This is part of a series covering my challenge of learning Arabic in 2 months. I’m using lots of Peak Performance techniques and sharing them along the way. The series is filed in the “Language Challenge” category.

Setting Goals

“When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.” – Jim Rohn

Previously, I mentioned I had some issues with time. My time analysis study has now shown me that I do have enough hours in the day. This has alleviated my concerns and I have comfortably and easily improved my time management. Mostly this is through getting rid of doorways to distraction (eg checking email) and timetabling non-essential but enjoyable activities like web-traffic analysis etc.

The PECSAW model in NLP is a set of guidelines that help design goals that are “do-able”.

I’ve only provided short example answers in this PECSAW outline below. If you do this for one of your own goals, make yours rich and full of information. The more detailed you are, the more your mind finds a way to make it happen.

P = Positive : i.e. What is my goal exactly? State this in a positive way i.e. “I want a new job” not “I don’t want to work here”

In two months time, I want to be able to read and write Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to an introductory level and also to be able to hold a basic level of conversation through being able to adapt MSA to a more conversational dialect (Gulf focused). I want to have memorised the alphabet and have knowledge of scripting, pronunciation, basic sentence structure, numbers, gender differences in language and basic conversation. I also want to improve my knowledge of Arabic culture and customs.

E = Evidence : i.e. How will I know that I have achieved my goal?

1. Successful completion of all the exercises in my tutorial books
2. Being able to read – with a dictionary if necessary – a children’s storybook in Arabic
3. Showing some of my writing to an Arabian friend to see if they can read it
4. Being able to converse to some degree in Arabic
5. Being able to read UAE road signs and number plates
6. Being able to follow Arabic you-tubes

C = Context : i.e. Where am I going to do this? When will I do this? Have I got the right influences?

For information to go into long-term memory, the learning stage has to be intensely focused with high levels of concentration. For most people, 20-45 minutes of focused study is about the right length before concentration starts to wane and the return on study time diminishes. A 10-15 minute break helps to get the concentration back.

This feature of the learning process actually fits very nicely into my schedule as I can easily manage two or three short concentrated bursts of study throughout the day. Practicing what I have learnt uses different brain “muscles” to learning and doesn’t require as intense concentration or short periods of study. But as I only have short periods of study, I will be practicing between client appointments, waiting for the kettle to boil, in the car etc. This kind of repetitive practice is important particularly in the period that immediately follows the learning because not only does it help wire it in, but it creates better recall too. You’re effectively showing your mind that the subject is important enough for you to think about constantly so you need quicker access to the information. An advantage to practicing throughout the day is that I will be maintaining constant exposure.

As well as the where and when, you need to plan for the people in your life who are going to be drip-feeding negativity into your efforts. There’s a difference between constructive criticism and habitual putter-downers. You can learn from the former but the latter sap your energy. What can you do to limit this type of influence?

S = Self-achievable : i.e. Can I do this by myself? Making the goal completely within your influence gives you a greater opportunity for achievement.

I can achieve my goal through learning from books and other self-study resources. I am willing to get a tutor if I think I’d like one and having done a quick search, there are a couple listed in my area.

If your goal isn’t completely within your influence, is there a way you can change it slightly so that when you think about, it seems more self-achievable? For example, if your goal is to “get a job interview”, you are relying on someone actually offering you an interview. If your goal is “make myself worthy of being interviewed”, does this seem a more self-achievable route to the same outcome? If not, then adapt the goal until it does become more self-achievable and has a good feel.

A = Advantages & Disadvantages : i.e. What’s great about achieving this goal and what negative aspects are there?

It’s a good idea to think of the disadvantages now so you can address or eliminate them. You might even find that there is a disadvantage strong enough to make you not want this goal right now.

The numerous advantages to achieving my goal include the mystery of a new, exotic language, being able to speak to UAE nationals in their own language (even if it’s at beginner level) and of course, the fact that the actual process of learning a new language increases the physical density of neurons in the brain. I do believe that learning new things is the mental equivalent of oxygen.

Disadvantages include having to spend time learning, the expense of tuition resources, the effort of finding online video resources. Also, the “double learning” regarding the MSA and conversational versions of the language. However, none of these disadvantages are significant enough to cause any level of doubt or put me off my goal.

W = Worthwhile : i.e. How does this goal fit in and support my deepest desires and values?

I love to learn, I see myself as capable of learning and I find the whole idea of learning Arabic fulfilling on many levels, so no problems there.

However, in the game of Rock, Scissors, Paper, your goal will lose out to your conflicting values.  If there is a conflict between your goal and something you believe or aspire to, then the goal is starting off on shaky ground and it won’t take much to drop it… or rather, it will take a lot more effort to achieve it.

The only possible conflict I’ve identified around this goal is time. I think I have sorted out this conflict because the personal fulfillment that comes from checking emails and analysing web traffic is not as important to me as the type that comes from learning a new language. However, because I know I have the ability to squander time, I will be keeping an eye on it to make sure that whatever motivates me to squander it does not creep in again. If it does, I’ll post about it and will demonstrate a combination of EFT and NLP techniques to combat it. So far, I’ve just used the data from my time analysis exercise and a conscious effort to apply more discipline. It’s vital to keep an eye on this potential goal-wrecker because if it creeps in while I’m not looking, it does have the potential to throw me off my goal and make me lose the motivation to get back on.

