Lawsagna

Time to let your monsters out

We all have them.  Hidden in our own haunted houses, they wait for the right moment  to pounce and send chills down our spines.  Do you deny the light of day to any of your fears, negative habits or concerns?  Halloween is a perfect time to acknowledge their existence and have a little fun with it.  Here’s what you do.  Let’s say, one of your haunted house inhabitants is procrastination.  Pick a monster toy for it.  For example, rubber worms in green oozing slime can be a nice representation of being stuck.  Get all your monsters and gremlins out of your haunted house and line them up in a place where you can see them.  Let them hang out there even after Halloween is over as a reminder of who is in charge.  Monsters tend to have less control over you when you see them.  Whenever you feel their creepy presence, just take a look at their toy representative and have a laugh.  They are really not that scary in the daylight.

Happy Halloween!

What’s in your legal future?

Wouldn't you like to peek into the future to see what a lawyer's life would be in 20 or even 100 years?  Luckily, several well-known futurists have launched their guided tours into the future of the legal profession, so buckle up and prepare for some time travel.

The new issue of The Complete Lawyer focuses on "Viewing The Law In 2020."  Jonathan Peck delivers the good news that "The Knowledge Revolution Will Make You Healthier":

In 2029, an American will wake up in the morning, do Pilates, take a couple of pills, put on his suit and head to work. The pills will dissolve and be absorbed into his bloodstream, sending nanoparticle probes to various parts of his body. These nanoparticles will collect information about his health and transmit the data to sensors in the man’s jacket; the data will then be recorded on his electronic medical record accessible online. If any irregularities are observed, a computer program will search information from resources all over the web and deliver health recommendations specifically tailored to suit his genome.

Peter Bishop reads "An Open Letter From A Retired Lawyer To His Great-Grandson, Who Is Turning One": 

We liked being "unplugged" once in a while, but today of course that is unheard of. At the same time, your mother’s generation developed customs that solved some of the problems that we found so annoying, like too many emails, cell phones ringing in the middle of meetings, and wireless connections that would not connect. The implant that you will receive at your Bar Mitzvah will handle all your communication needs. It’s amazing, but "thinking will make it so" in your world. You will be truly wired, all the time, but you can control your connectivity to the outside world as easily as you control your hand or foot, once you get the hang of it. Truly amazing!

Bill Cobb asks the question "Are You Ready For The Revolution In Legal Services?"

Lawyers will acquire problem-solving skill sets using multiple skills not taught in law schools, such as client relationship development and project management. They will also be able to become more efficient in the way they deliver legal and legal related services.

Charles F. Robinson reveals his vision of how "Elder Law Attorneys Can Help Humanize The Future Of Health Care."  Read his predictions and learn about three crises that are going to influence the elder law practice in 2020.

At the same time, in London, The Times offers the extracts from Richard Susskind's forthcoming book "The End of Lawyers?" and invites you to join the debate over the future of the legal profession "Will lawyers exist in 100 years?"  (Hat tip to Idealawg).  You can read what others think in the comments and share your opinions.  Frances Gibb writes:

In a new book (to be published next year by Oxford University Press) Susskind argues that lawyers and the legal profession in their present shape face extinction – or at least are "on the brink of fundamental transformation". He sees a future, as he puts it, when "conventional legal advisers will be much less prominent in society than today, and, in some walks of life, will have no visibility at all".

How do you envision the legal profession in 20 or 100 years?

Extreme pumpkins

Are your pumpkins ready for Halloween?  If you need inspiration, check out Extreme Pumpkins.  Scary stuff.

How do you create value?

How do you think about the value that you bring to your clients?  We often measure what we do in terms of numbers, projects accomplished, hours billed, etc.  But what is the real human value behind those numbers?  In the hustle and bustle of the day, it is easy to lose track of why we do what we do, and then we feel undervalued, unappreciated, insecure of our own abilities. 

How often do you remind yourself of the true value you create for the people around you?  How do you know your value?   

Lawsagna turns one year old today!

I’ve been serving up Lawsagna for a full year now.  It’s been an exciting year, filled with blogosphere explorations, new friends, and lots of learning.  I am happy to report that many stop by for a Lawsagna bite, and some opt for seconds.  I’ll do my best to keep it healthy and varied.  And if you like it, I can deliver Lawsagna right to your mail box. 

