CRUSH SCHOOL

I blog on Brain-Based Learning, Metacognition, EdTech, and Social-Emotional Learning. I am the author of the Crush School Series of Books, which help students understand how their brains process information and learn. I also wrote The Power of Three: How to Simplify Your Life to Amplify Your Personal and Professional Success, but be warned that it's meant for adults who want to thrive and are comfortable with four letter words.

Filtering by Tag: deep work

To Focus on What Truly Matters You Must Fight Predators and Choose the Right Opportunities

Fight Predators and Choose the Right Opportunities

The modern Homo Sapiens is in the fight of his life. The never-ending struggle occurs in his brain. As the modern brain battles the ancient part of it, the struggle manifests itself as a series of contradictory behaviors. On one hand, the Sapiens has the ability to learn an indefinable amount of information. On the other, he's often too distracted to learn much of anything.

Evolution has both allowed him and robbed him of the ability to carefully process information - to rethink, to reflect, and to reapply. As a result of this paradox, he often skims the learning surface. While the cerebrum (modern "rational" brain) has skyrocketed his potential, his progress is hindered by the amygdala (ancient "emotional" brain). His knowledge stalls. He's mired in mediocrity. No longer in tangible danger, he's escaping the conditioned anxieties. The distractions today's world affords him make it easy. And they are everywhere. 

Why do so many people become part-time zombies, the classroom students and the everywhere adults, who upon leaving their dull desks and constraining cubicles glue their eyes to screens and allow their minds to be trapped in virtual, dopamine-inducing worlds that serve as fire escapes from the boring, painful, and otherwise unpleasant daily reality but keep them stuck in it long term? 

The ancient brain has evolved to respond to two things: threats and rewards. The mere perception of a threat releases cortisol and adrenaline and we freeze, fight, or flight. When the brain detects reward possibilities or we're rewarded, it produces dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. This motivates us to keep doing what we're doing because we want to keep feeling the good feeling.

Back in the day, the rewards were food and the opportunity to procreate. The threats were the predators that tried to eat us and the natural we tried to hide from.

Enter the modern times - the technology and the entertainment. Our ancient brain responds to them as opportunities and they often are but the rewards they offer can be tricky. 

While technology is cool, the entertainment industry is insidious, and our awareness rare. Fires are few and far in-between and most other prehistoric dangers the Sapiens faced have long been extinguished. Yet our split attention remains and make no mistake, the industry knows it and fights for it. And we succumb by continually allowing ourselves to be convinced we must keep running away.

The insidious, profit-mongering, and brilliant marketing campaigns and products of television producers, social media providers, app and game developers, and others work to keep us convinced they offer something much better than life itself. Consequently, we often let time pass unforgivably "taking the load off" from our busy work or school lives instead of spending it doing more meaningful things that improve our lives. Mediocrity perpetuated with the belief "this is all life is supposed to be."

And this is how the industry players want us. They want us coming back to them. The more automatic our behaviors the better, because if they lose our attention they lose. They can't profit.

While many online activities are worthwhile, we rarely think about how much time we spend participating in things that keep us stuck in the status quo we might otherwise work on changing. While there's nothing wrong with taking a mental break, as we should do things that relax our minds, we are being conditioned to identify work as the necessary evil to grind through from 9-5, so that we can have fun as a reward afterward.

We become dabblers. We just dabble in things. We're too distracted to commit. The predators changed and so did the opportunities but they're ever-present. They keep our minds occupied. If we don't pay attention we end up doing a lot of things that entertain us in the moment but add little lasting value to our lives.

We can spend our lives sitting on a couch looking at a screen doing little more than nothing or we can spend that time interacting with the world we live in, learning about it and ourselves, and filling our lives with meaning. The only way to flip that switch is by becoming aware and taking action. 

Our kids are the most vulnerable ones. But zero tolerance electronics policies are not the way because the brain wants what it cannot have even more. The forbidden fruit tastes sweeter.

So we don't take away but educate. We lead by example. We show our kids that there's a better way. We limit our use and their use of the devices and actively participate in their lives. We do stuff with them because we love them. Then, we cross our fingers and hope they see the way for themselves.

On the places they'll go.

I think they will. I believe they can. 

You have the power to change lives. Use if often so they can change the world.

