Mindset: Get better at the things you care most about.

Today many of us are experiencing changes in our life and work styles. And we want to focus more on the things we really care about – business, career, education, skill sets, and family. But are you working hard but not improving? Are you at a standstill? You are not alone.

Mindset to Move Forward

Eduardo Briceño reveals a simple way to think about getting better at the things you really care about, whether that’s work, parenting or creative hobbies. And he shares some useful techniques so you can keep learning and always feel like you’re moving forward. Eduardo Briceño is a learner, leader, speaker and writer devoted to enabling a more learning-oriented world. He leads Mindset Works, the leading provider of growth mindset training services and programs for schools and businesses.

In this TED Talk, How to get better at the things you care about, Eduardo asks the question “How much time do you spend in the learning zone vs the performance zone?” And he offers 4 keys to getting better at anything we do. This pragmatic talk is well worth your next 11 minutes (and yes, I have shared this valuable Ted Talk in a previous post)!

Briceño TED Talk

Another Perspective – Full Engagement

So, time in the learning zone is imperative for us to improve. Here is another perspective. For 25 years, authors Loehr and Schwartz of The Power of Full Engagement conducted intensive training with professional athletes to help them perform at peak levels under intense competitive pressures. But not in the physical or skill set training sense, but focus on effective management of our most precious resource – energy.

They found to their surprise that “the performance demands most people face in their everyday work environments are often tougher than those professional athletes face. Because athletes train constantly, they are more prepared, whereas most people are in the work game 8 to 12 hours a day with little or no training at all.” Or from a different view point, athletes train 90% of their time to perform 10% of their time. We are the reverse. Most of us train 10% of our time to perform 90% of our time, i.e., we are in Briceno’s performance zone much more than in the learning zone.

The Moral Here?

Managing your energy and your time in the learning zone are keys to high performance and personal renewal! Contact me to discuss how these principles can apply to you, your team and your company.

All the best
David