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How to Focus A Wandering Mind, by Wendy Hasenkamp

How to Focus A Wandering Mind, by Wendy Hasenkamp
New research reveals what happens in a wandering mind—and sheds light on the cognitive and emotional benefits of increased focus. We’ve all been there. You’re slouched in a meeting or a classroom, supposedly paying attention, but your mind has long since wandered off, churning out lists of all the things you need to do—or that you could be doing if only you weren’t stuck here… Suddenly you realize everyone is looking your way expectantly, waiting for an answer. But you’re staring blankly, grasping at straws to make a semi-coherent response. The curse of the wandering mind! But don’t worry—you’re not alone. This suggests it might be good to find ways to reduce these mental distractions and improve our ability to focus. What happens in the wandering mind? For something that happens so often, what do we really know about this process of mind-wandering? For thousands of years, contemplative practices such as meditation have provided a means to look inward and investigate our mental processes.

12 Things You Never Knew On How To Think Effectively Effective thinking is something that can be practiced and developed over time. Everything begins and ends with the brain-heart connection. How you think either connects or disconnects the two. Here are some ways to think effectively that you never thought could be so easy. 1. “I’m not good enough.” 2. “I’m going to try this.” 3. So if you think you’re a failure, you don’t deserve success or happiness, or you’re not good enough, your subconscious mind is going to steer you in the direction of what you’re thinking. 4. Remember, everything begins and ends with the brain-heart connection. 5. So many great ideas are abandoned because of hesitance or procrastination. 6. So think like this: Thought…Idea…Vision…Action. 7. A very valuable money coach taught me this concept and when I realized it, I became unstuck. 8. For example, in your heart you know you need to set up a budget. 9. Generally, by looking at someone’s heart, you gain a deeper understanding as to their reaction. 10. 11. 12.

Brain Fitness And Memory Programs, Brain Training - CogniFit How to Study Less by Learning Things Once You read over your notes. Then you read them over again. Then you read them over a third time. Then you take the test and are surprised at just how much you missed. Despite reading everything three times! A lot of study time is wasted because of one problem: you fail to learn things the first time around. Repeatedly going over the same information like putting a band-aid over a sieve. The key to reducing the amount of time you study is simple: learn things the first time you see them, instead of after dozens of repetitions. This is all easier said than done. Step One: Find the Holes If you want to repair a leaky brain, you need to figure out where the holes are. What from this section am I most likely to forget? When you identify weak points, you can invest more time in fixing those instead of wasting time with a blanket studying technique of all information. Step Two: Repair Weak Points Once you’ve identified potential weak-points, you should immediately seek to fix them. Memorizing?

How to Learn Without Memorizing Photo by Edwin Stemp Rote memorization is an inefficient way to learn. Just retaining a single formula can mean pounding the same information into your skull dozens of times. If your computer hard drive had this accuracy, you’d probably throw it out. Unfortunately, you’re stuck with your brain. A few years ago, I noticed that smart people seemed to learn differently than most other people. While there are undoubtedly some genetic advantages that allow some people to learn effortlessly, I think part of this difference in success comes down to strategy. Is Your Brain a File Drawer or a Web of Ideas? A computer stores information as thousands of electrical 1s and 0s in a linear fashion. However, your brain isn’t a sequence of bits and bytes, so this approach doesn’t make sense. Other Forms of Learning What I’d like to advocate in this article is a more creative, spontaneous form of learning than the style you were probably coached for in school. 1. 2. 3. Examples: 4. 5. 6. 7.

How to Memorize Verbatim Text If you are visiting from StumbleUpon and like this article and tool, please consider giving it a thumbs up. Thanks! Memorizing does not have to be as hard as most people make it. The problem is that most people only know how to memorize by reading the same thing over and over again. You have to learn to memorize. In this post we are going to look at how the brain remembers and then show how to use that knowledge to come up with a method for memorizing verbatim text. In this article we are going to focus on a technique that will let you easily: Memorize a speechMemorize the BibleMemorize linesMemorize Scripture At the end of this article is a Javascript tool that makes it easy to implement this method. Synapses and Neurons and How to Memorize In the simplified model of the brain in this discussion, we’ll be looking at neurons and synapses. When you remember something neurons fire signals down particular synapse pathways to other neurons which in turn fire signals to other neurons.

You can increase your intelligence: 5 ways to maximize your cognitive potential | Guest Blog The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. "One should not pursue goals that are easily achieved. One must develop an instinct for what one can just barely achieve through one’s greatest efforts." While Einstein was not a neuroscientist, he sure knew what he was talking about in regards to the human capacity to achieve. Not so many years ago, I was told by a professor of mine that you didn’t have much control over your intelligence. Well, I disagreed. You see, before that point in my studies, I had begun working as a Behavior Therapist, training young children on the autism spectrum. One of my first clients was a little boy w/ PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Delays-Not Otherwise Specified), a mild form of autism. He wasn’t the only child I saw make vast improvements in the years I’ve been a therapist, either. Although the data from those early studies showed dismal results, I wasn’t discouraged. What is "Intelligence"? 1. 2. 3. 4.

Boost Your Brain Power: 7 Tips for Improving Your Memory Surely, constantly forgetting what you were doing in the middle of doing something and constantly looking for your misplaced house keys is not the ideal way to spend your golden years. Don't wait until it is too late to start thinking about improving your memory. If you are bad at remembering simple to-do tasks, other people's names, your girlfriend's birthday, and other relevant pieces of information, use some of the most useful mnemonic devices illustrated below to help you retain things more permanently in your brain space. More importantly, be sure to practice good physical and mental health habits on a regular basis to keep your memory and brain stamina high. Get adequate sleep, eat healthy, and exercise frequently. Decrease stress and keep up your social life. Challenging your brain on a regular basis is also a must to constantly improve and maintain the strength of your memory. Got your own tips for improving your sense of memory? Click on image to enlarge.

How 30 Minutes a Day Can Increase Your Intelligence If you ask me, where humans go wrong is with their lack of patience. That, and their recent acquired taste for instant gratification. The reality is that things take time. That said, it’s actually pretty easy to improve yourself. Because most people don’t bother. The majority of people don’t do a single thing to improve themselves. So I’ve come up with a new theory: The Half Hour Theory. I love it because it’s actually pretty easy to integrate into your life. This could take the form of half an hour’s reading every day. You may even want to improve the speed of your reading so you can learn faster. This theory could even rely on you taking a half an hour every day spending time on the Internet, researching into something that really interests you. The point is that by dedicating a small amount of time every day to something that will expand your intelligence or improve your life in some way, you will (after a while) notice a large result. Here’s how to implement The Half Hour Theory:

Mnemonic Peg Memory System Description The Peg System is a mnemonic method for learning and remembering lists of items. The method works by associating each item in the list with a previously learned "peg word" that represents the numerical position of the item.. For very short lists, peg words can be simple rhymes for the numbers, for example: BunShoeTreeDoorHiveSticksHeavenGateWineMenLeaven (dough)Shelve For long lists, you can use the Major System to generate peg words for any number Example Suppose you wish to remember the order of signs of the Zodiac. To remember this sequence, you would create memorable images that link together the peg word for each number with the corresponding zodiac sign. Comments The Peg System (especially when combined with the Major System for generating peg words) is wonderfully versatile The main disadvantage is that if you use the method for many lists, you may have trouble remembering which of many possible associations to the peg word is the correct one.

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. So, how does a mind map look like? (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: Some more recommendations: Use colors, drawings and symbols copiously.

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