Experiment Detail

Matthew Cornell I like the Straker book. Made me think of my objective, and criteria to measure it by. Very TTL, that (steps #1 and 2).

Thus:

Objective: From concept-file-synthesis-2009-04.txt, extract and group the main ideas for the book.

Criteria (i.e., tests):
o Fewer than twelve (say)
o Makes intuitive sense to me - feels satisfying and adequately complete
o Makes sense to Liza - I'll ask her to "alpha test" it with her own TTL thinking - main points, methods, etc.
o Compares favorably to chapter-titles.txt
o Items in log-gtd-coaching.txt tagged with ThinkTryLearn and HappinessOfScience fit relatively naturally into the structure

Along the way: see if fits the structure: Framework, Principles, Skills

Feb 14, 2010

Brock Tice Interesting idea -- one thing I used to use in college to break out of my engineering-computation-paper thinking was grease pencils on my dorm room's window. Kind of a pain to clean up, but it did help shake things up a bit. Are you finding such an effect from switching modes?

Feb 14, 2010

Matthew Cornell Yes, I definitely like doing it. I'm through 4 of 12 pages so far, and it's interesting the urge to organize. I find the main concepts are moving to the top. So far.

Feb 16, 2010

Matthew Cornell I finished yesterday making notes for each concept on the 12 pages (yay!) and spent three hours with Liza putting them into a first-pass ordering. The process was fun, though as you'd expect it took a few tries to get some momentum.

The stickies worked great for this. We worked on a large table and started with my original big page on one side, and a big blank sheet on the other. The goal was to move all notes off the old and onto the new (or into the trash). We'd peel one off, talk about it, and either place it, crumple it up, or re-think our categories. Great fun :-)

Here's a before shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewcornell/4376331810/

Feb 22, 2010

Matthew Cornell Right now I'm consolidating ideas from book chapter ideas w/Tara, my work w/Liza, and integrating the 786 tidbits (!) from my big arse text file. This is a cycle back to convergence, with 60 rough categories, and an average of 4 entries under each (240 total rough ideas). I'm using a text file because it makes sense given the number of items I'm organizing.

I'll stick with using a text file for the next step where I merge redundant ideas into single words or phrases each. I expect this will be 25% less than current, or 180 ideas. Then I'll move back to stickies where I pull out at most 12 top-level headings/groups/chapters (?) with at most 4-8 max sections under each. (I got these numbers from a quick review of some books I like on my shelves.) This is the hard part where I decide what's crucial, and throw out my pet ideas that are secondary.

Uncertain, challenging, and fun. It feels good (and the right timing for) making this happen.

Mar 03, 2010

Matthew Cornell Got discouraged thumbing through "Writing the Natural Way". Probably due to exhaustion from above experiment.

Mar 03, 2010

Matthew Cornell Feeling better this morning. I now realize Rico's book is exactly what I need in this moment. The process: nucleus word -> clustering -> internal pattern awareness -> emotionally charged trial-web shift -> impulse to write. We'll see!

Mar 04, 2010

Matthew Cornell I continue to cycle on the process (spiral, really - I'm at a different place each time around). I worked this weekend pulling out the main words and short phrases that the book should cover, some more important than others. There are 282 of them. I painstakingly printed them out on cardstock and cut out most into cards, then realized the physical approach made less sense than a mind-mapping one. So I'm now working through them one-by-one and sticking them into a FreeMind file. I'm trying not to agonize over where they go, and instead letting my brain work freer-form. 102 to go. Happily excited about it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewcornell/4416469117/

Mar 08, 2010

Matthew Cornell Continuing processing the index into the mind map. 28 entries left to go! I'm keeping light the identification of groups, using the "trial web" of Rico's. I have to let go of "one chance only" thinking (a TTL obstacle). Great stuff.

Mar 10, 2010

Matthew Cornell Got all the terms into the map yesterday, and locked the file. Now I'll make copies for trial-webs, which will give the a safe sandbox (Petri dish) for going nuts. Met today with someone in Publishing who suggests an editor at this stage. Also, will connect up with highly successful neighbor writer in a few weeks.

Mar 12, 2010

Matthew Cornell I'm working my way through the main topics, cleaning up and consolidating sections underneath. Here are main topics and section counts, sorted very roughly in chapter order:

intro/worldview 11
scientific method 4
process 3 (but much underneath)
working the process 12
collaboration 16
healthy sense of detachment 9
mindset 17
enjoying the ride 17
obstacles & limiting beliefs 19
lifelong scholar 4


Switching it around, here they are sorted by # sections:

obstacles & limiting beliefs 19
mindset 17
enjoying the ride 17
collaboration 16
working the process 12
intro/worldview 11
healthy sense of detachment 9
scientific method 4
lifelong scholar 4
process 3 (but much underneath)


Fun!

Mar 18, 2010

Matthew Cornell I'm completing this experiment, with the outcome being that the method and tool were useful to organizing my thoughts. After meeting yesterday with a prolific, published author, I feel that I've done enough on the organizing side, and it's now time to "write a crappy first draft." :-)

Mar 21, 2010