Minimalism (Pt 2)

Can you imagine what it'd be like if your pastor ended on time? Worship goes on for about 15 minutes, the pastor gives his message for half an hour, and there's still 15 minutes left for announcements and stuff. Imagine how enjoyable it would be for you, sitting there! You check your watch, and you know instantly how much longer the sermon will be. Everything is as it is expected. And guess what? You'll be that much more interested in the sermon! Why? I think it's because it's all about expectations.
For me, because I like to bike, I think of sitting in a lecture as riding a bike uphill. If it's the first time for me up the hill, I usually try to take it easy, conserve my energy, because who knows how far away is the top of the hill? Actually, I hate going uphill, and I end up going a lot slower than my friends. Because I don't want to run out of gas in the middle of the ride and force to walk the bike up. That's the ultimate shame of a bike trekker, I usually snicker at those people who walk. Well, in my head of course, I'm not that mean. Anyway, if I have been up that hill before, or I can see the top, I am more apt to go faster and expend more energy, because I know exactly where the end is. In this case, the pain is temporary, and I know when exactly the pain will end. Of course, usually it's followed by a very fun but short downhill and then an even longer uphill. But that's not the point of my analogy. So, attending a lecture is kinda like that for me. I don't want to expend all my concentration (read: energy) listening to things that may or may not be important now. I need to conserve it so I can reach the end without --what, class?-- that's right-- falling asleep. And if I know precisely how much time there is (read: the top of the hill) the more I can motivate myself to stay awake til the end. Oh yeah, and I might learn something along the way.
When I was in college, I found that I was always more awake during a lecture when I knew that the end was coming up. When a professor tells us there's 10 things to know, it's more of a countdown really. He's going down one by one, and when he hits 10, class is done! That's one reason why I like lists. It shows clearly where I am in the class, and how much I missed when I fell asleep. Another thing I like is when the professor hands a lecture outline. That's even better a list because who knows exactly how much he's going to talk about between point 3 and 4? I mean, he might lull you in a false sense of speed by blazing through points 1 and 2. By then I'm thinking to myself, "Alright, at this rate, we'll be done in half an hour!" And then he hits point 3, which has 10 subsections, and the thing just starts dragging. I'm staring at point 4, wondering if he'll ever get to it. The WORST is when he has the 10 points, but it's a to be continued in the next lecture. Bleh. So, anyway, yeah a lecture outline is great because it's a more detailed map of when he's done. Of course, it could backfire if you notice that he's got a LOT of subpoints in between. But the outline is also good because, really, you don't have to take notes... I mean, he did that for you already.
Now, this may seem like a radical idea, but how about ending lectures, sermons, class early! Wow, what a concept! If a teacher ends early, not only have they delighted the listeners, but guess what, they retained more of it! Expecting to be bored, they haven't even got a chance to get comfortable for the long haul. Someone told me how the class they taught was very happy they ended early. Not only will the students remember more, but also it gives time for discussions or sharing. Plus, if the teacher announces the class will end early if everyone participates, guess what? You will have complete attention because who doesn't want to finish early? It's so crazy it just might work!