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File: BlowUpYourAbilityBalloon

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<<|
----
My latest posts can be
found here:
  * ColinsBlog
----
Previous blog posts:
  * AFactletForAll
  * AnatomyOfAHit
  * SellYourselfSellYourWork
  * AllTheLetters
  * BeingSlowToCriticise
  * StateMachineInRealLife
  * CoxeterOnceNerdSnipedConway
  * NotAlwaysYourFault
  * RememberingConway
  * PerceptionOfSpace
  * ParallelogramPuzzle
  * BackOfTheEnvelopeCOVID19
  * APointAgainstTheAxiomOfChoice
  * InDefenseOfTheAxiomOfChoice
  * JourneyingHomeThroughStormDennis
  * EarthRadiusRefined
  * VolumeOfASphere
  * BigOhAndRelations
  * MathematicalRelations
  * IntroducingBigOh
  * ConstantDifferences
  * AlgorithmsAndSizesOfInstances
  * IntroducingTimeComplexity
  * TheLinearFrog
  * SeventyVersusOneHundredRevisited
  * HowTheFarragoWorks
  * SeventyVersusOneHundred
  * PowersOfTwoInLexOrder
  * EmergingEExpanded
  * RageInducingSystemImplementation
  * TheBookIsNotAlwaysRight
  * EmergingE
  * ImpossibleToTranslate
  * WaitingInVain
  * NonRepeatingDecimals
  * RationalRepeats
  * WhyIsItLovely
  * CompilingCryptoConnections
  * ExploringConnectionsBetweenCryptoSystems
  * ElwynBerlekampHasLeftUs
  * RootCauseAnalysisAndThePhotocopierQuestion
  * TheUpDownTides
  * TheForeAftTide
  * TheSidewaysTide
  * WrappingUpWrappingUpTheEarth
  * TheOtherWrappingTheEarthProblem
  * WrappingTheEarth
  * TheRingOfSteel
  * RoundingUpTheRopes
  * OtherOtherOtherRopeAroundTheEarth
  * RopeAroundTheEarthRefined
  * TheOtherRopeAroundTheEarth
  * ElementaryEstimates
  * LatitudeCorrection
  * JustGiveMeTheAnswer
  * MoreMusingOnPollardRho
  * IdleThoughtsAboutPollardRho
  * WhenOptimisingCodeMeasure
  * ADogCalledMixture
  * AnotherPayPalScam
  * WhyTopPostingHasWon
  * UnexpectedInteractionOfFeatures
  * ArchimedesHatBoxTheorem
  * ConsideringASphere
  * ToLinkOrNotToLink
  * GenericAdviceForWritingAThesis
  * JustTeachMyChildTheMaths
  * NotASpectatorSport
  * LeftTruncatablePrime
  * TheDoctorAndTheLawyer
  * FourPointsTwoDistancesProof
  * MeetingRonGraham
  * NapkinRingVersusSphericalCap
  * TheFourPointsPuzzle
  * RadiusOfTheEarthPartTwo
  * GrepTimingAnomaly
  * TheRadiusOfTheEarth
  * ThisWorksToCureMyHiccoughs
  * PerhapsWeSavedOne
  * ThinkingAboutMastodon
  * DisappearingTrainsOnVirgin
  * TheIndependenceGame
  * OneOfMyFavouritePuzzles
  * ThinkingAboutRecursion
  * MemorisingTheTube
  * SpikeySpheres
  * SurprisinglyQuick
  * AnUnexpectedFraction
  * YouHaveToAdmireTheirOptimism
  * RepresentativesMatter
  * PythagorasByIncircle
  * APuzzleAboutPuzzles
  * HowNotToDoTwitter
  * Calculating52FactorialByHand
  * SmallThingsMightNotBeSoSmall
  * NotIfYouHurry
  * FactoringViaGraphThreeColouring
  * AnotherProofOfTheDoodleTheorem
  * WhenObviousIsNotObvious
  * GraphThreeColouring
  * TheDoodleTheorem
  * BeCarefulWhatYouSay
  * TheMutilatedChessboardRevisited
  * AMirrorCopied
  * TheOtherOtherRopeAroundTheEarth
  * PhotocopyAMirror
  * ThePointOfTheBanachTarskiTheorem
  * SieveOfEratosthenesInPython
  * FastPerrinTest
  * RussianPeasantMultiplication
  * FindingPerrinPseudoPrimes_Part2
  * FindingPerrinPseudoPrimes_Part1
  * TheUnwiseUpdate
  * MilesPerGallon
  * TrackingAnItemOnHackerNews
  * HackerNewsUserAges
  * PokingTheDustyCorners
  * ThereIsNoTimeForThis
  * PublicallySharingLinks
  * LearningTimesTables
  * GracefulDegradation
  * DiagrammingMathsTopics
  * OnTheRack
  * SquareRootByLongDivision
  * BeyondTheBoundary
  * FillInTheGaps
  * SoftwareChecklist
  * NASASpaceCrews
  * TheBirthdayParadox
  * TheTrapeziumConundrum
  * RevisitingTheAnt
  * TheAntAndTheRubberBand
  * IrrationalsExist
  * MultipleChoiceProbabilityPuzzle
  * RandomEratosthenes
  * WrappingUpSquareDissection
  * DissectingASquarePart2
  * DissectingACircle
  * DissectingASquare
  * AnOddityInTennis
  * DecisionTreeForTennis
  * DecisionTreesInGames
  * AMatterOfConvention
  * DoYouNourishOrTarnish
  * BinarySearchReconsidered
  * TwoEqualsFour
  * TheLostPropertyOffice
  * TheForgivingUserInterface
  * SettingUpRSS
  * WithdrawingFromHackerNews
----
Additionally, some earlier writings:
  * RandomWritings.
  * ColinsBlog2010
  * ColinsBlog2009
  * ColinsBlog2008
  * ColinsBlog2007
  * ColinsBlogBefore2007
********
It's pretty clear to most of us that skills unpractised are
eventually lost.  Anything at the limits of our abilities
need to be exercised regularly to avoid having them waste
away.

Think of activities, skills, as points in space, and your
skills envelope as surrounding them.  The skills envelope
is something like a balloon, always trying to contract, and
only ever being held out by things close to its inner boundary.
Without constant attention to those outlying (skills), eventually
the balloon will contract inwards past them, and they will then
be outside your ability.

Of course, practising them can once again stretch out the ability
balloon, so maybe practising skills beyond your ability horizon
pushes it back out again.  Perhaps there's a better visualisation
than that of a balloon.  Maybe you can help me find one.  If you
do then please - *letusknow* - we'd be delighted to hear from you.

The real bonus is that as your ability balloon stretches, so the
things in the middle are further from the boundary.  They become
easier, and probably more enjoyable.

|>> [[[ |>>
Working on things you can't do properly _
makes working on things you /can/ do, easier.
<<| ]]] <<|

So maybe it's time to brush the dust off that old musical instrument,
repolish your dancing shoes, unpack your tools, and return to some old
skills.  They may be outside the ability balloon just now, but you'll
never get them back if you don't work on them.

And maybe there's a bonus or two to be had.
----

|>>
| |>> <<<< Prev <<<< ---- AFactletForAll <<| | : | |>> >>>> Next >>>> ---- LaptopPurchaseAdviceReceived ... <<| |
----
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----

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