In a recent Henry Cloud Leadership University podcast featuring Patrick Lencioni, Henry Cloud outlined how our brain works in order to change behavior. This is valuable information to absorb in relation to forming new, productive habits.
Here are 3 ways to become good at learning:
1. Bring Awareness: When we initially take in information, our brain is asleep, we have to “turn the light on” in our brain to bring awareness to what we want to learn.
Solutions: Books, blogs, podcasts and journaling are some of the ways you can “wake your brain up” to absorb new information and generate new ideas.
2. Deliberate Practice: The practice of repeating a new habit over and over again is hard, we often become bored or tired of routine. However, showing up and "putting in your reps" (see @jamesclear post on starting with repetitions, not goals) is the most important part of learning something new. The greatest challenge of deliberate practice is to remain focused.
Solutions: Set up a system for feedback through coaching or measurement so you can keep refining your practice, determine the number of times per week or month you would like to practice the habit and write it on your schedule with pop up reminders, break the new learning or habit down into smaller parts and implement them over time to prevent becoming overwhelmed, practice the new habit everyday even if it's only done with minimal effort (see 51% Rule blog post for more on this).
3. Relational Support: Most new habits don’t succeed because we don’t have someone to walk alongside of us to check in with us, encourage us, or help us work through roadblocks that come up.
Solutions: Nominate accountability partners or mentors and set up a schedule for “check ins” to help you through the process.