A question I am passionate about came up today in namesake.com:
“I’ve got a TERRIBLE memory. I believe it might be due to the inability to concentrate. I usually can’t work on one task for too long. Any suggestions on how to improve my concentration and my memory?”
I am trying to get back in the habit of writing here, so I figured I would take this opportunity to share my answer here on thomasknoll.info as well.
Practice is the main determinant of success in a particular field.
[ via Scott Adams - The Illusion of Winning ]
Most people I’ve read or listened to recently discussing game mechanics focus on the value of incremental rewards, but I actually believe the correlation between the value of gaming and being “good at life” has more to do with permission (even expectation) for structured failure.
Unfortunately, outside of trying to pwn n00bs or launching a startup, your average person has almost no opportunity to iterate through structured failure. We love games, because that is one of the few experiences where we can practice the next step after failure.
I’m wondering if you could describe one of your core daily functions, and how you might be able to practice failing better to improve – aka “level in life”?