So, if you can believe it, I've been using my left hand almost exclusively for one year as of today. In celebration, I'm taking a right handed holiday. I know it may sound like celebrating a year of being on a diet by eating a huge slice of chocolate cake, but there is a good reason behind it.
That's because it shows me just how far I have left to go. There is an almost palpable sense of relief in being able to do things just a little more dexterously than usual. With all the skill I've developed on my "off" side, I still have difficulty acquiring new tasks or quickly executing familiar ones.
I've also started to realize how firmly I've established the habits of the last year. I keep picking up my pen with my left hand, and find I have to remind myself to use the right. Once I do, I can write just as readily as before, but the action of writing with the left has become ingrained. I would say that writing is the left handed task that I have acquired most successfully. That's no wonder, since it's the one I've focused on the most, and gotten the most practice with.
However, the vacation ends tomorrow, as does the unconscious coddling. There are certain tasks that I have wussed out on over the course of the year. Cooking, brushing my teeth or hair, carrying things--although I would use my left most of the time, I would find myself switching back to the right when I was in hurry or needed a little "burst" of dexterity. I was doing myself a disservice, because it is in those situations where it is most important to get that training.
And so, starting tomorrow, no more excuses. Either I do it lefty, or I do it over. The only reasons I'll accept to switch back are (a) in a matter of life-or-death, or (b) for cultural reasons (e.g., on a trip to the Middle East).
At the end of the year, I'll see where I'm at. If I can honestly say that my dexterity is pretty much equal, then I've accomplished the first stage of my plan. The next task would be rewiring my habits to make use of whichever hand was most conveniently located for a given task. The final step is doing two things at once, but that's looking far ahead. For right now, I've got a year of frustration ahead of me.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Day 245/245
Okay, so I haven't been posting regularly. Or at all. For the last 200+ days.
Doesn't mean I gave up on my experiment. Way back in July of last year, I said that I would make the attempt to do everything left-handed until St. Patrick's Day, 2009. And now that is upon us.
The experiment came about because Wikipedia made an unsupported claim that in eight months, someone could completely reverse their handedness, if forced to by disability. Moreover, even if that disability were removed, they would maintain the handedness they had developed.
Now, I did not do anything drastic like disabling my right hand. That would be crazy. But I did make an effort to do as much as possible with my left hand for the last eight months, and as little as possible with my right.
The big question is this: Did it work? And the answer is, well, kinda, I guess. I can pick up a pen and write with my right hand just as well (or poorly) as I could eight months ago. My handwriting with the left has drastically improved, to the point that the finished product is almost indistinguishable. The left writes faster than it did, too, although still not as fast as the right.
But writing is only one aspect of the experiment, if the most easily monitored. I've discovered that increasing dexterity with my left hand in certain tasks does have an impact on learning new tasks. There is substantial, but not complete, carry-over.
Let me be a little more specific. When I try to do something with my left hand that I've never done before, it still feels clumsy, at least at first. But I can do it, which is something I wouldn't necessarily have been able to do before. I still feel the urge to switch hands to make it easier, but it's also easier to ignore than it was.
In general, I think that the experiment was a qualified success. Since my right hand was not disabled, it was possible to cheat. Although I only rarely cheated intentionally, I'm sure I cheated without realizing it on multiple occasions. Still, I made significant progress in only two-thirds of a year's time. And I intend to continue the experiment.
Maybe that's the most telling result. The idea of continuing to do everything lefthanded occasions me no frustration at all. None of the initial frustration remains. In other words, after eight months, I'm choosing not to go back to the old way of doing things, even when given the opportunity. That kind of sounds like the hypothesis of the experiment.
So what's next? I want to learn how to do a completely new skill, one that neither hand knows, and I want to do it left handed. I don't know what that will be yet, but when I decide, I will post it here.
Doesn't mean I gave up on my experiment. Way back in July of last year, I said that I would make the attempt to do everything left-handed until St. Patrick's Day, 2009. And now that is upon us.
The experiment came about because Wikipedia made an unsupported claim that in eight months, someone could completely reverse their handedness, if forced to by disability. Moreover, even if that disability were removed, they would maintain the handedness they had developed.
Now, I did not do anything drastic like disabling my right hand. That would be crazy. But I did make an effort to do as much as possible with my left hand for the last eight months, and as little as possible with my right.
The big question is this: Did it work? And the answer is, well, kinda, I guess. I can pick up a pen and write with my right hand just as well (or poorly) as I could eight months ago. My handwriting with the left has drastically improved, to the point that the finished product is almost indistinguishable. The left writes faster than it did, too, although still not as fast as the right.
