Category Archives: Learn how to Learn

Want a New Perspective? Try the Powers of Ten Exercise

4th Industrial Revolution, Learn how to Learn, Learning

As discussed in the last post, for 2019 I have set myself a process goal of learning.  The first step is to learn how to learn and I am working through a great course on this subject from Coursera.  In the first week of the course I came across an interesting exercise called the ‘Powers of Ten’.  By the way the Learning how to Learn course is free and all you need is an internet connection to do it.  This goes to illustrate the learning opportunities out there for all of us if we choose to take them.

What is the Powers of Ten exercise?

The Powers of Ten exercise is an exercise to enhance creativity.  The video starts with a man and woman lying on a picnic blanket.  The picture zooms out by the power of ten each time until you see the earth, our galaxy and then the many galaxies.  This gives a totally different perspective to the scene.  Likewise zooming in to the cells on the mans hand down to the atomic and subatomic level also gives a totally different perspective.  Zooming out and zooming in helps us to be more creative by seeing the same scene from different perspectives.  What does a problem or issue look like when your step back from it?  Why am I doing this – what is the bigger picture?  It is a way to get perspective and new ideas.  Sometimes we are lost in the weeds and don’t see things as they really are.  Have a look at the Powers of Ten Video below and enjoy:

Think or a problem or issue you are dealing with right now and apply the Powers of Ten exercise to it.   Try and look at the problem or issue from different perspectives – zoom in and zoom out.  How has you perspective on the problem or issue changed?

Learning how to learn

Learning how to learn is a hugely important skill for the 21st century and will give you a competitive advantage.  I am determined to improve my learning ability.  Once I complete this course I will go on to learn other things.  I have a completely open mind on what I will learn.  This is an exciting goal for 2019!  Let’s see how much I can learn during the year.  Why not join me in setting a learning goal for the year ahead?

Best wishes,

Tom

PS Why not start your learning habit for 2019 by taking my online course: Reinvent yourself: 30 Experiments in personal change.  Get the course at the special price of $9.99 for readers of this blog (course also includes a free copy of my ebook).

My First Task for 2019: Learn how to Learn

4th Industrial Revolution, Learn how to Learn, Learning, Planning, Technology

Learn How to Learn

In previous posts I mentioned about the importance of Life Long Learning. We must keep learning in today’s world as we enter the 4th Industrial Revolution or become obsolete. We have to keep reinventing ourselves throughout our lives.  A job for life is gone. We have to plan for multiple jobs and even multiple careers in our lifetime. The average person will change careers 5-7 times during their working life.  According to a report by the Institute for the Future (IFTF) and a panel of 20 tech, business and academic experts from around the world, 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet!  It is commonly quoted that 65% of children entering primary school today will end up working in jobs that don’t even exist yet.  That means as you read this article it is possible that you could end up working in a career or job in the next 5-10 years that hasn’t even been invented yet! The question is how do you prepare for this new career when you don’t even know what it will be? The answer is life long learning.  But to make sure you are an effective learner you must learn how to learn.

Learning how to learn

The idea that you go to school/college and learn there and then spend the rest of your career applying what you learned is dead.  Since we have to keep learning we must first learn how to learn effectively.  But what does learn how to learn mean?  How do we translate learning into the reality of our everyday lives?  Technology is driving rapid change in the world and this rapid change is making our knowledge and skills obsolete quicker than even before.  Interestingly technology is also a part of the solution to our need to re-skill and up-skill.

My learning goal in 2019

In 2019 I am setting a process goal (see last post) of spending one hour learning each day.  I have no idea what I will spend that time learning.  I will learn what I feel I need to as the year ahead unfolds.  The first course I am taking is an online course by Coursera aptly called ‘Learning how to Learn’.  I want to make sure that the time that I spend learning is well spent (especially since this is a life-long activity!).  I want to be a more effective learner.  You can take the course for free and if you want a certificate you can pay a small fee.

Let’s learn together!

Why not join me in setting a process goal for learning during 2019.  Join me also in taking the free course ‘Leaning how to Learn’ on Coursera.  I will be sharing some of my insights as I go through the course.  I will also be sharing with you what else I am learning as I go through 2019.  Let us make 2019 a year of earning and learning and preparing ourselves for a rapidly changing world.

Best wishes,

Tom