Oskar


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How to Improve Your Critical Thinking

As a teacher, I often expect my students to think critically. If you're a teacher I bet you expect the same.

As a parent, you wish for your kids to be able to critically evaluate the choices an important situation offers to make the smart, most beneficial decision. I know I do and while I realize my son and my students will not always make the best decision in every situation, I want them to be equipped with the tools that increase their chances.

Critical thinking is such a tool.

It can, and perhaps should be applied in both personal and professional life.

But in school, critical thinking is expected but not taught explicitly. Just do it works for a shoe brand but rarely for people.

Turns out, improving your critical thinking involves following a few deliberate steps. This, in turn, improves your decision-making which improves your success in school, work, and life. 

Check out my infographic summary of Samantha Agoos' TED-Ed Video 5 tips to improve your critical thinking. I highly recommend watching the video as well.

How to Improve Your Critical Thinking

Imagine what this world would be like if every person used the above 5-step critical thinking approach when making substantial decisions. 

Instead of jumping off the cliff at the word go we'd ask questions.

Instead of just doing what we know we'd look for more information.

The number of selfish decisions would decrease if we only looked at their possible impacts.

We would learn to find alternatives. Can you see the SICK CREATIVITY?

Let's infect our kids with critical thinking 'cause it's the best disease they'll ever have.

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.


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Deep Work: Skyrocket Your Productivity with These 4 Recipes & 8 Tools (Infographic)

Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular. In fact, I believe most people fail in life simply because they major in minor things.
— Anthony Robbins

One day in 247,982 BC a member of the species we now call Homo Sapiens sat on a rock near the watering hole. Separated from the safety of the group, he was reliving the nightmare in his head and deciding what to do next.

"Why did it go after me? Don't they prefer other, bigger prey? How do I get back to the group and not run into that mean...," he wasn't able to finish the thought and devise a sensible plan because his ears detected a new sound and as his eyes found its source fear overtook him. He took off running. The beast followed.

250,000 years of conditioning and brain-wiring later, the story above only slightly exaggerates what the modern day human must overcome to focus on things and actions that produce the best results. Just as the ancient Sapiens was forced to split his attention and always look out for dangers (predators) and opportunities (food) the modern day human is prone to distractions brought about thousands of years of habituation of fear-based and pleasure-seeking behaviors.

Our thoughts and actions are constantly interrupted. Not meaning to get distracted at work, we pay attention to stimuli that make us inefficient. In a 2016 Career Builder survey of over 3,000 full-time U.S. workers, 2 out of 3 admitted to using their smartphone several times a day while working. Interestingly, only 10% of the same individuals conceded their smartphone use decreased their productivity. 

The same thing happens at home. Digital distractions repeatedly slow us down, but we're often unaware of their full impact on our ability to get things done and how they change our overall efficiency. We don't keep track and confuse being busy with being productive.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The same Career Builder survey named many other workplace productivity killers. The graphic below applies to at home productivity as well.

The biggest productivity killers in the workplace. Source: https://hiring-assets.careerbuilder.com/media/attachments/careerbuilder-original-2352.jpg?1465224437

The biggest productivity killers in the workplace. Source: https://hiring-assets.careerbuilder.com/media/attachments/careerbuilder-original-2352.jpg?1465224437

The end result? Unaware, constantly-distracted individuals who don't have the skills required to dive deep into the understanding of problems and the working out of solutions. We can't focus for long enough to do deep work and don't know how to train our focus. But our success depends on sustained and smart productivity so we can achieve expertise our competition lacks. This is how deep work gets us ahead.

Become aware first. Then, take action.

Deep work tools and recipes to skyrocket your productivity

The giant killer cat was getting closer. The Sapiens saw a tree. He climbed up the tree. He was safe. The angry leopard waited. The beast was hungry. The Sapiens was scared. He was hungry too but had a larger distraction to contend with at that moment.

Deep work is something we have to work for. Far from automatic, it's a skill anyone can build and get better at. As all skill-building it starts with the know how and requires thoughtful action. Planing, scheduling, dealing with distractions, tracking progress and effectiveness, and fueling you body, mind, and soul are a few microskills of the larger Deep Work Skill. 

Deep work is hard but it will skyrocket your productivity and change your life. 


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2024 Crush School