But writing is only one aspect of the experiment, if the most easily monitored. I've discovered that increasing dexterity with my left hand in certain tasks does have an impact on learning new tasks. There is substantial, but not complete, carry-over.
Let me be a little more specific. When I try to do something with my left hand that I've never done before, it still feels clumsy, at least at first. But I can do it, which is something I wouldn't necessarily have been able to do before. I still feel the urge to switch hands to make it easier, but it's also easier to ignore than it was.
In general, I think that the experiment was a qualified success. Since my right hand was not disabled, it was possible to cheat. Although I only rarely cheated intentionally, I'm sure I cheated without realizing it on multiple occasions. Still, I made significant progress in only two-thirds of a year's time. And I intend to continue the experiment.
Maybe that's the most telling result. The idea of continuing to do everything lefthanded occasions me no frustration at all. None of the initial frustration remains. In other words, after eight months, I'm choosing not to go back to the old way of doing things, even when given the opportunity. That kind of sounds like the hypothesis of the experiment.
So what's next? I want to learn how to do a completely new skill, one that neither hand knows, and I want to do it left handed. I don't know what that will be yet, but when I decide, I will post it here.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Day 43/245
About a week ago, I went through a spell of "I'm sooooooo sick of this." My right hand seemed to have woken up, and was trying to reassert its dominance. The clumsiness in my left caused me to break a glass, make a mess on the stove, and nearly cut myself with a kitchen knife.
But I powered through, and the feeling passed. Yesterday, I noticed that my handwriting had improved dramatically over the last month. And not just the handwriting--the writing speed has increased as well, to the point that I'm at about 80% of my right-handed speed, and at a similar legibility level.
The biggest problem I still have with handwriting is consistency. Nine times out of ten, I'll form a letter the same way, but the tenth turns into a malformed, mutant aberration. It used to be one in five, and before that, one in two, so I'm getting better. (Of course, when I started, they were all like that!)
The more I do this, the more I come to understand that there are really two tasks I'm working on at once.
My left hand has a long way to go before it is equal to the right in dexterity. If I start out trying to depend on it only half the time, it will take at least twice as long to achieve dexterity.
Also, I'm trying to establish habits for doing things left handed that are equally strong to the habits for doing it right handed. Once I've achieve that dexterity and those habits, the final stage of the plan will be to learn to analyze situations to see which hand would be most efficient to use. If I can start to do that analysis unconsciously, and use the appropriate hand for any situation with equal ease, then I will have achieved the goal of ambidexterity.
In short, I feel like I'm making progress. And I shouldn't expect too much yet--I'm only 17.5% through this experiment, after all.
But I powered through, and the feeling passed. Yesterday, I noticed that my handwriting had improved dramatically over the last month. And not just the handwriting--the writing speed has increased as well, to the point that I'm at about 80% of my right-handed speed, and at a similar legibility level.
The biggest problem I still have with handwriting is consistency. Nine times out of ten, I'll form a letter the same way, but the tenth turns into a malformed, mutant aberration. It used to be one in five, and before that, one in two, so I'm getting better. (Of course, when I started, they were all like that!)
The more I do this, the more I come to understand that there are really two tasks I'm working on at once.
- Habit
I'm trying to rewrite a lifetime of habits that have built up, habits I didn't even know existed. Sometimes it's as simple and which side I put my briefcase on, or which hand leans on the couch when I bend over to turn on the table lamp. In fact, these small habits are the hardest to correct, because to change them, you have to be aware of laterality all the time. And that's hard to maintain. - Dexterity
Even if you remember to use your less dominant hand, that doesn't mean it can accomplish the task with dexterity. That takes repeated practice. If I establish the right habits, then I will have ample opportunity to build that dexterity.
My left hand has a long way to go before it is equal to the right in dexterity. If I start out trying to depend on it only half the time, it will take at least twice as long to achieve dexterity.
Also, I'm trying to establish habits for doing things left handed that are equally strong to the habits for doing it right handed. Once I've achieve that dexterity and those habits, the final stage of the plan will be to learn to analyze situations to see which hand would be most efficient to use. If I can start to do that analysis unconsciously, and use the appropriate hand for any situation with equal ease, then I will have achieved the goal of ambidexterity.
In short, I feel like I'm making progress. And I shouldn't expect too much yet--I'm only 17.5% through this experiment, after all.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Day 19/245
At first, I was worried that eight months might not be enough time. Now I'm thinking that it might not take that long at all.
I timed myself the other day. My left-handed printing is now at 80% of the speed of my right hand, and the penmanship is at least equal, if not a little better. The same thing holds for cursive writing (82%, to be precise), and the penmanship is much better. I can now sign my name with my left hand equally well, and what's more, the signature is virtually identical. This is good--I'd rather not be arrested for forging my own signature.
