The Art of Anchoring 2

Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“Anchoring is the Art/Game [<link; short length] of setting reminders with the purpose of priming and operationalizing knowledge. It’s also a mental model.

I like to distinguish between Inner and Outer Anchoring, setting inner and/or outer reminders.

The former is the process of anchoring thoughts to other thoughts.
The latter is the process of anchoring thoughts to things in the outside world.

You can think of Anchoring as a certain kind of life-algorithm [<link; long]. More specifically, a priming-algorithm.

IF condition THEN think x.”

“How would you express Inner and Outer Anchoring as algorithms?”

“Beautiful question.

Inner Anchoring: IF you think x THEN think y.
Outer Anchoring: IF you notice x THEN think y.

Outer Anchoring is a kind of ‘reality painting’. You infuse the environment around you with meaning.

When I look at the sun I think ‘Love’.
When I look at the sky I think ‘Connection’, ‘the Universe’, and ‘Big-Picture’.
When I look at people I think ‘Memento mori’, ‘Loving Kindness’ and ‘Connection’.
When I look at children I think ‘Inner Child’, ‘Play(fulness)’ and ‘Curiosity’.
When I look at something beautiful I think ‘Gift’.
…

The sun, the sky, people, children, instances of beauty are all anchors.

With the Anchoring mental model, everything around you becomes a design space.

Anchoring can also be a perceptual priming-word, a reality-filter.

In the same way when you think of a color, things of that color around you start to magically pop up into view, thinking ‘Anchoring’ will reveal all the outer anchors you’ve created in the environment.”