From the Editor's Computer
Have you ever tried really hard to get a project finished and no matter how hard you try and how much you struggle you don’t seem to make any headway? Or, how many of you have wracked your brain for many minutes trying to remember a name, phone number or other piece of trivia and no matter how hard you try to remember it just isn’t there?
I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation such as the above more times than we’d really care to admit. No matter how much effort we put in it seems like we’re taking 10 steps back for every step we move forward.
Have you ever noticed that when you give up and relax that the task suddenly becomes so much easier and flows better. Or, that elusive piece of information pops into your brain without warning.
Human beings have an amazing ability to take any task and make it 10 to 100 times more complicated than it needs to be. We do this by trying and struggling as if we would “tame” the task, which we all know is not an effective means of getting anything done.
We also have an amazing ability to store and retrieve literally millions of pieces of data from our brains. The proviso is that we are more effective at this skill when we are relaxed. Which, incidentally, is why test scores are not always an accurate reflection of what a student knows!
Stop struggling, stop trying so hard, and just let the task happen or the information bubble to the surface of your mind. It really does work better that way.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ArE-vJzEX36ZqQm76px1qLQEnq6d5vqT/view?usp=sharing
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