The Smarter Brain: A 100-Year Old Productivity System, Optimal Learning Strategy, The Contrapreneur Formula

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Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins

Quote Worth Thinking About On...

Self-discovery

“In love we find out who we want to be, in war we find out who we are.”

— Kristin Hannah, Novelist

Source: Nightingale

Image of the week

Source: Unknown photographer

Ideas Worth Exploring

1

The Ivy Lee Method: A 100-year old, 15-Minute Routine for Stress-Free Productivity

Ivy Lee was “a highly respected productivity expert and pioneer in the field of public relations” in the early 1900s. With the help of Ivy Lee’s method, a struggling steel company “became America’s second-largest steel producer and largest shipbuilder” in just two years.

The method requires you to define your vision, identify tasks crucial to achieving that vision, and take them on one at a time, starting with the most important one.

“It’s a reminder that fewer priorities lead to better work and performance. A reminder that simplicity helps to guide complex plans, behaviours and actions.”

Big idea: “The Ivy Lee Method is a simple, powerful strategy for stress-free productivity that highlights the importance of doing the most important thing first each day.”

Source: Mayo Oshin (​3 min read​) ​​ ​2

You Don’t Learn Better When You Learn on Your Own (Study)

Few studies have provided evidence that discovery learning is more effective than guided learning.

Figuring things out on your own is a messy process, entailing trial and error, and possibly the inability to confirm the errors, due to inexperience. Advocates of discovery learning have not yet supplied solid evidence of its benefits over structured learning.

Psychologist Mayer has reviewed discovery learning for the past three decades and concluded that “in each case, guided discovery was more effective than pure discovery in helping students learn and transfer.”

Big idea: Instructional guidance is more effective for learning than pure discovery, and curricular focus more than unstructured exploration.

Source: R. Mayer (2004) ​Should there be a three-strikes rule against pure discovery learning? The case for guided methods of instruction.​ ​ ​3

The Contrepreneur Formula (Video)

A contrepreneur is someone who sells what they claim are secrets to health, wealth, or happiness, by “finding out what people want and selling you a shortcut to it.”

These self-appointed experts will first establish their authority, remove the objection to the product, and claim that their solution works in any sector or business. They use testimonials to further strengthen their claims.

“Anyone can be scammed” by contrepreneurs. “It is less to do with IQ and more with where you are in life.”

Big idea: People are getting tricked into paying for digital products or online courses, as entrepreneurs use a formula of emotion and logic to take advantage of people’s needs.

Source: Mike Winnet, YouTube (​21m 55s watch​)

What I'm Thinking About: The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.

Today I Learned: A study found that the more you spend on an engagement ring, the more likely you are to get divorced. (​Source)​

Hope you have a productive week ahead,

The Smarter Brain team

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