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One Simple Practice That Will Revolutionize Your Career

by | Process

Sara was stuck. She was on deadline for a project that required her to suggest a marketing strategy for a product that her company believed could improve its position in the marketplace, and potentially revolutionize its category. It was a great opportunity for Sara to show her stuff, but there was one problem: she was drawing a blank. No matter what she tried, it seemed that her words were void of the kind of precision and uniqueness her manager had demanded of her.

Uncertain of what to do, Sara began rifling through her small notebook. A few months back, she’d begun a practice of daily study. She would spend thirty minutes each morning reading or experiencing some kind of media, and thirty minutes of processing it and considering how it might apply to her work. She kept a record of these study times, including articles and books read, videos she watched, and any personal reflections she’d made at the time. It wasn’t line-by-line notes or facts and figures, but instead was more about her impression of the materials.

Suddenly, Sara had an insight. While reviewing her notes on a New Yorker article, she remembered a conversation with a peer about technology and education. She realized that the conversation had a direct impact on her current project, and after a few more hours of work, she had the breakthrough she so badly needed.

This story is similar to dozens I’ve heard from leaders at organizations I’ve worked with, or from individuals who have taken the advice from the Stimuli chapter of The Accidental Creative to heart. Cultivating a deep well of stimuli from which to cull insights and apply them to your work is one of the most effective methods I’ve encountered for setting yourself up to thrive in the create on demand world.

But a study plan takes effort, and measured discipline to implement effectively. You need to ensure that you are spending your time wisely, and that you are thinking about application, not just absorption. Information is useless without application.

Set a regular time

Like with anything you want to be a regular practice, establishing a dedicated time to study will greatly increase your chances of long-term success. Many people (including myself) find that early morning is the ideal time, because it allows you the freedom to explore and think without the pressures of the day weighing you down. Other people prefer evening, right before bed. Still others prefer to take a long lunch at their desk or in a park. Regardless of your preferred time, make it consistent and non-negotiable.

Dedicate half to absorption, half to application

The goal of study time isn’t to simply absorb information, it’s to figure out how it might apply to your life and work. As such, you need to spend about half of your time thinking about what you’ve just read or experienced and considering how it might apply to the problems you’re working on. Write your thoughts and observations in a notebook, even if they seem irrelevant or silly. Little prompts and ideas that pop into your head might indicate that there’s something happening behind the scenes that you’re not yet consciously aware of. You may, like Sara, only connect the dots later.

Begin your time by reviewing the previous day’s notes

Before you dive into your study time, take just a few moments to review the previous day’s notes for any potentially valuable and useful insights and to re-ground you in the material. This will provide a continuity to your study time from day to day and lessen the amount of “ramp up” time needed to get back in the flow.

Talk to your peers

Make it a practice to share at least once per day something that you observed or thought about in your study time. First, sharing something increases the likelihood that it will become a part of your longer-term memory, and second you never know how a seemingly insignificant insight could set off a chain reaction of insights in someone else. Share your thoughts publicly, and encourage others to do the same.

Don’t let it get boring

A final note about Study Time: don’t do it out of guilt. Use it as an opportunity to pursue your curiosity, to stoke the fires of your passion, and to read widely and deeply about topics that you find interesting. By simply keeping your mind active, you will increase your systemic thinking ability and you will begin to notice patterns that were previously overlooked. Plus, it’s your responsibility to develop and utilize the brilliant, miraculous grey matter you’ve been given.

Be purposeful about stoking the fires of your imagination, and seeking patterns in the world around you. This is the best way to ensure that your mind is actively chasing insight and to position yourself to be brilliant when it counts most.

Your turn: any other study time best practices you’d recommend?

Todd Henry

Todd Henry

Positioning himself as an “arms dealer for the creative revolution”, Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of five books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

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26 Comments

  1. Doug Stewart

    I was shaking my head, “yes,” while reading this post. Thanks Todd. I needed the reminder, and I’m making this a habit (again).

    • Todd Henry

      Great, Doug! (By the way, I wrote this with one finger pointed at myself. It’s easy to fall off the wagon.)

  2. Slavko Desik

    First time on this blog, and I really regret never having the chance to find about it earlier.

    Great article Todd. It does sound quite promising. I tried something similar though lacking the methodology, and the results are great. Can’t imagine what dedicated practice can do in addition. It is very interesting how one idea can get really dispersive once you figure out a way to apply it to something you are currently doing. It is as if once connected to a more tangible example, it refines itself almost instantly.

    Thanks for the idea!

  3. Chris Cavaliere

    This is a great idea! Every time I come across a link that I would like it read I place it into a word document. Needless to say I have a document with a ton of links that I’ve never read. Now I have a means for adding and applying the information. Awesome!