Thanks a lot to all of you for your support!

Student Loan Forgiveness

YourABA reports on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which was signed into law last month.  The new law includes the income-based repayment program for public service:

Under the program, borrowers of student loans who are working in qualified public service would repay loans at an affordable percentage of their income and, after 10 years of service, would have the balance of their loans cancelled.

The program caps monthly payments at 15% of discretionary income.

If you want to change, pay attention

You have probably heard the saying:  “If you don’t like the results, do something differently.”   It turns out that what exactly you do differently may be of less importance, at least, according to an interesting study done by Professor Ben Fletcher, Head of School of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, UK.  55 participants were asked to try out new behaviors from 15 contrastive pairs, such as reactive/proactive or introverted/extroverted.  They were also asked to complete an activity that would be unusual for them twice a week.  The surprising result was that the subjects lost an average of 11 pounds over a four-week period and many went on to lose more.  The explanation was that people who tried out new behaviors were more conscious of their daily activities, they paid attention to what they were doing, and that, in turn, led to better food choices. 

It can be a fun exercise to act like a different person for a while.  What new behavior would you like to try out this week?

Optimists in Law School

Dave Shearon, whose work focuses on the application of positive psychology to law and education, wrote an interesting article about optimists in law school for Positive Psychology News Daily.  The article discusses Breaking Murphy’s Law by Susan Segerstrom, who examined the research on optimism and its effects on immune system.  Shearon writes:

Segerstrom studies future-oriented optimism. Such optimists hold more strongly to expectations of future good events than to expectations of future bad events. In general, optimists have stronger immune system functions than pessimists. However, Dr. Segerstrom found in her research, beginning with that for her doctoral studies, that this relationship was not nearly as strong for law students as in most other studies. On further investigation, she found that the optimists split into two groups, one that had the expected strong immune system, and one where the immune system was somewhat suppressed.

Read the article to find out more about the two groups of optimists.  One important lesson from the book is that it is not just your thoughts that count, but rather how your thinking causes you to act.

Mnemonics for Concurrent Estates

Question:
Oliver conveys Mountainacre to Jane and Todd as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as “tenants in common”.  What estate has been created as a result of this transaction? Describe the “four unities” test at common law.

Answer:
The language of this conveyance created the joint tenancy with right of survivorship.  To create the joint tenancy with right of survivorship, the “four unities” test must be met. The four unities are “time,” “title,” “interest,” and “possession,” meaning that the cotenants had to acquire their interests at the same time, under the same instrument and be entitled to the equal interest and possession of the entire estate.
REMEMBER:
Jane and Todd are climbing the mountain joined by a rope weaving the four unities of time, title, interest, and possession.  Jane and Todd must be joint to survive and not to fall into the PITT . They have JITTERS (Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship).
P = Possession
I = Interest
T = Time
T = Title

Interview with Ann K. Levine, Law School Admission Expert

Today, I am happy to offer you an interview with Ann K. Levine, who kindly agreed to talk to me about her perspective on the law school experience.  Ann K. Levine, Esq. is a law school admission consultant and proprietor of www.lawschoolexpert.com. She is also the author of the pre-law advice blog LawSchoolExpert (http://lawschoolexpert.blogspot.com). Ann is the former director of admissions at two ABA law schools and, since opening LawSchoolExpert.com in 2004, she has helped 600+ law school applicants nationwide create strong applications and strategies for their admission to law school. For more information about Ann's background and experience, see http://www.lawschoolexpert.com/experience.html 

