How to Learn (But Not Master) Any Language in 1 Hour (Plus: A Favor) Deconstructing Arabic in 45 Minutes Conversational Russian in 60 minutes? This post is by request. How long does it take to learn Chinese or Japanese vs. Spanish or Irish Gaelic? I would argue less than an hour. Here’s the reasoning… Before you invest (or waste) hundreds and thousands of hours on a language, you should deconstruct it. So far, I’ve deconstructed Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Norwegian, Irish Gaelic, Korean, and perhaps a dozen others. How is it possible to become conversationally fluent in one of these languages in 2-12 months? Consider a new language like a new sport. There are certain physical prerequisites (height is an advantage in basketball), rules (a runner must touch the bases in baseball), and so on that determine if you can become proficient at all, and—if so—how long it will take.
Languages are no different. Six Lines of Gold Here are a few questions that I apply from the outset. 1. 2. 3. 4. The apple is red. Start Speaking a Language in 10 days | Pimsleur Approach ™ 6 Daily Rituals. It’s Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. Two San Francisco entrepreneurs are pitching their ventures to potential investors today. They’d both agree that this is one of the most important days of their lives. This is the story of Jane and Joe...
Jane was up until 4 a.m. putting the final touches on her deck. In fact, she spent the entire weekend fixed in her apartment, preparing the presentation. Joe, on the other hand, went to sleep last night at 11 p.m., as he does most nights of the week. Which entrepreneur would you bet on? And, which entrepreneur most closely resembles you? Jane and Joe are fictional characters but having been immersed in the world of startups in both New York and San Francisco, I see a lot of Janes. This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak with my friend Mike Del Ponte, who resembles the character of Joe.
"Every day I need physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance to tackle everything that comes my way," Mike said. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Exercises for Better Focus and Concentration | Personal development for a perfect life. Litemind. What is Mind Mapping? (and How to Get Started Immediately) A mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that helps structuring information, helping you to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall and generate new ideas. Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity. In a mind map, as opposed to traditional note taking or a linear text, information is structured in a way that resembles much more closely how your brain actually works.
Since it is an activity that is both analytical and artistic, it engages your brain in a much, much richer way, helping in all its cognitive functions. And, best of all, it is fun! So, how does a mind map look like? Better than explaining is showing you an example. (click for larger image) This is a mind map about – conveniently enough – mind mapping itself. Benefits and Uses I think I already gave away the benefits of mind mapping and why mind maps work. But what can we use mind maps for? How to Draw a Mind Map Drawing a mind map is as simple as 1-2-3: Develop Perfect Memory With the Memory Palace Technique. The Memory Palace is one of the most powerful memory techniques I know. It’s not only effective, but also fun to use — and not hard to learn at all. The Memory Palace has been used since ancient Rome, and is responsible for some quite incredible memory feats.
Eight-time world memory champion Dominic O’Brien, for instance, was able to memorize 54 decks of cards in sequence (that’s 2808 cards), viewing each card only once. And there are countless other similar achievements attributed to people using the Memory Palace technique or variations of it. Of course, most of us are not in Dominic’s memory championship line of business (or in Hannibal’s line of business for that matter). The Memory Palace The Memory Palace technique is based on the fact that we’re extremely good at remembering places we know. 5 Steps to Use the Memory Palace Technique 1.
First and foremost, you’ll need to pick a place that you’re very familiar with. A good first choice could be your own home, for example. 2. 3. 4. Improve Your Memory by Speaking Your Mind’s Language. By learning the language your mind uses, you’ll be able to tap into your mind’s full potential and develop a remarkable memory. It’s easier than you think – and you’ll actually have fun doing it. Your Mind Thinks in Pictures Along its evolution, the brain has become amazingly effective in dealing with sensory data.
