Archive for July, 2007
07.19.07
Posted in learning at 7:26 pm by Mrs C.
Did you know that Abraham Lincoln used to read aloud to himself whenever he wanted to remember anything? He had discovered that when he read aloud, twice as much of the content was remember than when he read silently and he remembered it for much longer.
I often read out loud when I’m trying to learn something. Reading and speaking at the same time seems to focus my brain on the text. Otherwise, I can read and yet my mind is a million miles away.
The other way I’ve found to remember something I read is to sing it. I make up a tune and the words stay with me for a long, long time. The downside is that I can’t tell someone else what I read without singing it.
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07.16.07
Posted in learning, health at 10:11 pm by Mrs C.
I didn’t realize until reading “100 Ways…” how important it is for us to practice deep breathing. That’s why when you have to do something difficult or make a speech, you’re advised to take a deep breath first. Our mental powers are increased when we deep breathe and move around every 20 minutes.
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07.14.07
Posted in learning at 10:16 pm by Mrs C.
Here are a few more of my favourite tips from “100 Ways To Motivate Yourself”:
- Do something that’s harder than what you have to prepare for (e.g. a harder test to prepare for a test).
- Do things right away whenever possible.
- Finish a task before you start a new one.
- Laugh for no reason.
I think the hardest one for me to follow is #3 - finish a task before you start a new one. I’m the type of person that gets easily distracted - I start to put clothes away, notice a shirt is falling off the hanger, and before I know it, I’m weeding the closet and getting rid of things I don’t wear. I used to force myself to keep to the task at hand and hated every minute of it, but lately I’ve been allowing the jumping from chore to chore, as long as I come back to the original job I was doing. So far, that method seems to work for me and I’m accomplishing more.
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