The Five Elements of Effective Thinking [Topic: Self Improvement, Learning]

  azichettello
Sunday, Oct. 04 2015, 03:08:20 PM
Edited: Saturday, Apr. 27 2019, 06:16:53 AM
Book (Audio)

The Five Elements of Effective Thinking


Author: Edward B. Burger, Michael Starbird


Began Audio:

8/9/2014

Finished Audio:

8/22/2015

History:


Created Note:

8/23/2014

Last Updated:

8/16/2015


Miscellaneous Background Notes:


  • About 3 hours long

  • Last chapter is a good review of the entire book in 15 minutes

  • Great book for understanding and beginning to develop the fundamental thinking approach used to be successful in life


Action items:


  • Review summary again

  • Focus on Fire (making mistakes) and Change (which are my weaknesses)

Prologue

  • The root of success to everything is thinking

  • The fundamentals of thinking for success are also the same regardless of the field

  • This book is about the those fundamentals of thinking more effectively

Introduction: Elements of Effective Thinking, Learning and Creating

  • Elements of effective thinking, learning and creating

    • Understand deeply

    • Let go of preconceived notions and biases

    • Make mistakes

    • Raise questions

    • Follow the flow of ideas

  • Earth, fire, wind, water, change

  • We are all able to live our lives more successfully than most people do

  • Lifelong learners

1: Earth

  • Successful people continuously develop the core purpose of their life

  • Master the basics in order to become comfortable with the complex

    • As you move to things more complex the fundamentals become more nuanced

  • If you can't solve a problem look for an easier problem that you can't solve

  • Clear the clutter and focus on essentials

  • Consciously acknowledge what you actually see

  • Ask “how do I know?”

  • Try alternating opinions, even to those you feel are wrong

  • Use adjectives to see the invisible

    • ex: world war 1

2: Fire

  • Microsoft founders had a first failed startup analyzing traffic data

  • Move forward sooner than later

  • If you don't know how to succeed then start by failing

  • 9 failure mindset

  • Can try to get it right or purposely get it wrong

  • Make an attempt, find a flaw, fix it, repeat

    • Defects are not identifiable until they exist

    • Particularly important for writing

  • Find the right question to the wrong answer

  • Have a bad day and reflect upon it

  • Explore extremes and exaggerate

3: Air

  • Be like Socrates

  • Questions are a profound step towards understanding

  • Ask “what if?”

  • Don't pretend to know things that you think you should know

  • Don't be intimidated...you are the best authority on what you don't understand

  • Ask questions from alternative perspectives

  • Apply ideas from one subject to another to ask new questions

  • The best way to learn is to teach

  • Why students have math phobia

  • Before doing anything stop to identify the real question

  • Ask meta questions such as what is the goal of this task

  • The goal of education should be to develop critical thinking skills

4: Water

  • See the flow of ideas by looking back and forward

  • Successful innovators harness the power of a flow of ideas

  • Great solutions come from an evolutionary process, often with thousands of contributors

  • Just do it then iterate

  • Newton himself said his success and realizations were from standing on the shoulders of giants

  • All creative geniuses start as non geniuses and take baby steps from there

  • Ask yourself what previous ideas extend into the new idea at hand

  • Guessing what's next anchors what's there

  • Look back and reflect on previously gained knowledge and insights

  • New ideas should be viewed as a beginning

  • All ideas have extensions, you just have to find them

  • Modern day kids have the advantage of seeing the way the world is right now without any biases from the past (&I)

  • Ask what's next and follow the if this then that path

  • Think 1 step back to imagine 1 step forward

  • Realize that we are all prejudicial

  • The best state is a state of working progress

5: Change

  • Develop the habit of constructive change

  • If you embrace the ability to change then you are free from worry about any defects you may have (&K)

  • Work with your eyes open

  • Alter what you do rather than how you do it

  • Vast potential exists in us all

  • Being imaginative is a skill that can be developed

  • Allow old ideas to crumble in the face of new challenges

  • Doubt yourself..it's a sign of strength (&K,&I)