If you do this exercise, identify any clashes between your goal and your values and address them. For example if you want to lose weight but deep down you believe that thin people are miserable, then you’ll inadvertently be less committed to losing weight.

If you go through these steps, you’ll find it makes you think in immense detail - You’re now clearer about what you want and you want it badly.  Having worked through the kinks, the goal has become significantly more achievable, juicy and attractive!

My tutorial books have now arrived and I’m excited to move on from the mental preparation and get on with doing the task using methods to try and accelerate my learning.  More about that next time… Remember to subscribe by RSS or email if you’d like to receive updates.

As always, I invite you to share your experiences, thoughts and tips.

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Language Challenge Part 3 – Curiosity and its Role in Learning

In his book, Hot Prospects, Bill Good talks of his Time Analysis experiment – he gave a group of brokers a little gadget and asked them to punch in their start and end times for any activity they did during their working day.

When he collected the data, it turned out he hadn’t been measuring the periods of activity at all. He’d been measuring the amount of time in-between those activities – the time where the brokers were not actively doing something meaningful or productive towards their working goals.

Bill found that out of a typical 9 hour day, the brokers were spending 4 hours “off” and that less than one hour a day was being spent in their most vital role of meeting with interested and qualified prospects.

The Language Challenge I am undertaking at the moment has highlighted my issues with time – I know lots of us feel there’s not enough time in the day and rather than get stressed and implement changes willy-nilly, I think it’s useful to get some data in to find out how time is currently being used.

So for the last week I have been doing a time analysis experiment of my own. It’s very basic – an Excel spreadsheet with the time marked in 15 minute increments down the side and the days across the top. I fill in the cells with the activity I have just completed and then I colour-code it:

• Green = Time well spent / Obligations & commitments / unavoidable travel time
• Orange = Could have been better
• Red =  Time not spent well at all

Because nobody else sees this spreadsheet, it’s easier to be frank with myself when it comes to colour-coding it. I mark social and relaxation activities as green – they’re important for well-being!

So far I average 1 red hour a day and 2 orange hours a day. Potentially, this gives me 21 extra hours a week and I don’t have to do much to access them! The Time Analysis has told me exactly where I can be more efficient and because I know this, I can now do something about it.

I’ve already made one very simple change that has turned out to have an incredible effect – I switched off the sound notification when a new email comes in. Now I am not forever being summoned to switch screens, read the latest and get side-tracked.

Take a week to do your own time analysis. Create your own colour coding and have it so that your equivalent of my red and orange stands out. Remember that this exercise is not about beating yourself up. It’s just research that shows you what you are currently doing. Knowledge gives you the power to gain control.

Mine is a very simple spreadsheet  - if you want mine as a template, let me know in a comment and I’ll make it available for download.

Do you have any tips and strategies for time analysis or time management? Share them below.

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This is the first in a series of postings covering my language challenge. The rest of the series is filed in the “Language Challenge” category.

A friend claims that it is impossible for adults to learn a brand new language in two months because their brains aren’t adaptable enough.

I agree that as people get older, they can settle into habits that do not prioritise learning BUT (and it’s a very big but) this doesn’t mean that their brains lose the ability to be adaptable and learn new things.  

So I disagreed with my friend and said that I could learn a brand new language in two months – he grinned widely and said “prove it”. It was an impulsive response based more on indignation  and less on any proven ability to learn a new language. Apart from French lessons at school, I’ve not given myself too much exposure to languages!

The language I have decided to learn is Arabic. I have no knowledge of Arabic at the moment but I travel often to the UAE so it will certainly come in handy.

Now that I have taken on this challenge, it occurs to me that it might be useful to document my journey from the viewpoint of Peak Performance.

Abraham Lincolm said “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality”.  I have made two physical commitments towards my goal:

1. Blogging about it allows me to demonstrate some peak performance techniques and it also provides me with accountability.
2. I have scoured Amazon and based on user reviews, have ordered Mastering Arabic, Mastering Arabic Script and Mastering Arabic Grammar.

Peak Performance in any given area occurs with a context specific balance of the following four states:

1. Physical : How does your environment or physical condition impact what you are doing?
2. Emotional : How does your emotional state impact the decisions that need to be made and your overall attitude? 
3. Mental : Do you have access to the knowledge you will need and is it stimulating in the right way?
4. Spiritual : How does the goal fit in with your perceptions of yourself? Is it supporting the way you want to be?

My problem areas are…

1. Physical – I have many pre-existing business and social commitments. Also, I have many leisure interests and my focus can drift between them. I’m wondering if I can physically do this.
2. Emotional – I’m quite conscious about the time. Not so much about the two month target – more how am I going to fit it in with everything else I do. I am reluctant to “give up” any of my other activities.
3. Mental – Again, the time aspects. Am I going to give up in a blind panic because I have too much else to fit in.
4. Spiritual – I feel a bit nervous about documenting this activity in a public blog. It’s going to look a tad silly if I fail.

Because achieving a balance in these areas is so important, I need to address them before I continue.  

The next post in this series covers how I deal with these issues and progress to the next stage.  Remember to subscribe by RSS or email if you’d like to receive updates.

In the meantime, it would be great to hear your thoughts. Have you done something like this? Do you think it’s achievable? Do you want to join me and take up a language challenge of your own?

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