It is by correctly interpreting the five senses that the mind understands the environment and takes decisions. Among the human senses, sight has become the most sophisticated and developed of all. For that reason, our brains have become extremely effective in storing and processing images; especially of concrete, real-world objects. Imagery is the real language of the mind. If I ask you to think about a horse, what comes to your mind? Visual Thinking and Memory To fully illustrate the astonishing effect that images have on your memory, let’s walk through a basic memorization technique called memory pegging. Baconeggswinebatteriesbubble gummilkenvelopesspinachcoffeetomato. 5 Ways To Hack Your Brain Into Awesomeness.
Learn More While You Sleep So say you haven't followed that first step up there and choose to continue sleeping like other mere mortals. A very minor change in your schedule can still let you use your sleep patterns to your advantage, by making you smarter. Holy Shit, How Can I Do It? No, we're not talking about those scams where they have you put a tape recorder under your pillow and let it teach you Spanish while you're asleep. What scientists have found out is if you need to remember a bunch of information (say, for a big exam), do NOT study right up until time for the exam. Note: "Sleep on it" is simply an expression.
They did a study at Harvard that proved this technique works. No, the participants who slept on it and had 24 hours for the information to fester in their brain did the best on the test, while those who only had 20 minutes did the worst. Wasting your time, nerds, go to sleep. How Does It Work? Believe Something Happened (That Totally Didn't) Memory is a funny thing. Brain Hacks.
...For answer Holmes clapped the hat upon his head. It came right over the forehead and settled upon the bridge of his nose. "It is a question of cubic capacity, " said he; "a man with so large a brain must have something in it. " ... Sherlock Holmes - The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. Not everyone is born with a big brain.
If you’re looking to improve mental cognition, increase your memory, and enhance your alertness, here are 15 easy ways to give your brain a six-pack. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. First, know how you learn. Second, the most effective way to remember facts is by forming multiple associations. Third, rinse and repeat. 14. 15. 120 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power. Here are 120 things you can do starting today to help you think faster, improve memory, comprehend information better and unleash your brain’s full potential. Solve puzzles and brainteasers.Cultivate ambidexterity. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, comb your hair or use the mouse. Write with both hands simultaneously.
Switch hands for knife and fork.Embrace ambiguity. Readers’ Contributions Dance! Contribute your own tip! There are many, many ways to keep our brains sharp. 5 Ways To Hack Your Brain Into Awesomeness. Much of the brain is still mysterious to modern science, possibly because modern science itself is using brains to analyze it. There are probably secrets the brain simply doesn't want us to know. But by no means should that stop us from tinkering around in there, using somewhat questionable and possibly dangerous techniques to make our brains do what we want. We can't vouch for any of these, either their effectiveness or safety.
All we can say is that they sound awesome, since apparently you can make your brain... #5. Think You Got a Good Night's Sleep (After Only Two Hours of Actual Sleep) So you just picked up the night shift at your local McDonald's, you have class every morning at 8am and you have no idea how you're going to make it through the day without looking like a guy straight out of Dawn of the Dead, minus the blood... hopefully. "SLEEEEEEEEEP... uh... Holy Shit! We're pretty sure Kramer did this once on Seinfeld. The best way to start it off is to just jump right in. . #4. . #3. 106 Excuses That Prevent You From Ever Becoming Great. The following is a rare guest post, this time coming from Tommy Walker.
Tommy Walker is an Online Marketing Strategist and host of “Inside the Mind” a fresh and entertaining video show about Internet Marketing Strategy. Be honest. How often do you sabotage yourself? On any given day, you have tasks you’d like to finish because you know they’d positively impact your business, and tasks you actually do. You trick yourself into thinking that keeping up with industry news, and reading the latest “10 tips to ______” post is “working”. You know better, but some part of you believes that simply reading the article will help you move forward. That having a deep understanding of all things online marketing will better position you when the time is right. But that time doesn’t come.
