Study

Pushing Daisies and being swayed by suggestion

I was checking through various news items early this morning and noticed something that’s worth mentioning to you:

No matter how clever we think we are at bypassing other people’s suggestions, we regularly pick up on bias, opinion and interpretation without noticing.

Consider this…ITV1 started showing an American programme, Pushing Daisies, as part of its weekend peak-slot lineup.  In my opinion, it’s good fun (remember, that’s my opinion).  ITV have made a big marketing push for the show.  They want you to like it too, naturally.  If you missed the first episode, you can watch it on the ITV catch-up feature (UK only, I believe).  I found the introductory opening on YouTube too:

The first episode to air in the UK had 5.7million viewers, according to overnight figures.

So how does that sound to you?  Brilliant, Reasonable, Rubbish?

According to The Guardian, Pushing Daisies ‘wilts’ on its debut, after viewing figures “failed to live up to expectations”.  It’s probably wise to ask, whose expectations?

BBC News called the figures “a relatively strong showing for a US import”.

Brand Republic also mentioned “relatively strong” figures that were “solid, if not spectacular”.

I don’t want to start analysing the figures themselves, or start breaking down the different age ranges of viewers.  I just find it interesting that 5.7million viewers has been seen in both a positive and negative light.  The same information has resulted in different opinions.

Different opinions are to be expected, but we need to be aware that they are constantly fed to us in order to maintain a sensible balance in life.  If I had only read the article in The Guardian, I might have thought it a shame that the show may not have the oomph in place to keep running here in the UK.  But if I’d only read the Brand Republic article, I could have walked away quite pleased with the results.  Who knows?  As it stands, I see the figure as a good start and I hope it stays that way, or gets better with word of mouth.  I hope this because I like the programme.  That’s the bias.

While many of us try to keep an open mind about things, we’re still swayed by what we consume, whether we like it or not.  It’s worth remembering not to blindly accept what we see, even if it’s based on facts and figures.  It’s the least we can do to fighting the daily barrage.

How not to go over your word limit

Recently, I wrote about beating writer’s block and taking control of your Internal Editor.

But some of us don’t have that problem.  At times, writing takes place effortlessly.  Before you know it, you’re hundreds – if not thousands – of words over your word limit.

photo by Schockwellenreiter

Word limits are there for a reason.  If 1,500 words are required for an essay, it will be marked down if you submit double that.

Inability to edit an essay is just as dangerous as a writer’s block.  It’s when your Internal Editor has gone on holiday, or when you’ve told him to sod off completely.  Bad move.  Get the Editor back, sharpish.  If the essay has gone way over the word limit and you don’t think you can cut anything out of the essay, you’re wrong.  Plain and simple.

Here are a few ways you can claw things back:

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Science vs. Art

photo by magstefan

Science is about fact…until it’s no longer a fact.
Art is about arguing meanings, feelings, and contesting views.

Science is about understanding the world, what’s in it, what’s beyond it.
Art is about searching within, expanding the world, and determining perceptions.

Science is about natural order.
Art is about justification of thought.

Science is about advancing, moving forward, discovery.
Art is about searching, moving in all directions, discovery.

Science is about reason and development.
Art is about reason and development.

Science is creative.
Art is creative.

Science is about discovering significance.
Art is about giving significance.

Science is about forming probabilities.
Art is about endless possibilities.

Science doesn’t need Art, but it likes having Art around.
Art doesn’t need Science, but it likes having Science around.

You know, I don’t see what all the fuss is about Science vs. Art.  They just both want to get along.

[Update: In The Guardian, Tim Radford agrees.]

[Update: I saw this on Presentation Zen…

‘Science or art? A ridiculous choice. The arts and sciences are connected. And our mission, says Dr. [Mae] Jemison, is to reconcile and reintegrate science and the arts. Both the arts and the sciences, says Dr. Jemison, are not merely connected but manifestations of the same thing — they are our attempt to build an understanding of the universe, and our attempt to influence things (things in the universe internal to ourselves and the universe external to ourselves). “The arts and sciences are avatars of human creativity — [they] are our attempt as humans to build an understanding of the world around us….”‘]

Your Perfectionism is Just Fancy Procrastination

Due to the nature of this blog, I tend to read many self-help books, study guides, productivity blogs, and so on.  While I may not agree with everything out there, I regularly find writing that I totally agree with; the advice is sound.

But I’m reading up for research purposes and to find quality links and pearls of wisdom that I hadn’t thought about myself.  Your reasons for reading study tips and advice should be rather different to this.

Are you happy with your overall techniques?  Do you mainly read advice and find yourself in agreement with it, or does it help you contemplate change?  Do you spend too much time reading up on self-help, rather than helping yourself?

I recently had a discussion with a friend about the meaning of ‘doing the right thing’.  While it was based on personal choices, rather than working techniques, the conclusion can work on either level.  We concluded that our personal positions are often based on our individual perceptions of what is right and wrong.  But in the general, overall sense, nothing is as certain as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.  Because this leaves room for doubt in our minds, we end up fuelling a relentless pursuit of perfection.

photo by yosmer

Doughnuts…so right or so wrong?

So today, I want to give you one piece of advice:

  • When you’re relatively in touch with your academic work and have a keen grasp on what matters and what suits you…STOP looking for more advice and START working.

You may read a lot of tips that tell you to “Just do it”, because starting is often the best way to find a voice and explore what’s on your mind.  But this isn’t the same thing.

The difference is that you have been looking to further yourself and, in turn, have positively developed.  The likelihood is that you already have started “just doing it”, but you can probably do it a lot faster now if you focused on that task alone.

With a quality set of techniques in the bag, now is the time to crack on.  If you insist upon perfection, you will end up wasting more time that the period before you had a focused set of study techniques.

Some near perfect outcomes can only occur through imperfection.  The reason being: there is no such thing as perfect.

The story of a professor who has just solved a 140-year-old mathematical puzzle has nothing to do with a ‘perfect’ working environment.  He was simply sitting in a lecture, letting his mind wander as he grew bored.  You can’t ask for something quite so perfect through such unlikely circumstances.

You have it in you to create your own eureka moments.  So if you’re pretty happy with the way you get on with your academic work, let the creative and practical juices flow and let it take you through glorious (im)perfection.