1. Lawsagna:  How was your learning experience in law school?
   Ann Levine: I used parts of my brain I never knew existed. I felt stimulated and successful in a classroom setting for the first time. It wasn't about the end result of grades; I actually enjoyed the exercise of taking the exam and thinking through each problem and issue, applying my accumulated knowledge from the semester. I know this made me a big geek in law school, but this learning experience gave me confidence in many aspects of my life - even socially, as it gave me the confidence to run for student bar association office and to seek jobs I never would have considered myself eligible to hold.
2. Lawsagna:  From your experience as a law school admissions consultant, what are the main misconceptions about law school that applicants hold and share with you?
   Ann Levine:   #1 - that the LSAT is the only thing that matters. #2 - That their individual experiences are so unique and exceptional that law schools will completely overlook the LSAT. #3 - that you have to overcome paralysis or save someone's life to write a fantastic personal statement. (One of my clients said to me today that she feels the obstacle she has to overcome is not having had any obstacles to overcome! I assured her there were plenty of ripe topics from her life to address).
3. Lawsagna:  What skills do you consider important for a successful learning experience in law school?
   Ann Levine:  Self-reliance is vital; do the work yourself. That's how you learn. If you do rely on others, be sure about the quality of their work. There is no lazy way to grow from the law school learning experience. Obviously, self-discipline goes along with that. You need to keep on top of the work each week. Set up a study schedule and spend time each week reviewing/outlining the previous week's class notes. Don't leave review and outlining for the week before exams. That's the time to use your already-completed outlines and narrow them down - from 50 pages to 20 pages to 10 pages to 5 pages to 2 pages. This is how you learn the material and apply it on exams.
4. Lawsagna:  Do you feel that law school applicants know what the life as a lawyer entails?  Do they have a realistic picture of the legal profession?
   Ann Levine:  Absolutely not. I didn't, and very few of my clients really understand the practice of law before their first job after graduation. Even summer clerkships fail to provide a realistic experience because law firms sugarcoat the work and culture for recruitment purposes. Most law school applicants see law as a prestigious, financially-viable career that has some level of excitement and personal satisfaction. This is not wrong, but it's not the whole story. The bread and butter of law practice - court procedures, filing pleadings and motions, the discovery process, due diligence work - is not about standing up in court. It's about detail work, lots of paper, keeping track of deadlines, and incredibly long hours.
5. Lawsagna:  What are the most common mistakes law applicants make in the admission process?
   Ann Levine:  I just posted an article about the 5 Most Common Mistakes in Law School Applications (http://lawschoolexpert.blogspot.com/2007/10/5-common-mistakes-in-law-school.html). For mistakes in strategy, I'd have to say #1 - Applying to the wrong schools; #2 - Over-emphasizing the rankings; #3 -Applying too late in the game to take advantage of rolling admissions; #4 - Taking advice from the wrong people (see my response to the next question for more on this); and #5 - picking the wrong person to write a letter of recommendation http://lawschoolexpert.blogspot.com/2007/07/lors-part-1-absolutely-no-family.html
6. Lawsagna: I imagine that the law school application process is stressful for many applicants.  Do you have any tips or suggestions on the ways to alleviate or manage that stress? 
   Ann Levine:  Listen to people who can help you and do not listen to people who cannot help you. Your peers (competition) are not the right people to listen to, whether your friends or strangers on law school discussion boards. A good pre-law advisor, a good law school admission consultant, a good LSAT tutor, will help you manage each task during this stressful time in your life. Take each step individually rather than setting broad goals. For example, it's fine to put on your to-do list that this week you're going to ask 3 people to write your letters of recommendation. It's not reasonable to say you're going to fill out all of your applications this week. Unreasonable goals cause stress because you'll always feel behind.
7. Lawsagna:  Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of Lawsagna?
   Ann Levine:  My next webinar will be held on Saturday, October 27th at Noon EST/ 9 a.m. PST. It's entitled "I have my LSAT score; Now What?" and will provide a "to-do" list for the law school application process. The one-hour webinar will be offered FREE to Lawsagna readers. To register, email me at lawschoolexpert@cox.net

Thank you, Ann, for sharing your insights with Lawsagna readers!

Blog Action Day: Learning about the Environment

The 15th of October is Blog Action Day.  Thousands of bloggers put their thinking energy into one issue today – the environment.  They write about it in their own ways, weaving the topic into the themes of their blogs.  So, how are we learning about the environment? 

Some learning we do by choice, other comes to us the hard way.  Learning about the global warming and its effects is an example of the latter.  You may have heard about the four stages of learning:

1. Unconscious Incompetence.  We don’t even know what we don’t know.
2. Conscious Incompetence.  We are aware of what we don’t know.  We know what we need to learn.
3. Conscious Competence. We have learned enough to be able to act in accordance with our knowledge, but we still have to think about it.
4. Unconscious Competence.  The new behavior becomes natural, we don’t have to think about it any more. 

