From the Post: Quick Read, Quick Forget
How much do you forget after you read something? Percentage-wise it varies unless you review or practice repeatedly what you read. Much of what you read evaporates or gets ambushed by everything else that is going on in our lives and forgotten after the first day and more each day afterward leaving you with a fraction of what you comprehended if anything.
If something is interesting and worth learning or the development of a skill, expect to take more than three minutes to make it happen.
Your journal is a crucial tool in the development of your skills and abilities. This is why teachers always told you to take notes in school. It will increase the percentage of retention when it comes to new knowledge.
If you are on a bus, train, carpooling, or plane and you just need a quick read, go for it. It’s better than doing nothing and may lead you to a topic that you are really interested in. If you are serious about the learning prepare yourself to take time to make it happen.
- Identify a topic, skill, or behavior you want to study and work on and write it in your journal.
- Write down what you want to learn, and the challenges or barriers to learning that skill or changing that behavior.
- Write out small steps you can take to overcome the challenges or barriers. Cross out the challenges you overcome and write down new challenges you didn’t think of. This is a work in progress.
- Hold yourself accountable by sharing with a friend, partner, peer, or your team what you are doing.
- Deliberately practice over and over.
- Improve your practice, and make adjustments in your thought process or approach.
- Continue to practice every chance you get, even when you think you have it mastered.
Be persistent, passionate, and patient with your personal or leadership development. My dad always told me if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right, otherwise it’s a waste of time.
