I'm getting settled in, adjusting to being a wife. I switched my major again- back to UVSC. But the kids are calling it UVU these days :)
For my web design class, we read this interesting article called The Expert Mind. It llustrates how the grand masters of chess do what they do. It then relates how these same skills are similarly found in the experts of other fields like music, sports and health care. I'll be honest, it brought back a terrible memory of a date I went on back when I was 17 or 18. This kid decided a fun first date would be to crack out the Star Wars chess set. That was the day I decided I hated chess. Games involving strategy, trickery, thinking ahead, math, or basically skills I would call "left-brained", are not fun for me. I got so frustrated on that date with all the rules and game pieces that I was literally brought to tears.
Thoughts like, 'This is way above my level' and ' Why in the world am I reading this for a web class?' casually skipped across my mind a time our two while studying the article. And some of those icky, awkward first date feelings bubbled up as I read about how a total genius remembers where game pieces are and how to make the perfect next move. If you have never heard of Blindfold Chess, it's super fascinating! I got off on a tangent, researching it on some other sites.
The article suggests that during these intense tournaments where one or both players is not allowed to see the game board, instead of memorizing the exact placement of each pawn and knight, they know "chunks" of information and how it relates to other "chunks". In my psychology class, I learned that this idea of chunking is how we memorize an entire 10-digit phone number. This normally would be super difficult, but when you split it into area code and 3 digits, then 4 digits, 8015552424 becomes an easier to tackle 801-555-2424.
In the same way, a chess master, musician, etc. will come to know/memorize regular patterns in their field of expertise. This allows them to relate instead of merely store tons of information in long-term memory.
So with all my recent life changes, I feel it's good timing to be learning these ideas on how to become an expert, as being the perfect wife is my new goal.
I also think skills such as these will help set me apart as a great web designer, instead of being the next Joe Shmo on the block. Anyone can throw together a lousy website. But according to the article (and in my experience), becoming an expert is possible with dedication, diligence and a good attitude.
Tune in next time for a less homeworky blog post on my new adventures with Todd!
