Learning Resolutions: The Habit of Mindfulness

Be Mindful

Resolutions aren’t really my thing. They’re usually something people write out with great hopes on January 1, only to find themselves on January 22 sitting in front of the TV with a huge bowl of ice cream instead of running at the gym.

So instead, I’d like to talk about changing some habits with regards to my work as a designer of technology-based learning solutions. I’d like to form a new learning lifestyle, making different choices about how I approach my work.

The key word here will be mindfulness. (And I’m not talking about going all yogic and meditative on you…although maybe I am.)

All too often we technology-based learning practitioners have to rush, rush, rush to meet tight timelines while on aggressive budgets. All this flurry and panic can result in cut corners and sub-par solutions.

For 2013, I aim to be a more mindful learning practitioner. I aim to slow down and take more time designing solutions that make a difference to my customers.

The challenge, of course, is that the clock won’t actually stop; that the deadlines will still be tight. But I plan to stop and think more before diving into a design or a storyboard. I want to throw more ideas in the trash on the way to a solution. I want to collaborate more with my team members, because together we really are better.

Clark Quinn talks about the concept of “slow learning” – designing spaced experiences that let a learner process and digest and retain information. I’m going to work on developing a habit of “slow designing”.

You in? Let’s slow down together in 2013.

Cammy Bean is the VP of Learning Design for Kineo, a global workplace learning company. She writes about elearning and instructional design at http://cammybean.kineo.com and is active on Twitter @cammybean.