The Knowing Mind

[benos]

For any repetitive task, if you practice and experiment long enough - with your attention directed toward efficiency - you will find one best way to do it.

For the last 13 years, the keyboard has become my shooting range. What I learned for optimum keyboard performance mirrors the mindset with which I shot matches.

Consistent and optimum performance comes down to, at all times, maintaining a state of knowing.

Knowing what?

For every shot you fire, knowing where the bullet will land before it reaches the target.

With typing, for each latter you type, immediately knowing if you typed the correct letter.

The interesting part, to me - which transfers to anything we do - is that maintaining the most accurate state of knowing depends on where you consciously place your attention.

The best place to place your attention will vary with temperate type. For example, a Zen master once said (paraphrasing): "Unless you can project your attention into your hands, all your techniques will be lifeless."

For shooting, that struck home for me big time. But for a different temperament, that may not transmit anything worthwhile.

With typing, for me it is similar. I need to have all my attention moving from finger tip to finger tip as each letter is typed. "All my attention" means not looking where the letters are appearing.

I asked the guy that got me started touch typing, 13 years ago, where to look or where to have my attention while I was typing. "Anywhere but where the letters are appearing," he replied. I wish I would have taken that to heart. Because I've spent the last year trying to undo 12 bad habit years of looking where the letters are appearing.

Calling the shot, and "calling the key," is a perfect analogy in both shooting and typing.

While shooting, the key to quick transitions is in calling each shot. You will not decisively transition to the next target if you are not sure you hit the last target.

If I just start slapping away at the keyboard - instead of beginning with full presence of mind and accurately placed attention - it will be mistake city.

We make immediate, continous, and intelligent decisions while functioning in the knowing state.

The slightest thought or deliberation obscures the knowing state, and errors are the certain result.

Within the knowing mind is the best place to do everything.

The knowing mind is not the identifying or labeling mind. It - the knowing mind - is there before names and labels arise.

Get to know the knowing mind. Try this. Sit calmly on your front porch. With a soft focus, not focusing on anything, adjust your attention so you are aware of everything in your entire visual field. Be alert for any movement. Become familiar with the silent, watching mind.

Say a car appears. Notice how quickly, without having to think about it, you knew it was, for example, a blue car or a yellow truck. Also notice how quickly you may have compared it to your own car or truck, and possibly concluded that it is as an ugly, cool, or stupid vehicle. We get to "it's a stupid vehicle" so amazingly fast, it is difficult to see how it happened.

In the above example, when was the knowing mind obscured?

If you watch like that long enough you'll realize your own mind constantly recognizes, then often compares and judges everything apprehended by the senses. The process occurs so quickly and has been happening non-stop for so long - we have become desensitized to it. We have become mental habit machines.

Labeling, and even worse, comparing and judging, become a hindrance when peak performance is our goal. If that's the case, then get back to knowing.

I'm pretty sure this is a Zen master's quote, but I searched my computer and the interwebs and cannot find it:

Mind is that which knows.

-Unknown

Behold - the knowing mind.

be

[kevinj308]

Good stuff, thanks. It's not a zen book, but "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" by David Eagleman really clued me into how little of what I think I know or see is reality. Most of it is the result of the subconcious deciding what it thinks I want to know or see. Made me question a lot, pay more attention. I like your example of trying to determine when knowing the truck was there became judging it. I'm gonna do that today.

Thanks again

Kevin

P.S. That's all alphas up there, with one charlie. One I see anyway.

ETA We just got a dog. A 2 1/2 year old shepherd from a rescue. I don't think she judges anything, she just seems to know. I might have a lot to learn from her.

Edited July 13, 2013 by kevinj308

[benos]

I continue to learn a lot from my dog.

[jkrispies]

Good stuff, thanks. It's not a zen book, but "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" by David Eagleman really clued me into how little of what I think I know or see is reality. Most of it is the result of the subconcious deciding what it thinks I want to know or see...

There's a book called The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker that is recommended a lot in my circles. I started reading it but stopped after the first few chapters because there was too much fear mongering. Imagine that, in a book entitled The Gift of Fear. Anyway, its basic pretense is that we see everything we need to see to make proper decisions but our conscious mind overrides our subconscious inputs for various reasons--anything from politeness to fooling oneself into seeing what one wants to see rather than what is--and that's when we get raped and/or murdered. Cheery stuff, but similar concept.

Perfect analogy with typing to good shooting. I don't think about making my fingers type at 80wpm, but I think too much while shooting... and that makes me slow and inaccurate. (Do my number of typos correspond to an acceptable number of B-zones?) Anyhow, great take away with that one-- I can relate it to my practices now!

Edited July 16, 2013 by jkrispies

[benos]

Good stuff, thanks. It's not a zen book, but "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" by David Eagleman really clued me into how little of what I think I know or see is reality. Most of it is the result of the subconcious deciding what it thinks I want to know or see...

I don't think about making my fingers type at 80wpm

Neither do I - it's a pure feeling between my finger tips and the keys.

[benos]

jkrispies - When you are typing 80 WPM, cleanly with no mistakes, where is your attention? I'm curious, because I'm still in experimenting mode (my default setting).

Thanks.

