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Where leaping to conclusions is my primary form of forward motion.
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The Art of The Quick Study
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The More Space Project Launches Collaborative Book
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Monday, October 17, 2005
The Art of The Quick Study
Some good suggestions on finding the structure and meaning of complex subjects – be they new markets, new philosophies, or new strategies. The idea of learning the language – a concept called coming to terms in the classic reading text How To Read A Book – is central to learning any new subject. Having a framework and good tools for doing so gives you consistency and reduces errors. [via Jim McGee]Becoming a better quick study of new markets and technology
Tim Oren offers his process for coming up to speed on a new market or technology. Although it's oriented towards his specific needs as a VC evaluating potential investments, it is general enough to offer an excellent starting point for any of us whose lives are characterized by having to make sense out of new environments on a regular basis. Certainly, there have been times in my career as a consultant when it seems that the primary skill requirement is to be an adept quick study on anything.
Here's Tim's key graf:There are two observations behind this methodology. First, every technology and market has a private language. It's built of terms of art, but also names of landmarks such as products, famous papers and projects, labs, and researchers and other experts. To begin to understand the market you need to learn this language. Fortunately, such a distinctive use of language and interlinkage of people and information artifacts is the very best thing you can have to feed Google or other modern search tools. The second observation is that the best way to learn a field is to watch experts argue about it. [Due Diligence]I would add two suggestions to his approach. First, give some thought to using a mindmap or something similar to manage your growing knowledge base. I'm a fan of MindManager for this kind of effort, and the newest version adds a number of new features to support this kind of organic research strategy. Jerry Michalski is a fan of a product called Personal Brain. I used it a few years back and, while I liked it, ultimaely concluded that mindmaps suited me better. Second, give some thought to how you want to manage the collection of electronic resources (links, captured webpages, pdf files, etc) you will ultimately collect. Lately, I've been having success with a combination of MindManager and Onfolio.
Posted by: 
Terry Frazier at 7:16 PM
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Categories: Business & Finance, Productivity, Strategy
Terry Frazier at 7:16 PM
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Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The More Space Project Launches Collaborative Book
The More Space project, organized by Todd Sattersten of 800CEOREAD has launched its book. This is a collaborative blogger book - i.e. Todd got several bloggers together to write individual chapters - and it's the first successful such attempt I've seen (if you know others please post a comment.) [More...]
Posted by: Terry Frazier at 10:32 AM
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Categories: Books, Productivity, Publishing
Terry Frazier at 10:32 AM
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Tuesday, October 11, 2005
PocketMod - The Free, Disposable Pocket Organizer
This is another cool little tool in the mode of the Hipster PDA but better. PocketMod is a nifty Flash app that lets you create custom pocket-sized day planners. The trick is they all fit on a single sheet of 8.5x11 paper, so you can print them on your laserprinter. Complete with folding instructions (the video is cool.) A Moleskine its not, but once you see how many different pages you can put in a PocketMod youll begin to wonder.What makes the PocketMod so special?
Many things make this little personal organizer special, here is a list.
- It fits easily in your back pocket or purse.
- It's as cheap as one piece of paper (Because that's all it is!)
- It opens like a book. Leading to easier to find, more organized notes.
- The first page has a pouch, big enough to carry a business card!
- Customizable with "Mods" tailored to your needs.
- It's free and fun
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