I’ve recently been listening to the The Unmistakable Creative Podcast, which I have been thoroughly enjoying through it’s mix of stories by inspirational people and discussions about some really progressive technologies or concepts. It was listening to this podcast on a recent trip to Armidale that actually inspired me to start my own, as the host, Srinivas Rao, said something along the lines of “I really enjoy meeting people, so I decided to build a platform where I can do that”. I thought – what a great idea. I also like meeting people. I like talking about research. Why not have a go myself?
Now in the episode I am currently midway through, the interview is actually with Srini, where he is discussing his new book, An Audience Of One. This motivated me to write this blog post for two reasons. Firstly, to write it for myself. The second reason was due to the discussion on deliberate practice.
Deliberate practice is something I am diligent on in many aspects of my life – however my focuses can fluctuate. Currently, I am sitting on a 264 day streak for Japanese on Duolingo, a 53 day streak for brain training on the Peak app (although, I’m probably sitting on 363 of the past 365 days that I did it). I am on day 32 of a 16:8 intermittent fasting self-experiment (perhaps this could be a post in its own right). I had similar habits with meditation, although unfortunately that has fallen away a bit as it requires a very deliberate allocation of time for it. I had similar pedantic habits in 2011 and 2012 with my running training (although it was more of a do not miss a day of my training program – even if that meant resting).
Perhaps the point I’m coming to with all of this is, this particular blog post is a piece of deliberate practice for my writing. Not because I want to become a writer or a blogger, but because I want to improve my writing for when I need to do it – most notably for scientific journal articles. When I say I want to improve my writing, probably the quick assumption would jump to improvements in grammar, articulation, vocabulary. Sure, I would like these things to improve, but the real purpose is process. To remind myself that yes, I can write 500 words in 45min if I just let my thoughts flow from my head, down my arms and into my hands, where the fired neurons allow the click-click of my fingers against the keyboard.
It is somewhat a strange practice, writing this for myself, whilst it is accessible to anyone with an internet connection. However, it may still only be read by me. Perhaps this is a good test. If you are reading this, here is a message for you:
Hello! I hope you are having an excellent day. Feel free to leave a comment saying- “First!” You win. Unless there is already a comment saying “First!” In which case, “Second!” You were so close! Unless there is already a comment saying “Second!” In which case, this really blew up didn’t it. If it gets to that many comments, I’ll allow free reign of the corrections to my grammar (not that anyone really requires permission), but perhaps I can learn a thing or two from this deliberate practice. Alternatively – leave me a challenge topic to write about for my next deliberate practice of writing.
Good day, enjoy the multifarious thoughts, and keep anion the future.