  • Becoming the quintessential you

  • Making these strategies habits is key to success (&I,&K)

  • How to be a quintessential person of the world


 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

5: Change

  • Develop the habit of constructive change

  • If you embrace the ability to change then you are free from worry about any defects you may have (&K)

  • Work with your eyes open

  • Alter what you do rather than how you do it

  • Vast potential exists in us all

  • Being imaginative is a skill that can be developed

  • Allow old ideas to crumble in the face of new challenges

  • Doubt yourself..it's a sign of strength (&K,&I)

  • Becoming the quintessential you

  • Making these strategies habits is key to success (&I,&K)

  • How to be a quintessential person of the world

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

Always embrace change

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

4: Water

  • See the flow of ideas by looking back and forward

  • Successful innovators harness the power of a flow of ideas

  • Great solutions come from an evolutionary process, often with thousands of contributors

  • Just do it then iterate

  • Newton himself said his success and realizations were from standing on the shoulders of giants

  • All creative geniuses start as non geniuses and take baby steps from there

  • Ask yourself what previous ideas extend into the new idea at hand

  • Guessing what's next anchors what's there

  • Look back and reflect on previously gained knowledge and insights

  • New ideas should be viewed as a beginning

  • All ideas have extensions, you just have to find them

  • Modern day kids have the advantage of seeing the way the world is right now without any biases from the past (&I)

  • Ask what's next and follow the if this then that path

  • Think 1 step back to imagine 1 step forward

  • Realize that we are all prejudicial

  • The best state is a state of working progress

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

Remember to look back and reflect on the past (reflexology)

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

3: Air

  • Be like Socrates

  • Questions are a profound step towards understanding

  • Ask “what if?”

  • Don't pretend to know things that you think you should know

  • Don't be intimidated...you are the best authority on what you don't understand

  • Ask questions from alternative perspectives

  • Apply ideas from one subject to another to ask new questions

  • The best way to learn is to teach

  • Why students have math phobia

  • Before doing anything stop to identify the real question

  • Ask meta questions such as what is the goal of this task

  • The goal of education should be to develop critical thinking skills

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

Always remember to keep the goal of the task in mind

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

2: Fire

  • Microsoft founders had a first failed startup analyzing traffic data

  • Move forward sooner than later

  • If you don't know how to succeed then start by failing

  • 9 failure mindset

  • Can try to get it right or purposely get it wrong

  • Make an attempt, find a flaw, fix it, repeat

    • Defects are not identifiable until they exist

    • Particularly important for writing

  • Find the right question to the wrong answer

  • Have a bad day and reflect upon it

  • Explore extremes and exaggerate

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

Appreciate the bad days

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

Fail towards success as fast as possible

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

1: Earth

  • Successful people continuously develop the core purpose of their life

  • Master the basics in order to become comfortable with the complex

    • As you move to things more complex the fundamentals become more nuanced

  • If you can't solve a problem look for an easier problem that you can't solve

  • Clear the clutter and focus on essentials

  • Consciously acknowledge what you actually see

  • Ask “how do I know?”

  • Try alternating opinions, even to those you feel are wrong

  • Use adjectives to see the invisible

    • ex: world war 1

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

Routinely review and refine my mission statement

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

Introduction: Elements of Effective Thinking, Learning and Creating

  • Elements of effective thinking, learning and creating

    • Understand deeply

    • Let go of preconceived notions and biases

    • Make mistakes

    • Raise questions

    • Follow the flow of ideas

  • Earth, fire, wind, water, change

  • We are all able to live our lives more successfully than most people do

  • Lifelong learners

reply

 azichettello - 8 years, 5 months ago Open

Prologue

  • The root of success to everything is thinking

  • The fundamentals of thinking for success are also the same regardless of the field

  • This book is about the those fundamentals of thinking more effectively

reply