Friday Faves is our weekly blog series highlighting a few select pieces from the REG team’s reading lists. You can catch up on past Friday Faves on the archive

Here’s what learning to juggle does to your brain

Anne says: When was the last time you tried to juggle? Not the multi-tasking type of juggling work, Zoom meetings, family needs, homeschooling, lockdown restrictions, pets and everything else! The type of juggling with balls (please don’t try this with knives!). It’s quite possible it was recently. Many people have been attempting to learn new skills, or revisiting past attempts, during lockdown periods.

This article about juggling is of particular interest to me (as I have also had many not particularly successful attempts at juggling) as an article that focuses on the learning processes. How your brain needs specific conditions, motor skills and repetition, and… not thinking about it!!

As adult learners, we’re constantly thinking about how we’re learning. What’s the process, what’s the best way, the right way, how can I learn as quickly as possible, why isn’t this working, it can’t be that hard, and on and on. There’s an insightful description of the process, layered with explanations of how the brain is processing the learning, including the importance of muscle memory. It reminds us of how many complex tasks we can achieve and under different situations, applying contingency thinking and adjusting our actions.

I’ve always recommended people start a new activity every year, something that takes you right out of your comfort zone, but at the same time provides you with the experience to be a beginner again, and to experience the feeling of success as small progress towards accomplishment is achieved. Now, reflect on your 2020 (sorry, I know that may not be pleasant), think about the number of times we had to develop new ways of handling tasks under difficult circumstances. Perhaps you even had time to develop new skills – Instagram was full of people sharing their achievements, like baking sourdough!

Why is this important? And why now?

It’s important because once you understand how your brain approaches new learning experiences, you will have the ability to manage your learning more effectively and take on new challenges with a sense of excitement. Specifically, it provides a framework for understanding how to adapt to new ways of working as distributed teams and facing challenges that move us beyond our comfort zones. These are not only juggling skills, these are lifelong learning skills and can enable you to confront a wide range of new experiences.

Read: https://www.wired.com/story/heres-what-learning-juggle-does-your-brain/

10 takeaways from the winter 2021 Digital Workplace Experience conference

“We are capable of change and are able to adapt in the midst of some really difficult situations,” Prokopeak said in the opening keynote of the Digital Workplace Experience. “But the changes aren’t over.”

Jakkii says: Sounds about right, doesn’t it?

This piece is a good overview of some interesting takeaways (from the author’s perspective, of course) from the recent Digital Workplace Experience conference, held online. As the article notes, all of the sessions are available to watch for free online, however, if you don’t have time to view all of them make sure you’ll get a feel for the views shared during the event from the article.

Though the headline suggests 10 takeaways, there’s really 7 with the 7th being broken down into three broad points.

  1. The case for moving work upstream

  2. We nailed digital transformation in 2020

  3. Employee onboarding kicked into high gear

  4. Face down the fear of change

  5. More diversity, more voice of the employee

  6. More digital dexterity

  7. On the path to employee listening

    1. Experiment to validate

    2. Customised listening creates a direct path to action

    3. The right tools matter

Some interesting headings there, for sure. I think number 2 grabbed my attention immediately – and my scepticism, to be honest. It’s a little misleading in my opinion, as what the section is referring to is a report finding a considerable step forward in digital workplace maturity in 2020 – I’d hardly say that means we’ve ‘nailed’ digital transformation on that basis.

It’s worth having a read through each takeaway though for the detail which provides a basis for reflection and consideration as to how your organisation’s experience fits with these takeaways and hopefully offers some thoughts about where to from here in 2021.

Read: https://www.reworked.co/digital-workplace/10-takeaways-from-the-winter-digital-workplace-experience-2021-virtual-conference/

Friday Fives

Hybrid workplace

Remote work

Communication, engagement, and culture

Community management and moderation

Privacy and data

The great Australian Facebook stoush

By turning off news sharing, Facebook has turned attention away from flawed government legislation and on to its own reckless opaque power – The Guardian

Social media

Extras

This is interesting: In 2021, the Sundance Film Festival found art in Zoom, Instagram, and VR theater

Things that make you go hmmm: Thought-detection: AI has infiltrated our last bastion of privacy

Space: If Planet Nine exists, why has no one seen it?

Podcast: Amazon Narratives — Memos, Working Backwards from Release, More

Friday funny: 8 year old stumps everyone with Zoom trick to play hooky from school ‘permanently’

Sydney Business Insights: The Future, This Week Podcast

This week: we’re back with a breaking news special as Facebook goes nuclear, banning all news from its Australian platform.

Sandra Peter (Sydney Business Insights) and Kai Riemer (Digital Disruption Research Group) meet once a week to put their own spin on news that is impacting the future of business in The Future, This Week.

The stories this week

Facebook opts for nuclear option in reaction to proposed news code

Other stories we bring up

Listen: https://sbi.sydney.edu.au/facebook-and-the-media-code-on-the-future-this-week/


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

You may also like

Reframing Perspectives

2 years ago

Friday Faves – Reframed

Friday Faves is our blog series highlighting select pieces from the REG team’s reading lists. You can catch up on…

Read more
a half-closed laptop sits on a desk with a mouse next to it and an empty chair

2 years ago

Friday Faves – What We’re Reading This Week

Friday Faves is our weekly blog series highlighting a few select pieces from the REG team’s reading lists. You can catch…

Read more
woman in blue dress and blue heels sits at a desk with open laptop, talking on the phone. her desk is at a pink cubicle that has been placed in the middle of a supermarket aisle with groceries on the shelves around her

2 years ago

Friday Faves – What We’re Reading This Week

Friday Faves is our weekly blog series highlighting a few select pieces from the REG team’s reading lists. You can catch…

Read more
image of an office with a laptop open on the desk. on the laptop screen is a videoconference in progress showing many faces in a gallery view

2 years ago

Friday Faves – What We’re Reading This Week

Friday Faves is our weekly blog series highlighting a few select pieces from the REG team’s reading lists. You can catch…

Read more