The events of this year shifted many of us into the conscious competence stage.  We know what we should and shouldn’t do to make a difference.  We know enough about the issues to start acting accordingly.  Sustainable living takes planning, adjustment, and concentration.  There is still a lot we need to learn as individuals, families, communities.  Any change is hard, and it takes effort.  It is easier to leave the computer on because that’s how we have always left it.  It is easier to toss a can into the trash rather that look for a recycling bin.  It is easier not to think about those habitual actions.  After all, they are part of our unconscious competence.  And we have to replace them with the skills that we are still learning, and it is a challenge.  Practice is really the only way.  “Think and do,” “think and do” will eventually evolve into “do and do,” and think about something else.   That’s when the environmental consciousness will become part of us, so much so that the new practices will be automatic, just like brushing our teeth in the morning.  But even then, we will still be learning about exciting discoveries and new better ways to do things, and we will continue trading our unconscious behavior for the conscious again.   It is a never-ending process, but hopefully, the one that leads to a better life on this one beautiful planet.

Small steps to a better life

Good changes come in small packages.  We don’t have to spend a lot of time and turn our life upside down to improve it.  Small things often have a big positive impact, and they are easier to stick to.  The challenge is to choose actionable steps or short routines that you can easily weave into the fabric of your day to brighten it up.  They may not solve your problems, but they can make you feel better about yourself and serve as a reminder to take care of your mind, body and spirit.  You can start with just one such life booster and then introduce more at a pace that is comfortable to you.  Here are a few things that I enjoy and you can try too:

• Start your day by stretching for a few minutes.  I like the Sun Salutation sequence. 
• Play your favorite tune as you are getting dressed in the morning, or better yet, sing it.  How about “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” from “Oklahoma” – seems appropriate:

Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day,
I've got a wonderful feeling,
Everything's going my way.

Or choose whatever you like.

• Set times throughout the day to do some deep breathing.  Most of us are shallow breathers.  Deep breathing brings more oxygen to your body and calms you down.
• Choose to add a healthy fruit or vegetable to your daily diet.  Blueberries-brainberries are my choice. 
• Meditate.  It is an amazing practice.  A 15-minute meditation session can bring more insights for me than a full day of hard thinking.   
• Say affirmations or The Serenity Prayer, or simply read poetry.
• Make an effort to connect to your friends or loved ones daily in an easy but meaningful way.  It can be a kind word, a phone call, a short email, a kiss, a note, a home-cooked meal – whatever works in your circumstances.  Send your loving energy with it.
• Take a different perspective on something that tends to bother you or drain your energy.  Adopt a new more productive way to think about it and reinforce this new thinking with repetition. 
• Keep a gratitude journal where you write down all the things you are grateful for.   

Your list may be very different.  The idea is to find something that makes your life better.  What is that one little step you can take today?  Let’s hear from you.

The Inter-Pacific Bar Association scholarships for young lawyers

Young lawyers who are involved or have interest in a cross-border practice may want to check out the scholarships from The Inter-Pacific Bar Association. 

The Inter-Pacific Bar Association ("IPBA") is an international association of business and commercial lawyers with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.

The IPBA scholarships enable young lawyers to attend the IPBA’s Eighteenth Annual Meeting and Conference which will be held in Los Angeles from April 27 – 30, 2008.

The highlight of the year for the IPBA is its annual multi-topic four-day conference. The conference has become the "must attend event" for international business and commercial lawyers. In addition to plenary sessions of interest to all lawyers, programmes are presented by the IPBA's eighteen specialist committees. The IPBA annual meeting and conference provides an opportunity for lawyers to meet their international colleagues with Asian practices and to share latest developments in cross-border practice and professional development in Asia.

Here is the link to the PDF file with the description, requirements, and the application form.

Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner

Step 13:  Mastering informal learning and professional development

Learning doesn’t end when you leave the classroom, submit a paper for grading, or finish a test.  Most of our learning in life happens informally through conversations, stories, actions, and mistakes.  Have you met people who always seem to know how to find an answer quickly, who to ask for advice and where to go for help?  The truth is you can be one of those resourceful people.   You just have to master informal learning.  Here are 7 pointers to get your started: 

