Education · FORTUNE
Fortune #29
Mixed — reflect carefully
The hardest chapter does not always belong first. Put demanding work where your attention is strongest; on a low-energy day, a short task may help you begin.
QUOTE CARD
A quote for you
“ความล้มเหลวที่สำคัญที่สุดของการศึกษาคือ การที่ไม่ได้เตรียมความพร้อมให้ผู้คนเข้าใจเรื่องราวที่เกี่ยวข้องกับชะตากรรมของมนุษย์”
— นอร์แมน คัสซินส์
นักเขียนและบรรณาธิการชาวอเมริกัน ผู้สนใจความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างใจและสุขภาพ
- Person
- Norman Cousins
- Source work
- 15 April 1978.
- Source text
- The main failure of education is that it has not prepared people to comprehend matters concerning human destiny.
STORY & REFLECTION
The Small Fish Already in Hand
The Fisherman and the Little Fish · Aesop's fable
A fisherman catches a small fish. The fish asks to be released, promising that it will be worth more when it grows. The fisherman chooses what is in hand.
The fable contrasts a small certain gain with a larger uncertain one. It does not mean avoiding difficult work. It asks what fits the time and resources available now.
Starting with the hardest chapter every day can leave you stuck at the beginning. On some days you have the focus for it; on others a short, completable task helps you begin.
Check your time and energy before choosing the first task. Beginning with something easier is not avoidance if you still make a plan to return to the hard part.
Reflection
Difficulty should be placed where your energy can meet it.
A small action today
Place the hardest task in your most alert study period.
A question to reflect on
When in the day can you think most clearly about a hard problem?