CRUSH SCHOOL

5644 1st Avenue South Minneapolis, MN, 55419

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.

Achieving And Maintaining Focus: Routine, Readiness, and Rhythm

February 21, 2018  /  Oskar Cymerman

Achieving And Maintaining Focus: Routine, Readiness, and Rhythm
“The only thing that can grow is the thing you give energy to”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you remember the last time you tried to get some (or a lot) of work done and you spent the first 5 minutes twiddling your thumbs trying to decide what to do? Maybe the thumb thing was followed by staring at the wall in front of you wondering where to begin? 

Have you ever managed to achieve the type of focus that allowed you to continually produce meaningful results for the entirety of your work session? 

But let’s not stop there. Let’s up the ante and strive for more.

Have you ever managed to achieve the type of focus that allowed you to continually produce unfathomable results? 

Well? Have you?

Total focus. This is what it takes. Science says It can be done. Let's explore this further, shall we?

Total focus, complete focus, insane focus, call it whatever... can be achieved with effective planning and deliberate practice. While the exact method is unique to every person there are common elements that increase focus. These are having the right routine, being ready to work, attaining the right rhythm, managing distractions, and minimizing stress.

Routine

Choosing the right work environment and keeping it consistent is key to achieving total focus. One way to do this is to be like Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway had a desk with one object on it: a typewriter. Hemingway used his desk for one thing: writing. He didn’t read at it. He didn’t eat at it. He stood by it and wrote. History and legions of entranced readers prove Hemingway produced works of art.

But why is doing it the Hemingway way beneficial? While it might seem a waste to use your desk for one particular thing only, there’s a method to this madness and yes it’s scientific.

When a soccer player sets aside his Sunday loafers and places cleats on his feet his mind, body, and the rest of his being is told it’s time to play soccer. When you designate one and the same spot to work on your larger than life project you communicate to your entire being that it’s go time; it’s time to work on THIS and ONLY THIS one thing.

And then it happens. The more you repeat the behavior the quicker it becomes a habit. Your work spot becomes sacred. The uncertainty disappears. Each time you get to your magical place of work your body, mind, soul, and spirit know exactly what to do. Every part of your being consciously and unconsciously pushes you toward success.

So whether you choose to work at a nearby cafe, at the kitchen table, in your cubicle before or after hours, or at a desk in a quiet attic room make it predictable to achieve total focus. Make it your routine. One spot. One task. One goal.

Readiness

It is difficult to focus and produce desirable results when your brain is missing the information necessary to complete the task. If you have knowledge gaps or lack experience necessary to be successful in your endeavor do the research and learn whatever is needed before you start your work session.

If your time is severely limited, but you commute to work start reading or watching videos on the train to work or listening to podcasts and audiobooks while you drive. Alternatively, you can devote 25-minute work chunks (pomodoros) to doing anything that helps you learn more about the ins and outs of your project before producing the actual product.

After all, learning and gaining experience is an integral part of any project you undertake. The more expertise you gain the better the final product will be. Few things are more disappointing than finally carving out some time to start on your dream and then realizing that you’re experiencing the biggest brain fart.

Brain farts aside; once you start you want to keep going. How will you maintain total focus for 25 minutes? How will you keep going without stopping? How will you attain rhythm?

Rhythm

If you’re thinking music you’re on the right track but it’s important to pick the right type. While lyric-filled music can be inspirational it is best to use instrumental music to attain rhythm during tasks that require intense mental focus. Lyrics work well when you’re training for an Ironman race but are distracting if you’re reading or writing. Luckily, there are plenty of productivity mixes on YouTube or Spotify. I suggest you find and save your favorite ones ahead of time. Then, try them out and pay attention to whether they help or hinder.

Another way to get in rhythm is to time your work sessions. You can use your phone’s timer or download an app that lets you do that. Some apps keep track of your work (or focus) sessions and breaks. In addition, putting your phone in airplane mode and using it specifically for focus and rhythm helps you manage the distractions it can potentially cause.

Eliminating distractions is difficult if not impossible but if you want to maintain total focus you will need to have contingencies in place to manage the different distractions life throws at you. And this is what my next post will explore: Achieving And Maintaining Focus In The Age Of Distraction And Anxiety. 

Till then I would be honored if you chose to use a few strategies from this post to help students, coworkers, or your loved ones focus better.

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

Oskar

I frequently share brain-based teaching, learning, and success strategies. Sign up for my newsletter below to receive them when I post them.

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Hi! I'm Oskar.          

I teach, write, speak, rant to make the world better.

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categories / Teaching
tags / focus, teaching teens, deeper learning, learning, teaching, total focus, productivity, routine, readiness, success, rhythm, deep work, work, performance

Listening Is A Skill Students Lack Because We Don't Teach It. Let's!

February 15, 2018  /  Oskar Cymerman

Listening consciously, listening is a skill
“Listening Consciously Is A Doorway To Understanding”
— Julian Treasure

We are taught to read and write in school, but not educated on how to listen. Not really. Not deliberately.

We're constantly told to listen, but we're not shown how to do it. I wonder how often and how many teachers assume students know how to listen but just choose not to?