    • Todd Henry

      Chris, you may want to try Instapaper. I’ve been using it to collect links/articles for later reading, and it works great!

      • Chris Cavaliere

        Sad to say I also use Instapaper and I have a OneNote notebook filled with info. I’ve come to the conclusion that I am an information junkie. But now it’s time to start putting that info to use.

    • Stephanie Smirnov

      Chris, have you tried Evernote? It’s a fantastic way to collect inspiration from all over the web. It’s literally changed my entire productivity approach. You can clip things directly from the web with browser add-ons or mobile apps, or email links to your account (cloud and devices synch.) Best is, you can tag and organize everything so it’s instantly accessible from desktop or device. I love it and no, I promise I’m not a paid shill :)

        • Stephanie Smirnov

          Already got it all worked out: create “Daily Study” notebook in Evernote. Capture both the source material there as well as my observations in a separate note daily. Tag it up so easily cross-referened. Accidental Creative + Evernote = AWESOME.

          • Chris Cavaliere

            I went ahead and set up my Evernote account. I am going to set up a cross reference system like you suggested. Can you recommend any reading on how to best use Evernote? It would be fun to test out this new learning technique using Evernote.

          • Stephanie Smirnov

            You can find good walk-throughs on YouTube that give you the basics of getting set up. Evernote has its own blog and podcast, both great sources of info and inspiration. Good luck!

          • Chris Cavaliere

            Stephanie – thank you for the reply. I spent quite a while watching the YouTube videos. This is what I love about the connected world. Someone I never before assisting me in expanding my knowledge. Thanks again.

      • Chris Cavaliere

        Another blogger that I read has been writing about Evernote. But Stephanie now that your suggesting it I’ve got to try it :-)

  4. Stephanie Smirnov

    I can’t wait to try this. Such a simple, brilliant idea. Now instead of playing Words with Friends at 6 am with my coffee, I can do something productive. Thanks as always for the inspiration.

  5. Danuta

    I have 2 fav day times for reading and re-thinking what I read. Morning, of course:) and the other it is the time before the sunset. I particularly like this in the Summer, when I may sit outdoors, catching the last warmth before night. At this stage of a day, everything seems to calm down, getting ready to rest and sleep. It is a very good time for reflections and getting wider perspective on life and ordinary day activities.

    • Todd Henry

      I agree, Danuta. There’s something great about bookending the day with reading and reflection. Seems to better reinforce application, too.

  6. Kristoffer Carter

    As usual, your article hit me right on time Todd! Completing one major project, taking on another. I really need to get back to my personal classroom time. Application is so key, especially in an over-informed world. Going to schedule this immediately following my morning meditation for maximum clarity :)
    thanks for all you do! -kc

  7. Jim Hough

    Todd, thanks for sharing. It is so easy for creatives to get caught up in the trap of the urgent and forget that we need to plant seeds for there to be a “creative garden” from which we can harvest. This is a great process to help that happen. It occurred to me while reading that this kind of thing NEVER happens by accident. We must be intentional about renewing ourselves. Getting ready to share this with the team. Thanks again my friend!

  8. Aly Dawn

    On the topic of sharing thoughts publicly with my peers:
    I finished Steal Like An Artist today after journaling along with it for a couple days (thank you for expanding my reading list by including such awesome thinkers on the AC podcast), and one of my favorite points that Austin makes is that the internet is not just a place to broadcast already-formed ideas, but that “you can put yourself online to find something to say,” and that it offers an opportunity to invite others to wonder at things with us.

    So my question is this: Is it a weak move to start a blog/online ramble (in a simple medium such as Tumblr) purely on the basis of sharing whatever thought from my reading, podcasting, or other studies might strike me as inspiring on a particular day? Maybe it would only serve to invite other people to wonder at new ideas with me, which might eventually spiral into organically blogging original thought, but not to have churning out new ideas as a motive or initial goal. I’m no blogger, and I wonder if this kind of regurgitation of ideas might be dull; would it be better to wait to create an online presence for myself once I’ve grown into my own voice?

    Thank you for providing such engaging resources for budding creative minds like mine!

    • Todd Henry

      No – I don’t think it’s wrong at all. It’s good to have a place where you keep a running and open dialogue of thoughts and observations. That’s often how I use Twitter. However, if you have a business, it might be best to separate this from where you make your money. (Just a thought.) Definitely experiment in public.

  9. Berniejmitchell

    Finally JUST finished Accidental Creative – really well written, really hit the mark and the best thing on the topic I have picked up since Making Ideas Happen. Thanks Todd! This post is the icing in the cake! ;-)

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