For certain tasks, I now use my left hand without thinking. These are the "every day" sorts of tasks, cooking and cleaning and brushing my teeth. For others I still experience some confusion, but it passes quickly.
Finally yesterday, I experienced something new. On a task that I had never tried before--filling a glass bottle with mead, if you're curious--I did it with my left hand without thinking about it first. This was a big step.
You see, one thing that was worrying me is this. It's one thing to master tasks that you've done before with a non-dominant hand. But what about developing skill and dexterity for new tasks? How can you practice developing skill in things you've never done before?
Logically, though, dexterity in certain tasks carries over to dexterity in others. The greater general dexterity I have, the greater specific dexterity I'll have as well. And without realizing it, I've taken the precise tactic necessary to achieve this. By forcing my non-dominant hand to behave as the dominant one in all tasks, I have begun to achieve specific dexterity in all these tasks, which then translates into a higher level of general dexterity.
There are certain tasks, though, at which my left side is woefully inadequate. Throwing, for example. I'm not awesome at throwing with my right side, for that matter, but my left is totally stupid. And it's not something I have an easy opportunity to practice.
Another is crochet. I have several projects that I need to complete at the moment, but I can't really switch in the middle. (Although, come to think of it, I'd love to see what it would look like if I did each alternate row left handed, then right handed. I've never seen it done, probably because no one can really do it. That would be worth trying out.)
I'm less than three weeks into this project, but in a way, it feels much longer. I'll just have to see how I progress after a few months have passed.
I timed myself the other day. My left-handed printing is now at 80% of the speed of my right hand, and the penmanship is at least equal, if not a little better. The same thing holds for cursive writing (82%, to be precise), and the penmanship is much better. I can now sign my name with my left hand equally well, and what's more, the signature is virtually identical. This is good--I'd rather not be arrested for forging my own signature.
For certain tasks, I now use my left hand without thinking. These are the "every day" sorts of tasks, cooking and cleaning and brushing my teeth. For others I still experience some confusion, but it passes quickly.
Finally yesterday, I experienced something new. On a task that I had never tried before--filling a glass bottle with mead, if you're curious--I did it with my left hand without thinking about it first. This was a big step.
You see, one thing that was worrying me is this. It's one thing to master tasks that you've done before with a non-dominant hand. But what about developing skill and dexterity for new tasks? How can you practice developing skill in things you've never done before?
Logically, though, dexterity in certain tasks carries over to dexterity in others. The greater general dexterity I have, the greater specific dexterity I'll have as well. And without realizing it, I've taken the precise tactic necessary to achieve this. By forcing my non-dominant hand to behave as the dominant one in all tasks, I have begun to achieve specific dexterity in all these tasks, which then translates into a higher level of general dexterity.
There are certain tasks, though, at which my left side is woefully inadequate. Throwing, for example. I'm not awesome at throwing with my right side, for that matter, but my left is totally stupid. And it's not something I have an easy opportunity to practice.
Another is crochet. I have several projects that I need to complete at the moment, but I can't really switch in the middle. (Although, come to think of it, I'd love to see what it would look like if I did each alternate row left handed, then right handed. I've never seen it done, probably because no one can really do it. That would be worth trying out.)
I'm less than three weeks into this project, but in a way, it feels much longer. I'll just have to see how I progress after a few months have passed.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Day 14/245
I discovered something interesting yesterday. The signals from my brain that deal with writing just can't seem to not go to my right hand.
Here's what I mean. I was doing a project at work that required me to use two different colors of ink. After switching back and forth for a little while, I decided that surely one of the benefits of ambidexterity would be dual-wielding my writing instruments. So for the first time in over two weeks, I wrote with my right hand.
The work went much quicker that way, and I was congratulating myself on my ingenuity when I realized that as I wrote with my left hand, my right hand was twitching. I hadn't really noticed it before because it was usually holding down my paper or stowed in my lap where it wouldn't get in the way.
But now, I could see what was happening. As I wrote, the right hand twitched as if it were writing too. My brain was sending signals about writing, and enough of them were leaking through to the right side that the tip of the right pen was tracing out minuscule letters.
They were not mirror images. In fact, with a little practice I could probably write two copies of something at once. Thankfully, I'm no longer in school where I could be set to writing lines, so I can't imagine that skill would help me at all.
I just had to remark, though, on the amazing power of habit. I wonder if that twitch will go away as I improve? Or will it spread to the other side, so that lefty twitches while righty writes?
Here's what I mean. I was doing a project at work that required me to use two different colors of ink. After switching back and forth for a little while, I decided that surely one of the benefits of ambidexterity would be dual-wielding my writing instruments. So for the first time in over two weeks, I wrote with my right hand.
