I’ve been reading “A Few Lessons From Sherlock Holmes” by Peter Bevellin and it’s stimulated some great thinking about mental models and critical thinking. Observation, in particular, is highlighted by Bevellin as one of Holmes’ best attributes. There’s one section in the book titled “Know where to look”, and I’d just like to quote from it.
“Yes indeed you see, we all see, but often you do not observe” – Dr. Joe Bell
“Perhaps I have trained myself to see what others overlook.” – Holmes, A Case of Identity
“The value of experience is not seeing much, but in seeing wisely” – William Osler
“The necessary knowledge is that of what to observe” – C. Auguste Dupin, The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The above quotes all point towards a skill that can be learned. Observation and discernment applied to observation are two skills that I think are easily learned. There’s hundreds of millions of results on google for “how to train you observation powers.” Most of it is common sense and just about putting down your phone and challenging yourself. I’m no life coach but I think this is one of the easier models that I’ve written about. Plus, it’s fun. Go out and observe the world!