[jkrispies]

I'm in a weird place to be honest. Inlearned to type that fast as a creative writer-- i got to type as fast as i could think. I'm secondarily aware of my pushing my fingers and it becomes kind of a buzzing on the keys. Its all finger, no hand exists. Probably like the gun floating you describe in your book? What's funny is that when i make a mistake its sometimes me typing a word but a different one than i intended. For instance "when" might turn into "then" even though t is nowhere near w, as if my fingers short circuit and do something both logical and illogical at the same time. I have the automatic spellcheck, etc turned off so thats not it. A lot of times i outrun the word processor so it has to catch up with me when i pause. (Ironically i'm on the phone now and can't type for crap. More coherent on a keyboard because i can just think and "buzz" without interference like now.). I'm aware of typos almost 100% of the time now and sometimes start to delete and correct even before i'm consciously aware of the typo, but that action takes me out of the creative zone like a miss and pickup shot can screw up an entire stage plan. Rather just leave the mistake and clean up later.

[benos]

Thanks for the details!

One more question - when you are typing, do you look at where the letters are appearing on the screen?

[jkrispies]

Not really. I may be "looking" at the screen inasmuch as the screen is in front of my face and my eyes are open, but i'm more dictating with my fingers. When the computer can't keep up with me i usually don't notice until I've stopped and the doggone thing keeps going after the fact!

[benos]

Thanks. After looking at the letters appearing for 12 years, I'm finding that is a tremendously hard habit to break.

[Pinecone]

With typing, for each latter you type, immediately knowing if you typed the correct letter.

[Mikethor]

Mt avatar - Thor is a zen master! Dogs completely and utterly live in the now. When they miss something in a training exercise you do not see them stomping around with a pissed look on their faces. They just repeat and nail it and their confidence soars.

[Ultimo-Hombre]

P.S. That's all alphas up there, with one charlie. One I see anyway.

Oh man, I just got this.

[daves_not_here]

Mavis Beacon is my typing master. It's a great program.

Transitions and retypes are where you can gain a lot of time.

Often used words like and, the, of are the "true" speed of typing. If I'm typing that fast I know I'm really flowing. Just like shooting, allowing it to be as fast as it wants to be.

DNH

[benos]

With typing, for each latter you type, immediately knowing if you typed the correct letter.

PERFECT!

[benos]

Mt avatar - Thor is a zen master! Dogs completely and utterly live in the now. When they miss something in a training exercise you do not see them stomping around with a pissed look on their faces. They just repeat and nail it and their confidence soars.

Good one!

[benos]

... If I'm typing that fast I know I'm really flowing. Just like shooting, allowing it to be as fast as it wants to be.

DNH

Nice! I get that completely - it's the same for me. When I allow each letter to correctly type itself at its natural speed - I cannot type any faster or more accurately.

[SonOfSpartans]

BE

maybe you could look at the screen differently. Instead of really looking at the letters just be aware of the screen. When you are in the zone you find yourself going to make the corrections before you really comprehend that a mistake has been made. Your mind knows if you let it and the hands automatically are guided to the correction. I think you may be falling into a trap by forcing yourself to do something that is not natural at this point. It is like the misunderstandings about technique and style. You have one. Look at the screen without caring and just type. Observe what happens from detachment. I think you will start to call your letters without thought.

(not that I am of any stature to coach, the mental image just came to me while reading so I shared it)

[benos]

BE

maybe you could look at the screen differently. Instead of really looking at the letters just be aware of the screen. When you are in the zone you find yourself going to make the corrections before you really comprehend that a mistake has been made. Your mind knows if you let it and the hands automatically are guided to the correction. I think you may be falling into a trap by forcing yourself to do something that is not natural at this point. It is like the misunderstandings about technique and style. You have one. Look at the screen without caring and just type. Observe what happens from detachment. I think you will start to call your letters without thought.

(not that I am of any stature to coach, the mental image just came to me while reading so I shared it)

I find I type my best if I don't look at the screen, especially the letters, while I am typing. I know instantly if I have made a mistake, like callig the shot at its fiinest, and if I'm really in the zone, if I make a mistake, I will backspace and make the correction without having to look at the letters.

Always experimenting... sometimes, I can type well if I watch the letters as they are appearing, like you said, if I'm very detached, but I feel I type my absolute best if I don't look at the screen/letters.

[SonOfSpartans]

Maybe I have a drill for you! One day in class I needed to make an attendance sheet. I needed store number, name and ID number. I was sitting at my laptop with the Excel sheet being projected on the wall behind me. (the projected image was an extension of my desktop, so I could not see it)

I had the students call out their information as I typed and navigated the sheet then had them verify the data (proofread). It was a lot of fun and I found myself making corrections if needed before they even said anything. I was looking at the students or hazed at my screen while I let my fingers work. It was fun. Now I need to figure out how to do that with par times...............................

be well.

[benos]

"Let my fingers work" - I like that!

I'm fairly adept at keystroking my way through an Excel Spreadsheet!

Yesterday, I sent a text to a couple friends, who I knew could appreciate it, that was something like this... I just finished updating the prices in both of my Dillon databases (Excel Spreadsheets) in less than an hour. Without touching the mouse.

[Silver_Surfer]

My zen fu has been lacking. Even tho I am a daily keyboard puncher I find it difficult to become one with balance and seperate focus & enjoyment. I can do only one at a time.

I have since moved back to production from open. Maybe going back to the basics where it all started is a start for me?

Edited December 24, 2013 by Silver_Surfer

[benos]

I have since moved back to production from open. Maybe going back to the basics where it all started is a start for me?

I don't think that is ever a bad idea.