1. Build awareness.  Don’t be a zombie who operates on autopilot.  Be mindful of what is going on around you.   There are many things at work that with experience, we can do almost automatically.  But in order to learn, we need to pay attention.  Get informed about your company, understand its history, the services you provide, markets, processes, culture and politics. 
2. Embrace the “TEAM” approach to learning:
   T = Test your understanding;
   E = Evaluate the results of your test;
   A = Assess the strengths and weaknesses of your current position in light of the results;
   M = Modify your understanding if needed.
   Repeat the cycle. 
3. Reflect.  Get into the habit of reflecting on the experiences of your work day.  What excited you?  What frustrated you?  What was the most important thing you learned today?  Did you manage your time effectively?  How can you improve your work processes?    You can come up with your own list of questions and use it as a checklist at the end of the day. 
4. Be strategic about your professional development.  Don’t assume that you will get the necessary training and resources.  Develop your personal learning agenda.  Identify the skills you will need as your career evolves and set a timeframe for developing those skills.  Create a personal curriculum that covers all possible ways and methods for you to learn.  When time comes for the conversation with your boss about your professional development, be prepared. 
5. Seek feedback whenever you can.  Constructive feedback can open new learning opportunities. 
6. Be social. Talk to people.  Ask them about their passions and areas of expertise.  The more people you know, the easier it will be for you to access information when you need it.  Figure out how knowledge flows in your organization.  Who generates it?  How is it distributed? Who are the connectors? 
7. Develop a curious mind.  A curious mind is inspired, attentive, ready to solve problems and build new connections.  It welcomes challenges and envisions possibilities.  It is a great mind to have when you want to learn.

Orientation Series:  21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1:  Setting your learning objectives
Step 2:  Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3:  Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4:  Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5:   Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6:  Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7:  “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8:  Tapping into your social networks
Step 9:  Identifying your learning barriers
Step 10:  Finding your sources of motivation
Step 11:  Managing your energy
Step 12:  Focusing on how you think

Descriptions, interpretations, evaluations

When I was teaching ESL many years ago, I did the so-called “DIE” exercise with my students.  The exercise highlighted the effect of our own experiences, backgrounds and culture on our analysis of events.  The acronym “DIE” stood for “Description,” “Interpretation” and “Evaluation.”  The students read written descriptions of various situations and were asked to give their opinion of what they read.  The next step was to tear apart the factual description of a given situation from its interpretation and evaluation.  The description focused on the facts.  The interpretation revealed how the students made meaning of what they read.  The evaluation was about their judgment, whether they considered something as good, bad, moral, reprehensible, etc.  As a final step, I challenged the students to come up with different interpretations and evaluations of the events. 

I think the usefulness of this exercise goes beyond cross-cultural training.  The exercise offers a good way to reveal our own blind spots and become more empathetic.  Next time you find yourself in a disagreement, try the “DIE” exercise and see what underlying assumptions it brings to light.

Career: blended, blurred, swirled – but nothing on the rocks, please

What metaphor for life and career do you like?  I prefer “work life blending” over “work/life balance.”  I can’t easily separate my work life from my personal life, and I like them blended, at least for now.  My office is in my home, and my toddler’s playground is in my office.  I find “Happy Baby Colors” next to Bryan Garner’s “The Elements of Legal Style.”  Yesterday, I couldn’t figure out why nothing happened when I typed only to discover that my keyboard was disconnected.  And then there is that very tempting button on my modem, which is my gateway to the internet and phone, the lights change if you push it…it’s pretty cool, I understand.  It can be challenging at times, but it is rewarding nonetheless.  And I know for sure, it will eventually evolve into some other arrangement, and I am OK with that too.  Nothing is permanent except change, as the saying goes. 

More and more people embrace such blurred careers, as I was happy to find out form The New York Times Blog “Shifting Careers” written by Marci Alboher, a former lawyer and the author of “One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success.”  She writes in her post “Blurring by Choice and Passion”:

I am not yet convinced that loosening boundaries is the answer for everyone. But if you chronically blur the lines between work and life, it is wise to find work you love — or at least enjoy enough to welcome it following you home occasionally.

With that thought, off I go as my life competes for my attention by unceremoniously turning the swivel chair away from the computer.

Don't let negativity bring you down

Easier said than done, but read the article "Beware of Garbage Trucks™" by David J. Pollay.  Perhaps, you can also benefit from the lesson he learned "in the back of a New York City taxi cab."

Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner

Step 12:  Focusing on how you think

Learning to see the structures within which we operate begins a process of freeing ourselves from previously unseen forces and ultimately mastering the ability to work with them and change them.
- Peter Senge, “The Fifth Discipline”

There is no learning without thinking.  Effective learners know how to engage different types of thinking and how to think systematically and strategically.  Thinking about your own thinking is a meta-skill: it enables you to use your other skills in a more productive way across different disciplines and subject areas.  The Thinking Portal at Wikipedia includes a long list of thinking-related topics:

Abductive reasoning, Abstract thinking, Analogy, Attitude, Calculation, Categorization, Cognition, Cognitive restructuring, Cognitive space, Cognitive style, Common sense, Consciousness, Concept, Conjecture, Concrete concepts, Convergent thinking, Critical thinking, Deductive reasoning, Definition, Divergent thinking, Estimation, Evaluation, Explanation, Gestalt psychology, Heuristics, Historical thinking, Holistic, Hypothesis, Idea, Identification (information), Inductive reasoning, Inference, Instinct, Intelligence, Intelligence amplification, Intentionality, Introspection, Intuition, Knowledge management, Language, Lateral thinking, Linguistics, Logic, Logical argument, Logical assertion, LogoVisual thinking, Meaning (linguistics), Meaning (non-linguistic), Meaning (semiotics), Mental calculation, Mental function, Metacognition, Mind's eye, Mindset, Multiple intelligences, Morphological Analysis, Multitasking, Nonlinear, Pattern matching, Personality, Picture thinking, Prediction, Premise (argument), Problem finding, Problem shaping, Problem solving, Proposition, Rationality, Reason, Reasoning, Reasoning event, Self-reflection, Sapience, Semantic network, Semantics, Semiosis, Semiotics, Six Thinking Hats, Speech act, Somatosensory, Stream of consciousness, Syllogism, Synectics, Systems intelligence, Systems thinking, Thinkabout, Thinking, Thought act, Thinking maps, Thinking Processes, Thought experiment, TRIZ, Visual thinking, Working memory, Writing

There is obviously a lot to learn about thinking.   To keep it is simple, let’s begin with just a few types:

Convergent thinking - This type of thinking is cognitive processing of information around a common point, an attempt to bring thoughts from different directions into a union or common conclusion.

Divergent thinking - This type of thinking starts from a common point and moves outward into a variety of perspectives. When fostering divergent thinking, teachers use the content as a vehicle to prompt diverse or unique thinking among students rather than a common view.

Inductive thinking - This is the process of reasoning from parts to the whole, from examples to generalizations.

Deductive thinking - This type of reasoning moves from the whole to its parts, from generalizations to underlying concepts to examples.

Critical thinking - This is convergent thinking. It assesses the worth and validity of something existent. It involves precise, persistent, objective analysis. When teachers try to get several learners to think convergently, they try to help them develop common understanding.

Creative thinking - This is divergent thinking. It generates something new or different. It involves having a different idea that works as well or better than previous ideas.

To hone your meta-skills and to bring more focus and clarity to learning through a structured thought process, try applying the above types of thinking to a topic you are studying.  Pay attention to how you think about the subject matter, as opposed to what you think about it. 

Do you have favorite thinking models?

Orientation Series:  21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1:  Setting your learning objectives
Step 2:  Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3:  Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4:  Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5:   Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6:  Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7:  “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8:  Tapping into your social networks
Step 9:  Identifying your learning barriers
Step 10:  Finding your sources of motivation
Step 11:  Managing your energy

Learning Incubator

• Are you a knowledge worker whose livelihood depends on how quickly and accurately you process information each day?
• Are you a life-long learner with the passion and curiosity for knowledge who wants to use this knowledge for impact?

Pull up a chair, get your cup of coffee (or tea) and join our conversation about informal learning and professional development.

Think how rapidly things change nowadays.  Successful knowledge workers have the skills to learn fast, think clearly and act decisively.  They don’t feel overwhelmed with information because they know what to look for and how to find and prioritize it.  Yet, many of us would probably agree that we have very little time to work on the skills we need to learn better.  Here’s an idea.  Let’s have a conversation about our informal learning and professional development.  How do we learn?  What works and what doesn’t?  How can we maximize our learning “on the job” – by doing what we already do anyways, but perhaps with better approaches, frameworks, and focus?   

Are you ready to take charge of your learning?   Join our Learning Incubator community to share your learning goals, achievements and tips for success, to inspire and get inspired to be the best learner you can be.  Bring curiosity, humor, respect, and appreciation – that’s how we learn best.  The membership is free.  What’s there to lose, except a good conversation?