I’m pretty sure I didn’t come up with the name, but it’s definitely a technique I use.
One of the main problems with remembering is focus. A few days ago, I wrote about how I can remember every kid on a team I coach in about 1-2 practices. Aunts, uncles, cousins’ names. No way.
I’ve got enough evidence now to convince myself that it has more to do with focus than memory. I don’t have the same level of interest in my cousins and aunts and uncles as I do in the kids I’m coaching. I feel like I have to know their names, so I focus.
A definite issue we have when we sit to study is focus. Deep concentration and focus to the exclusion of all other thoughts will make a huge impact on your studying. One tool I recommend for this is focus@will. I use it pretty much every time I sit down to write.
It clears my head right out, and I’m off to the races. Another tool I use is called the worry notebook. It’s simple. Simple. When you sit down to study, set everything up and then add one single sheet of paper to your desk. At the top of the sheet write “things to think about when I’m done.”
Now to quiet the monkey mind as you study, write down anything that pops up that needs work later.
•Pick up milk. Stop at Thriftway
•Mom’s bday needs a gift. Spend 10 minutes thinking about this
•Need to study for Path make a plan for this week.
•Need cat litter, stop at the store
These distractions then take only a second out of your studying, and you move on. If you don’t capture them, they will continue to bug you during your studying. We aren’t good at remembering this stuff. What our brain does is it keeps bubbling these things up to the top, so you don’t forget them. The problem with bringing them up over and over is that it pulls you out of deep focus and diminishes your ability to remember what you’re working on.
Jot these things down as they come up, and they will disappear from your brain until you’re done and ready to look at them.
I love this kind of stuff. If you find this material valuable and you are interested in testing out new ideas, and improving your workflow, study methods, job skills, etc. I ’ve created a “secret” podcast you can get access to inside the PAER App. It’s easy.
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Brian Wallace