However the (non) listening problem is deeper than students just choosing not to listen. Sure enough some do, but many just don't know how to listen, because schools don't treat listening as a teachable skill. As a result the listening skill of many students and later adults is poorly developed.

Fortunately, listening can be improved with a little know how and practice.

This is what this post is about.

There are two ways I recently learned about but upon closer examination they're essentially the same. It makes sense as the elements of good listening are the same regardless of who, what, and where.

I recently listened to a podcast featuring Julian Treasure, a positive noise expert who has delivered a couple of Ted Talks including 5 Ways to Listen Better.

Listening As A Skill

Our personal and professional success depends on how well we can absorb, connect, and apply information and how well we can connect with and understand others. Thus, listening is an essential skill at school, work, and in relationships.

On this podcast, Julian Treasure used the acronym RASA, which stands for Receive, Appreciate, Summarize, and Ask to explain how to develop the listening skill. 

Receive

Receiving is all about listening 100% without doing anything else. This involves single tasking, focusing on the speaker's verbal and non-verbal cues, and maintaining eye contact.

Appreciate

To appreciate is to consciously put value on what the other person is saying and setting the intention to learn from him or her. If you tell your mind This is good stuff! it will be and you will benefit.

Summarize

Summarizing involves taking the other person‘s words and restating the key points using your own so it's easier to recall and use the information later. This can be done in your head or on paper.

Ask

Asking questions during the conversation or presentation helps understanding and keeps you engaged with the speaker. Asking follow up questions helps with retention of content and furthers understanding and the ability to use the information properly.

Listening Is A Conscious Activity

Listening is a conscious activity, but most people do not see it as such. Often, we just approach it as something that happens to us and so we miss the point. We are distracted, multitask, and fail to connect to the speaker and the information she conveys. Just think of all the times you had a conversation with a friend or a loved one while browsing on your phone or tablet.

This is why it’s important to teach listening as a skill and as an active endeavor. It is important for our students to become conscious of the fact that they are doing something when they are listening. Listening is not a passive thing that happens to them. Let's tell them that and teach them to listen with intention. Then, let's allow them to practice and become better at it. 

I wrote an article about this in the past and while in it I use an acronym HEAR to teach active listening the information leads to the same outcome: Developing the Active Listening Skill.

But whether you use RASA or HEAR or something else doesn't matter. What matters is that we teach our kids to listen well.

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

Oskar

I frequently share brain-based teaching and learning strategies, lessons, and brain-related infographics. Sign up for my newsletter below to receive them when I post them.

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Hi! I'm Oskar.          

I teach, write, speak, rant to make the world better.

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categories / Teaching
tags / focus, teaching teens, deeper learning, learning, teaching, listening, active listening', active learning

How To Take Advantage Of Diverse Personalities In Team Building And Collaboration

February 14, 2018  /  Oskar Cymerman

Whether you're a fan of Marvel movies or not, you likely have heard of the Avengers, the multifaceted ass kicking team of super heroes ready to work together to save the Earth and the rest of the Universe from impending doom. 

When you consider the many facets of the characters and take a closer look you see they all have different personalities, different talents, and different skills. They also argue a lot. In the end though, they are able to put aside their differences, combine their unique strengths, work toward a common goal, and succeed. This is what makes the Avengers a great team.

And the more I think about it I realize that it is diversity that makes every great team great. The diversity of personalities. The diversity of skills. The diversity of experiences. And the diversity of opinions that arises from all those other diversities.

I have recently stumbled upon an analysis of Dr. Helen Fisher's 4 personality types and how they can complement each other to create highly effective teams. Maybe the old adage Great minds think alike isn't accurate after all; at least not when it comes to team building. Rather, the greatest teams seem to be comprised of individuals whose diverse personalities, skills, and experiences are creatively meshed together to lead to the best possible outcomes.

But how can this help me? you might be asking.

While collaboration in the work place has become common place and is quickly becoming the thing in education we still have a lot to learn to make teamwork the most effective it can be. So whether you're the boss of a company, an administrator of a system, or a teacher you can benefit from a little know how of personality types to best utilize your people's individual traits and maximize their strengths.

Understanding kills ignorance they say. Or maybe it's me saying that. Regardless... It sounds reasonable, no?

Check out the infographic below...

Diverse Personalities and Collaboration and Team building at work and school

So there you be super heroes!

First, get to know the personalities of the people you work with by paying attention to their behaviors and interactions. Then, work to learn to combine their strengths in collaboration. Then, imagine the possibilities.

What you got to lose? A little neuroscience never hurt anyone. I think...

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

Oskar

Thanks for reading! If you found my article useful you might want to sign up for my newsletter below. If you are looking for a new book that can help you add to your teaching arsenal and help teens learn check out my books on Amazon.

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Hi! I'm Oskar.          

I teach, write, speak, rant to make the world better.

BOOKS & TOOLS

CONTACT ME

BLOG ARCHIVE:

Comment
categories / Teaching
tags / focus, teaching teens, deeper learning, learning, teaching

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