Learn more about personaldevelopment with this collection
How to set achievable goals
How to create and stick to a schedule
How to break down large projects into smaller manageable tasks
Make it easy for people to take notes
What we present should correspond to what we want an attentive listener to take down in his notebook.
We should make it simple for people to understand our ideas on the spot. We shouldn't expect them to revisit it later. Even if they do, we won't be there to answer questions or clear up any misunderstandings.
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MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Don’t worry about small mistakes
There are two kinds of mistakes: One is fatal and can destroy a theory, but the other is small and won't completely ruin your work.
Building in a safety margin, such as more time or funding, can turn fatal mistakes into contingent ones.
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102 reads
Never run over time
One minute overtime can destroy the best of lectures.
It's essential to respect the time and attention of others. Attention spans are limited. After a certain point, people stop taking in new information. Don't expect them to still hang on your lips after ...
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139 reads
Give people something to take home
If we have a conversation, read a book, or listen to a talk, we are very unlikely to remember much of it. Even if we enjoyed and valued it, only a small part will stay with us.
When you are communicating with people, try to give them something to take home. Choose a memorable line ...
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145 reads
Share the same work multiple times
Mathematician Frederic Riesz published the same ideas multiple times, each time improving until he was ready to publish a final paper.
In our work, we don't need to have fresh ideas all of the time. We can build on an initial idea. Sometimes, we can do our best work through an iter...
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84 reads
Make sure the blackboard is spotless
Presentation matters. The way our work looks influences how people perceive it.
Take the time to clean your equivalent of a blackboard to signal that you care about what you're doing.
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Every lecture should make only one point
Your one main point should be repeated over and over, like a theme with variations.
If we make one point well enough, people will understand and remember it. If we try to fit too much in, the audience will lose interest and go back to their thoughts before they were interr...
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146 reads
Making people pay attention to your ideas
Mathematician and philosopher Gian-Carlo Rota specialized in functional analysis, probability theory, phenomenology, and combinatorics.
In 1996, he gave a talk, "Ten Lessons I Wish I Had Been Taught," which contains valuable practical advice for making people pay attention to your ...
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Remembered for your expository work
Gian-Carlo Rota noted that many of the mathematicians he admired were known more for their work explaining and building upon existing ideas. Their extensive knowledge of their domain meant that they could expand further.
Never be afraid to stand on the shoulders of...
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Relate to your audience
Try to spot someone in the audience whose work you have some familiarity with. Then rearrange your presentation so as to mention some of that person's work. Everyone in the audience has come to listen to your lecture hoping of hearing their work mentioned.
Reciproc...
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Every mathematician has only a few tricks
They use a few tricks over and over again. The smartest and most successful people are often only good at a few things - or just one thing. However, they maximize those strengths without getting distracted.
If you've hit diminishing returns with improvements, then experime...
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112 reads
Write informative introductions
Introductions are providing prospective readers with a strong motivation to read your work.
Introductions are about:
- explaining what a piece of work will be about,
- what the purpose is,
- and why someone should be interested in it.
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108 reads
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Cornell Method: How to take notes
- Write down the lecture name/seminar/reading topic at the top of the page.
- Write down notes in the largest section of the page (right-hand column). Transcribe only the facts using bulleted lists and abbreviations. Take notes of questions that arise....
Just Read It
Superficial reading is the first step towards analytical reading – that is, understanding and interpreting a book’s contents. If you stop and go over everything you don’t understand on your first reading, you get lost. Sure you finish the book but you’ve lost sight of where you’ve been and where ...
Philosophical Meditation: How To Practice
- Set aside 20 minutes on a daily basis and sit with a paper and pencil, asking yourself simple questions like: What am I regretful, anxious or excited about in the present moment?
- Write down what comes to your mind immediately without censoring or thinking. Do it as unselfc...
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