The work went much quicker that way, and I was congratulating myself on my ingenuity when I realized that as I wrote with my left hand, my right hand was twitching. I hadn't really noticed it before because it was usually holding down my paper or stowed in my lap where it wouldn't get in the way.
But now, I could see what was happening. As I wrote, the right hand twitched as if it were writing too. My brain was sending signals about writing, and enough of them were leaking through to the right side that the tip of the right pen was tracing out minuscule letters.
They were not mirror images. In fact, with a little practice I could probably write two copies of something at once. Thankfully, I'm no longer in school where I could be set to writing lines, so I can't imagine that skill would help me at all.
I just had to remark, though, on the amazing power of habit. I wonder if that twitch will go away as I improve? Or will it spread to the other side, so that lefty twitches while righty writes?
Monday, July 21, 2008
Day 6/245
I'm starting to establish some good habits. Already, I've got my left hand reaching for the toothbrush without having to think about it. I'm doing dishes with it too, and of course, I haven't written with my right hand in about a week now.
There's a lot more to do, though, old habits to break that I don't even realize I have. One problem that I keep running into is that everything is on the wrong side. I'm not really talking about the usual lefty complaints, like that the CD-ROM is on the wrong side, or that scissors won't work, or whatever. I'm talking about the things I can fix, like what side of my sink the soap is on, or where I keep the remote control.
I find myself having to rearrange half my life, and the new position isn't always as convenient. I'm not sure how much of what I'm experiencing is right handed ergonomics, and how much is my natural clumsiness with that side of my body. In a way, though, it doesn't matter. I've got to be able to deal with the world as it is, and as I increase my dexterity, I'll get used to the ergonomics and cure the clumsiness.
I'm having to retrain my right hand too, since it's not used to the support role. My usual tactic is to do something the way I'm used to and observe it, then try to mirror it. Ofter that results in my right hand trying to do its usual thing from the other side, but that's an impulse I have to resist.
Meanwhile, writing is going pretty well. My handwriting has improved even over this last week, although I still have to remember not to bear down so hard. Also, my handwriting degrades exponentially when I'm put into an awkward situation, like holding the paper in my other hand instead of at a desk. Still, it will come.
There's a lot more to do, though, old habits to break that I don't even realize I have. One problem that I keep running into is that everything is on the wrong side. I'm not really talking about the usual lefty complaints, like that the CD-ROM is on the wrong side, or that scissors won't work, or whatever. I'm talking about the things I can fix, like what side of my sink the soap is on, or where I keep the remote control.
I find myself having to rearrange half my life, and the new position isn't always as convenient. I'm not sure how much of what I'm experiencing is right handed ergonomics, and how much is my natural clumsiness with that side of my body. In a way, though, it doesn't matter. I've got to be able to deal with the world as it is, and as I increase my dexterity, I'll get used to the ergonomics and cure the clumsiness.
I'm having to retrain my right hand too, since it's not used to the support role. My usual tactic is to do something the way I'm used to and observe it, then try to mirror it. Ofter that results in my right hand trying to do its usual thing from the other side, but that's an impulse I have to resist.
Meanwhile, writing is going pretty well. My handwriting has improved even over this last week, although I still have to remember not to bear down so hard. Also, my handwriting degrades exponentially when I'm put into an awkward situation, like holding the paper in my other hand instead of at a desk. Still, it will come.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Day 1/245
This is gonna get old, but I'll do it anyway.
My slogan is "do it left or do it over." I did pretty well today, so far, but I have to say that it takes a lot of concentration. I keep finding myself messing up, and I have to switch back deliberately. Only in a few things do I react instinctively with my left hand--my mouse, for example, which has been lefthanded for years.
I rearranged a lot of stuff at my desk today. It was no longer conveniently located.
I also realized that I would have to get special equipment to convert all my activities to the appropriate side. Scissors and can opener were the two biggest ones.
I bought a set of lefthanded spiral notebooks, and they arrived in the mail today. I'm off now to do some writing.
My slogan is "do it left or do it over." I did pretty well today, so far, but I have to say that it takes a lot of concentration. I keep finding myself messing up, and I have to switch back deliberately. Only in a few things do I react instinctively with my left hand--my mouse, for example, which has been lefthanded for years.
I rearranged a lot of stuff at my desk today. It was no longer conveniently located.
I also realized that I would have to get special equipment to convert all my activities to the appropriate side. Scissors and can opener were the two biggest ones.
I bought a set of lefthanded spiral notebooks, and they arrived in the mail today. I'm off now to do some writing.
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