Extension Tier 4: Personal Mastery
Extension Tier 4: Personal Mastery
8-Week Deep Dive into Personal Development
This tier focuses on developing yourself - your mind, creativity, perspective, and learning ability.
Overview
| Module | Duration | Primary Books |
|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness & Resilience | 2 weeks | Wherever You Go, There You Are |
| Creative Thinking | 2 weeks | A Whack on the Side of the Head, Steal Like an Artist |
| Systems Thinking | 2 weeks | Thinking in Systems, The Fifth Discipline |
| Advanced Learning | 2 weeks | Peak, Make It Stick |
Daily Time: 30-40 minutes (plus practice time)
Weeks 1-2: Mindfulness & Resilience
Goal: Develop a sustainable mindfulness practice
Week 1: Foundations
Day 1 (Monday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Wherever You Go, Ch. 1-2 | 30 min | What is mindfulness? |
| Practice | 5 min | Basic breath awareness |
Key insight: Mindfulness is paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment, without judgment.
Day 2 (Tuesday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Ch. 3-5 | 30 min | Posture and presence |
| Practice | 10 min | Sitting meditation |
Day 3 (Wednesday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Ch. 6-8 | 30 min | Non-doing and patience |
| Practice | 10 min | Body scan meditation |
Day 4-5
Continue reading and building daily practice.
Week 2: Integration
Day 6-10
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Complete the book | 30 min daily |
| Daily practice | 10-15 min |
| Informal mindfulness | Throughout day |
| Complete quiz and case study | 45 min |
Practice tip: Start with 5 minutes daily. Consistency beats duration.
Weeks 3-4: Creative Thinking
Goal: Unlock creative problem-solving abilities
Week 3: Breaking Mental Locks
Day 1 (Monday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read A Whack on the Side of the Head, Part 1 | 40 min | Mental locks that block creativity |
| Exercise | 15 min | Try one creative exercise from the book |
Key insight: Creativity is blocked by mental locks like “there’s only one right answer” or “be practical.”
Day 2 (Tuesday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Part 2 | 40 min | How to get a whack |
| Practice | 20 min | Use random stimuli technique |
Day 3-5
Continue through techniques for creative thinking.
Week 4: Creative Practice
Day 6-10
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Review Steal Like an Artist | 2h total |
| Daily creative exercise | 15 min |
| Apply creativity to a real problem | Throughout |
| Complete quiz and case study | 45 min |
Key framework: Collect widely → Connect unexpectedly → Create something new
Weeks 5-6: Systems Thinking
Goal: See the world in terms of interconnected systems
Week 5: Systems Basics
Day 1 (Monday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Thinking in Systems Ch. 1 | 40 min | The basics of systems |
| Observe | Throughout day | Identify a system around you |
Key insight: A system is more than the sum of its parts. It has elements, interconnections, and purpose.
Day 2 (Tuesday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Ch. 2-3 | 45 min | Feedback loops |
| Draw | 20 min | Map a simple system with feedback loops |
Key concepts: Reinforcing loops (amplify), Balancing loops (stabilize), Delays (cause oscillation)
Day 3-5
Continue through leverage points and system archetypes.
Week 6: Learning Organizations
Day 6-10
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Read The Fifth Discipline (selected chapters) | 40 min daily |
| Understand system archetypes | Throughout |
| Complete quiz and case study | 45 min |
Key archetypes: Fixes that Fail, Shifting the Burden, Limits to Growth
Weeks 7-8: Advanced Learning
Goal: Master the science of skill development
Week 7: Deliberate Practice
Day 1 (Monday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Peak Ch. 1-3 | 45 min | What deliberate practice is |
| Reflect | 15 min | How have you practiced skills in the past? |
Key insight: Hours don’t matter - quality of practice does. Deliberate practice requires specific goals, focus, feedback, and discomfort.
Day 2 (Tuesday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Ch. 4-6 | 45 min | Mental representations |
| Design | 20 min | Create a practice plan for a skill you want to develop |
Day 3-5
Continue through applications and principles.
Week 8: Integration
Day 6-10
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Review Make It Stick concepts | 30 min |
| Apply advanced techniques | Throughout |
| Complete quiz and case study | 45 min |
| Tier 4 integration review | 30 min |
| Design ongoing learning plan | 30 min |
Final integration: Combine mindfulness (awareness), creativity (generation), systems thinking (perspective), and learning science (skill building) into your daily life.
Completion Checklist
- Read Wherever You Go, There You Are
- Read A Whack on the Side of the Head
- Read Steal Like an Artist
- Read Thinking in Systems
- Read The Fifth Discipline (selected)
- Read Peak
- Review Make It Stick
- Establish daily mindfulness practice
- Complete all 4 quizzes and case studies
- Create personal mastery ongoing plan
What’s Next?
After completing all four extension tiers, you have:
- Leadership Excellence (Tier 1): Coaching, DEI, Change, Emotional Intelligence
- Business Essentials (Tier 2): Productivity, Strategy, Marketing, Branding
- Specialized Knowledge (Tier 3): Finance, HR Analytics, Org Design, Innovation, Ethics
- Personal Mastery (Tier 4): Mindfulness, Creativity, Systems Thinking, Learning
This is an M7-grade MBA education. Continue applying these concepts, revisiting key books, and developing your skills through deliberate practice.