Something is holding you back, and you can’t quite put your finger on it. You may have one excuse; you may have several. What follows are 106 of the most common excuses you might tell yourself. You don’t have the knowledge. Free Speed Reading Course - Read Faster & Improve Comprehension. 6 Tips to Generate Outstanding Ideas. What’s the secret creative geniuses share to come up with their remarkable ideas? Even though idea generation may look like a somewhat mysterious and random process, there is a practical, simple lesson we can all apply to increase our chances of having great ideas. Connections, Connections, Connections Everybody wants to have great ideas, but have you ever wondered what an idea is? If you haven’t, take a few moments to think about it. Any idea, no matter how trivial, is an association between previous, established ideas.
Another interesting characteristic of these connections is that you can’t predict anything about them beforehand. Creativity and Productivity Because of the randomness in idea generation, having great ideas is not a task that can be approached directly. The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. Being prolific, then, is the key to have great ideas. We should abandon the myth of the genius that only has great ideas. How to Have Tons of Ideas 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. List of 100. The List of 100 is a powerful technique you can use to generate ideas, clarify your thoughts, uncover hidden problems or get solutions to any specific questions you’re interested in.
The technique is very simple in principle: state your issue or question in the top of a blank sheet of paper and come up with a list of one hundred answers or solutions about it. “100 Ways to Generate Income”, “100 Ways to be More Creative” or “100 Ways to Improve my Relationships” are some examples. “One hundred entries? Isn’t that way too many?” Bear with me: it’s exactly this exaggeration that makes the technique powerful. When starting your list you may believe that there’s no way to get it done. But then, at some point during the exercise, you will naturally have your subconscious mind naturally engaged in the process. That’s when you will uncover many new and surprising answers, and ideas will start flowing again. Ground Rules There are only two simple principles to keep in mind when making Lists of 100: List of paradoxes. This is a list of paradoxes, grouped thematically.
The grouping is approximate, as paradoxes may fit into more than one category. Because of varying definitions of the term paradox, some of the following are not considered to be paradoxes by everyone. This list collects only scenarios that have been called a paradox by at least one source and have their own article. Although considered paradoxes, some of these are based on fallacious reasoning, or incomplete/faulty analysis. Informally, the term is often used to describe a counter-intuitive result. Logic[edit] Self-reference[edit] These paradoxes have in common a contradiction arising from self-reference.
Barber paradox: A barber (who is a man) shaves all and only those men who do not shave themselves. Vagueness[edit] Ship of Theseus (a.k.a. Mathematics[edit] Statistics[edit] Probability[edit] Infinity and infinitesimals[edit] Geometry and topology[edit] Get Mentally Fit with an Idea Quota. The first step to have great ideas is to adopt an attitude of having lots of ideas. Going further, there are some strategies we can use to dramatically increase the amount of ideas we generate. The Idea Quota is one of the simplest and most effective of them. The Idea Quota I first learned about the Idea Quota through Michael Michalko’s excellent book Thinkertoys. Putting it simply, using an Idea Quota means committing to have a predetermined number of ideas during the day.
The point of committing to a quota is that it forces you to actively pursue new ideas. Although you can use quotas without specifying a central theme for your ideas, the technique works best when you direct it to very specific needs, such as: a challenge you’re working on, either in your personal life or at work;an improvement you want to make in your life or business;finding answers to specific questions you have, either practical or more abstract. Pump Some (Mental) Iron How to Make the Idea Quota Work for You 1. 2. 3. Crossword Puzzles. 6 Tips to Generate Outstanding Ideas.
Tackle Any Issue With a List of 100. Brain Teasers And Games To Test Your Brain. Here you can enjoy the Top 25 Brain Teasers, Games & Illusions that SharpBrains readers (primarily adults, but some younger minds too) have enjoyed the most. It is always good to learn more about our brains and to exercise them!. Fun experiments on how our brains and minds work 1. You think you know the colors? Try the Stroop Test 2. 3. 4. Challenge your attention and memory 5. 6. 7. Optical illusions 8. 9. 10. 11.
Language and logic puzzles 12. 13. 14. 15. A few visual workouts 16. 17. 18. Teasing your pattern recognition and thinking 19. 20. 21. 22. Brain teasers for job interviews 23. 24. 25. Start Every Day as a Producer, Not a Consumer.