One of the most useful skills to have is to be able to direct our curiosity. To many of us, curiosity often appears as some kind of spontaneous miracle: a spark just happens, seemingly from far beyond our control, and we find ourselves swept up by it. Perhaps someone with knowledge and charisma can ignite […]
By Aaron Golumbfskie & Ryan Warren We’re now several weeks into the school year, and what we’ve been hearing from you is that this semester’s online learning is very different from last year’s. Last spring, schools and teachers were just trying to weather the storm and get to June. This is a new year, however, […]
We talk a lot about executive functions like creativity, time management, persistence, and planning. But that’s a lot to process. With school starting soon, you may need to be more independently engaged, organized, and motivated than you have been in the past. We thought we’d give you a quick cheat-sheet to help you stay effective […]
What motivates us is shaped by all the various experiences that shape who we are. So when it comes to persevering through ambivalence, uncertainty, and inner resistance, there are few shortcuts to genuine self-knowledge. If you’re struggling to study for your plumbing licensure, barely keeping your eyes open as you memorize ventilating piping and fixture […]
Having social distanced for the greater part of a year, I’m a bit hungry for feedback. I miss the ways in which social interactions used to teach and shape me. Feedback makes me better. But it can sometimes bring out the worst in me: a childish pettiness I’m embarrassed not to have better mastered in […]
Executive function sounds like an academic thing that cognitive psychologists made up so they can have theories about it. And they have a lot of theories. But basically, it’s a set of skills that allow us to direct our focus to plan, start, remember, and continue tasks: inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Our recent […]
Among cognitive skills, creativity is sometimes looked down upon as being both frivolous and beyond our conscious control. On skeptical days, we can associate creativity with quixotic, abstract, and unpredictable art. Even if we value creativity deeply, we often believe such insights come from invisible muses, innate talent, or some particular kind of childhood. Almost […]