3 Responses to “Getting Worse to Get Better [VIDEO]”

Comments

Read below or add a comment...

  1. Salas

    Hi Avish,
    The timing of this video is funny. If you had walked into Good Dog yesterday, you would’ve seen me drawing the exact same graphs in my notebook while having a beer with a friend. The graph even had the local maxima and the dips!

    A few additional points, based on personal observation:
    * The S-curve is still the predominant path of learning. While learning something new can be difficult, especially during the early stages where you’re not getting much traction, deliberately getting worse at something in order to experiment and reach a greater plateau in the long run can be even harder. While you’re improving, you get persistent positive feedback from peers. However, if you’re getting worse at something, you get negative short-term feedback. As a result, it is often easier to stop experimenting once you’ve reached the local maxima (alternative equilibrium)
    * Experimentation after reaching a local maxima often consists of expanding your scope (ie you had reached sufficient competence for your current challenge, but now you have a new and different challenge in mind).
    -Salas

  2. avishp

    Hi Salas,

    That’s too funny! it’s amazing how coincidences like that happen.

    Thanks for your additional points – they are both excellent additions. I know exactly what you are saying in terms of feedback. It can be hard to look past the negative short term feedback but if you can, you can really see some great results.

    Thanks!

Leave A Comment...