The very first post I ever wrote on my other blog (www.schoolofunlearning.com) explained the story of how I first came to appreciate the importance of unlearning. The piece (No Strings Attached) recounted the story of how I had tied my shoes “bunny ear style” for 37 years before I finally unlearned that habit and relearned how to tie my shoes in the more common and effective method of looping one lace around the other and then pulling it into a tight knot.
Well, it has now been almost four years since I wrote that piece and a full 10 years since I unlearned my “bunny ear habit” but I’ve just had my world rocked again by this wonderful TED video of Terry Moore explaining how I was still engaged in a sub-optimal method of shoe-tying!
As a result, I once again find myself unlearning. Luckily, I’m now better prepared to handle this challenge because I’m practiced in the habit of regularly unlearning my routines. (I also like to think I’m a little more humble and less inclined to let my ego keep me from acknowledging my past mistakes.)
If you want to “future-proof” your thinking, I encourage you to also embrace the concept of unlearning. (My new book, Higher Unlearning, has 39 simple lessons to help you get started). Here are just two:
