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Essential or important knowledge/subject/skills to acquire in this day and age and beyond?
Peas
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Looking to improve myself as a person
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Some suggestions in random order:
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Your question was a fun one to think about. I am sure there is many things I have missed, likely even important ones :P
On that first aid thing.
Here in Denmark where I live we have a system where everyone that feels able, can install which alerts them if there is an report of a heart attack in their local area ie. if some calls 911 or wears a heart monitor device that calls for help they get alerted. This then makes for a increased chance of someone knowing CPR getting to the person in need quickly, since of course not everywhere an ambulance is just two minutes away this has actually increased the chance of people having heart attacks surviving. Another thing that helps is that AED units for use in first aid situations are being put up most anywhere there can be many people around, many placed so that they can be accessed even when put somewhere that isn't open 24-7.
More info about the initiative here: https://hjertestarter.dk/english/you-can-save-lives. That includes a couple of videos giving quick overviews.
Not sure if a similar system exists where you live, but if it does joining up could be the next step after learning first aid. Or maybe you could get local politicians to look into it.
Pick only maybe two or three items to dig into at a time. Start with small projects and work from there.
For example, do you need your oil changed or tires rotated? Look up how to do those. Then dig into why you have to do it, and some other parts of a car that you're interested in learning more about.
A willingness to learn is possibly one of the greatest assets you can have. As people get older they sometimes get stuck in their ways and less curious about the world around them. Mugsley's advice is basically what I'd recommend, when you get presented with a problem research all around it for a little bit.
For other advice, I guess listing is probably the easiest way to not make this too about me, so my suggestions are:
Know how you learn best - Spend the time to self reflect on how you gain new skills, and try to find ways to learn that are compatible. Maybe you can just listen to a podcast, maybe you need a classroom and a teacher. Experiment with methods and lean in to things that empower you to work through frustration. Don't be afraid to feel stupid or overwhelmed, dont feel ashamed to watch learning materials meant for kids if it means you'll get better, simplified and thorough instructions.
Practice small talk and "soft" skills - Talking to people can be hard and opens you up to vulnerability, but if you meet people who do something specific and they like to talk about it, ask them questions, let them talk your ear off, be truly engaged. Consciously working at this has been a challenge for me, but also a great skill to have. Being able to be pleasant to be around is a great ability.
Keep a calendar - I'm not great at keeping a day planner, but in the era of smart phones, actually using your calendar can really improve your life. Put things that might be nice to do on your calendar, and not just work tasks. Remind yourself to call someone you forget to reach out to, put an event that might be interesting on there that you miss every year. Productivity is a very lucrative idea to sell people, so as you self-reflect on learning, try to think about the best ways that you specifically could make a calendar work for you with low effort, dont get swept up in needing an expensive app or paper system right away.
Know what scares you the most - For me, finances were pretty terrifying for a long time and so I take active steps to get advice and not let myself ignore it. If you make a list of things in your life you want to improve, find the ones that seem the most like a chore and confront it.
Biology and ecology: how things interact in nature, and how our actions affect them.
Data: How data is generally structured, and how it travels (and changes) between systems.
I'm going to expand on this.
Understanding common cognitive biases, errors, and heuristics (mental shortcuts) is a strong way to keep your mind in order. Example: 'confirmation bias' is the tendency to notice evidence that fits with your preconceptions while overlooking contradictory evidence. For example, if you believe that European cars suck, and your friend struggles with keeping his VW in working order, you might commit confirmation bias if you take your friend's experience with his VW as evidence that European cars suck. To overcome it, you should look at broader statistics on car reliability, not just your own experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases is a fun list.
Good books on managing your own psychology and decision-making: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Sway by Ori and Rom Brafman, Hare Brain Tortoise Mind by Guy Claxton. (Also on my list is The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin, though I haven't read it yet so I can't give it a full recommendation. I'm just a fan of his other work.)
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.