Can you be Sherlock Homes?

When I was 5 years old, I was titled as“Little Sherlock” by my mom. 

She used to think I had some divine power of finding lost items. Little did she know, all I was doing was observing and memorizing.

I enjoyed my designation and I used to introduce myself proudly as Little Sherlock to neighbors. And there will be hardly anyone who has enjoyed reading or watching ‘Sherlock Holmes' and never wanted to be one.

So, what if I say, we can be Sherlock in real life.

How? Let's check that out.

“My name is Sherlock Holmes. 

It is my business to know what other people do not know.”

• ‘You see, but you do not observe’

This is one of the most famous dialogues from A Scandal in Bohemia by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Interestingly, magicians who claim to know us at the very first meeting also use the trick, "Detailed Observation" . 

Observing our surroundings, paying attention to small details, analyzing the actions of different people, and understanding the difference between seeing and observing, are the baby steps. 

Suppose, you are new in your office. So, for understanding the office culture better within a short time, you can observe your colleagues and their working patten. Noticing simple details can be a huge help discovering a lot of secrets.

• ‘Bitten by the bug’

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has focused on developing skills in different chapters. 

So we need to draw out requisite skills set for improving our performance as jobholders, students, or entrepreneurs.  Any skill can be developed and excelled if we show persistence. Therefore, we just need to find suitable platforms for practicing skills like communication, public speaking, or learning software, such as Excel or PPT.

• ‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains..’

Sherlock is known for his deduction skill. Not only for personal development but also Sherlock does deduction while doing any investigation. 

One of the most popular quotation, 

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth”

Deduction refers to the process of analyzing facts which leads to a rational conclusion. So, before finalizing any decision (proposing business model, salary negotiation), we always have to cross-check with given facts and analyze the reasonable outcomes of the circumstances. 

• ‘Education never ends, Watson..’

In ‘His Last Bow’, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has said this wonderful line.

“Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last."

We have to keep ourselves updated and educated through reading newspapers and books, watching the news, and finding new ways of learning different useful topics such as supply chain management, cryptocurrency, post-pandemic economy.

• ‘Read clues by involving all your senses’

We get to see a very interesting way of solving cases in “Hound of the Baskervilles” where Sherlock solves a case by memorizing 75 different smells of white jessamine.

We don’t have to memorize 75smells as Sherlock does, at the same time, we shouldn’t neglect the power of our senses. Our senses gather data and give our brain well-detailed information while making any decision.

• ‘Be ‘Actively passive’ when you’re talking to someone’

When Holmes is listening to or perceiving somebody, he's not fussing with his phone. 

In the 21st century, we believe in a term called “Multitasking”. Unfortunately, none of the work can be completed efficiently if we focus on different things at a time. So, our lesson from here will be, ‘Do one work at a time with full concentration’. By following this technique, it will not only increase the work quality but also make our work done faster.

• ‘Give yourself distance’

Holmes often occupies himself with smoking a pipe or playing the violin, whenever he solves perplexing cases.

It is important for us to take a break in order to allow our brains to process important information that we have gathered. Following Pomodoro Technique can be the best option here. We can divide our work into a few different slots and take a break for 10-15 mins before each slot.

• ‘Say it aloud’

Holmes says. 

"Nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person."

Holmes shares everything with Watson. Likewise, we have to find a mentor or friend with whom we can share and discuss which will help us get ideas. Saying aloud forces us to consider each premise on its logical merits and allows us to slow down our thinking.

So, we can summarise by ROPES:

R: READ

Read whatever you find around yourself. It can be the posts on your timeline, newspaper lying on your desk, or even better if it's a book.

O: OBSERVE

Observe how a person reacts in a situation and how they conduct themselves whenever a situation arises. This contributes about 75% of what Sherlock is about!

P: PRACTICE

Whenever you learn any hacks or techniques, apply your learnings.

It can be an Eisenhower Matrix or VAKOG Technique which we have learned from Smartifier Academy and practice our learnings as much as we can to excel.

E: ENERGETIC

Maintain an energetic aura around you, strengthen your personality.

S: SENSES

Use all your senses whenever you are doing any work or communicating with someone.

So, what are you waiting for? 

Be the Sherlock of your own story!