exams and questions are often worded to provide the 'correct' solution.

Few problems are this black and white. To become a successful problem solver, it is vital you break away from this sociological conditioning. Instead of seeking THE answer, seek a minimum of three potential solutions. Then evaluate the costs and benefits of each possibility and select the best choice. 

Learning Goal

What new skill, activity, hobby, or subject matter do you want to learn about? I suggest pursuing one major learning goal for 2008. Perhaps you would like to delve deep into history and become an American Civil War buff or an expert on the campaigns of Alexander The Great. Maybe you would like to learn how to paint, draw, or sculpt. There are 1000s of possibilities. Some other common examples include:

• To speak a foreign language such as French, Chinese, or Arabic.
• To play a musical instrument such as the guitar, piano, or violin.
• To master a game such as chess, backgammon, or poker.

This year is a great opportunity to learn something new and meaningful. Choose a topic that you would enjoy and then begin tackle the books, the courses, the coaching, the training, or the daily practice that will be necessary.

Learn to Learn

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him think...

The first few years of the 21st century has certainly made two things abundantly clear:

1)         Change is the new constant.

2)         Change will continue at an ever-increasing speed.

This means the any skills you have today will become obsolete sooner than could have be imagined 50, 20, or even 10 years ago. Yet, unlike the fate of the horse-and-buggy specialists of yesteryear, the trend is obvious today and you can prepare.

The solution: a continual and life-long education. Do not be one of the millions who never read a book after High School or College. Remember: the term ‘commencement’ means the time an event is going to begin—not end. Learning should not be restricted to classrooms.

The catalyst: learn to learn or learn how you learn best. First, select topics that you find interesting as well as those that are critical for you to become an expert in your field. Second, determine the methods (reading, audio books, classes, seminars) which will insure that you retain the maximum information content in the shortest possible time. Finally, design an individual program to develop both depth and breadth for your own personal and professional growth.

Learning is a choice. Customized metalearning is the new essential lifetime skill.

The Rule of Five

Learning is based, in part, on repetition. Most of what you see and hear on a daily basis will be forgotten if there is only the single (or initial) stimulus. One method to improve your overall memory is to employ the ‘rule of five’ review technique for important material. Research suggests this works as multiple sessions will strengthens the neural pathways and connections within the brain for this particular information. So, the next time you want to learn something new, plan to also review the material five additional times (at minimum). Here are some possible timetables:


Rapid Review Schedule

• One Day Later
• Two Days Later
• Three Days Later
• Four Days Later
• Five Days Later

Extended Review Schedule

• An Hour Later
• A Day Later
• A Week Later
• A Month Later
• A Quarter Later

Of course, a ‘hybrid’ schedule can be crafted as well. Adapt your own time frame due the priority, complexity, and novelty of the task, skill, or information you would like to master.