Learning how to learnGabriel Zambrano

1 Focused and diffuse modes of thinking.2 Memory3 Procrastination

VS

Focus mode

Diffuse mode

Focus mode

is when you concentrate and pay close attention to something you want to do or to learn

Diffuse mode

is when you are in a relax state. You let your mind go free with no worries or constrains

ok so what?

The best way to become creative, to understand and to find solutions to our problems is by mixing both thinking modes

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things

Steve Jobs

This is what happens in our brain. Each color represents a past experience or knowledge and the read lines is your brain jumping from one idea to another.

Concentration of ideas in the same regions of your brain

Focus modeDiffuse modeOpens up ideas from other regions in the brain. It broaden your mind

Helps you getting things

done

Focus mode Diffuse modeHelps you

connecting the dots

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.

Albert Einstein

“

”

Every time your are studying or working remember to take break to switch your thinking modes

Go for Walk

Do some sports

Take a nap

Do anything that free your mind

Memory

Memory is the process in which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved.

Our brain works similar to a computer, once we have an information we need to know what to do with it

Should we keep the information?

Is it important?

Will it be used often?

Forget

Forget

No

No

Yes

Forget

Yes

No

PracticeRemember

Yes

Similar to computers our brain has 2 types of memory

Long term memory Short term memory

High store capacity

High accuracy with practice

Small store capacity

Fade with time

How to improve your memory ?

REPETITION

A good way of transferring information from the short term memory into the long term memory is by using a technic called

Space repetition

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Practice YES NO YES NO YES NO NO

Space repetition helps you reenforceyour neuro-connections. It makes themstronger to avoid forgetting

More than 100 Millions years

Less than 200 years

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Based on our evolution, our memory has developed itself to serve us during millions of years for activities such as hunting, hiding from other predators, looking for shelter, etc. Thus, we have develop a very advanced sensorial and spacial memory.

Sensorial Memory Spacial memoryUse your 5 senses to better hook a memory.

If you want to remember something, imagine how it looks, feels, sounds, smells. The more you exaggerate the better easier it would be to remember. Make the memory as emotional as possible, you can imagine something funny. Use your creativity

Using a technic call the memory palace can help you remember thing in an specific order or list of items

Take each item of the list you want to remember and place them in a memory of a place you know very well, like your home

Follow a path to find each item in that order

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

Flying tickets

Buy paper

Change my glasses

Buy milk

Example of a memory palace

Advice: Exaggerate even more

Procrastination

Procrastination happens when you have to do something that you don’t want to.

Your brain is looking for any excuse to avoid pain and look for pleasure, this is why procrastination is consider to have similar features with addiction.

Why

The brain has to do something thatit is to difficult to understand, or it requires to much concentration, or simply it doesn’t like it. Then it ill try to fool you into doing something else

How to avoid procrastination

Pomodoro technique Process vs product Habits

25 minutes of full concentration non stop

Pomodorotechnique

Learn to control your emotions of discomfort

Product (final result) causes your pain

Don’t focus on the final result, but instead create mini task to achieve the goal

Work on how can you make these mini task be as much pleasant as you can, and create little habits

Process vs product

Keep a planner journal

Write your todo list the night before

Change environment

Look for cues

Backup plan for procrastinating

Do what you don’t like first in the day

Habits

Little girl chess http://www.israel21c.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/chess-player.jpg

relax girl http://assets8.classicfm.com/2009/34/relaxing-to-music-1251383502-article-0.jpg

Albert Einstein http://hdw.eweb4.com/out/705820.html

Evolution http://princeton-economics.me/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Evolution-of-Man.jpg

Brain http://www.jeffgothelf.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/brain.jpg

memory img http://www.invisivision.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/1369847707_4085_memory.jpg

memory def http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory

Excellence quote http://cdn2.geckoandfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/font-quotes-typography-love-life33.jpg

Cat http://www.funnycatsite.com/pictures/I_Love_Milk.jpg

wrap cat http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tntOCGkgt98/maxresdefault.jpg

cat glasseshttp://www.funnypica.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Funny-Cats-Funny-Cat-Picture-079-FunnyPica.com_.jpg

Monkey https://whatofollow.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/procrastination.jpeg

process http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2CDsPqIxVfI/UlD1GiEElxI/AAAAAAAAHCk/6E0esjYmxyY/s1600/Process+4.png

pomodoro http://productivityist.com/wp-content/uploads/VME-Pomodoro-technique.jpg

Habits http://examinedexistence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/good-habits-bad-habits.jpg

Image references