September 2015

25
Sep

3 Pillars for Boosting Memory

It is important to remember names, recall your grocery list, give your elevator pitch, or to be able to recite your speech.

Learning is remembering. —Socrates

From a seminar by Jim Kwik of Kwik Learning, here are three pillars of memory to help you boost your ability to remember.

M. Motivation.

Ask yourself: “What do I need to do to incentivize or reward myself and increase my motivation.” Why? Reasons reap results. You remember more when you are interested, enthusiastic and energetic. Put your heart into remembering.

O. Observation.

Pay attention. You build retention from attention. Memory is not something you have, it’s something you do. In this time of digital dementia—where we are outsourcing recall to a smartphone—it is critical to sharpen the saw of memory and own this superpower. Be present when taking in new information. Build your memory and your ability to remember.

M. Mechanics

Use tools for remembering. From associating a list with items in a room or with parts of your body, to creating a mnemonic clue, there are infinite  creative ways to prompt recall.

23
Sep

4 Keys To Learning Anything FAST

It’s not how smart you are, it’s—how are you smart? Memory is a superpower. —Jim Kwik

This is a powerful tip for learning from Jim Kwik of Kwik Learning.  Always study the basics. Mastery comes from focused, perfect practice. The FAST approach to learning provides a four-step approach to remembering. Then, you can hone your understanding. Mastery comes from focused, perfect practice. So learn fast and then take the time to master it.

FORGET

Empty your mind so you can refill it with learning. Forget what you know.  Forget your situation. One can focus well on seven things (plus or minus two). Be present to the new information with an open, childlike mind.

ACTIVE

What you put in is what you get out. Be involved. Take notes. A tip for notes:

Divide your paper in two. On the left side, capture impressions — note taking; on the right side, create implementation — note making.

STATE

Manage your state of being and your emotion. Be fascinated. Curiosity is best state of mind for learning. Some other ways of managing your state for optimal learning include exercise: As body moves brain grooves. Psychology is affected by physiology.

INVESTIGATE SUPERBRAIN YOGA—here are three moves to help Keep Your Brain Alive.
1- When you exercise, switch your right and left hand movements.
2- Grab opposing ear (right ear with left hand, left ear with right hand), and then do squats.
2- Turn palms at different times so they are moving at different rates or in different directions, or both.

Be a Thermostat, not a Thermometer. A thermometer is a victim – it just measures what is happening. A thermostat takes responsibility. It sets a temperature and the environment responds. It is the locus of control. Like with leadership, a thermostat controls focus. Set it. Make it happen.

TEACH

Share what you learn. This helps you learn faster. Learn as if you will teach it to someone else. Teach and you learn it twice.