A Simple Way to Exercise the Brain

Our brain needs exercise to develop the numerous "links" within the hemispheres.

One simple way that can be done anytime and anywhere is to think out small little challnege that is fun to yourself.

The purpose is to motivate you to THINK.

Thinking forces you to exercise the brain.

One example is shown below:

From the diagram shown, how many items can be deduced from it?

My answers:

• window grilles
• tic-tac-toe
• tiles
• rubik cubes
• piles of boxes
• walls (looking from the top)

Any more that you can think of?

This exercise can produce a genius out of anyone. The more items you can produce the better you are.
Try with other diagrams.
It will not change you overnight. You know better.
But over a certain period of time, you will definitely grow in the "intelligent" direction.

You will be able to see "more" things and reason better.

Have a try today...  and please do share your answers of the above diagram through commenting.
Cheers!
.

Get Rid of Confusion, Aim for Clarity

In life, we are bombarded with many information. Some information are there for the sake of attention. They are the unnecessary advertisements. They confuses!

To make sense of the information flow, we should direct only relevant item to the correct channel. The rest will, and should be, moved to the garbage area for disposal.

This is the way our mind should perform. Removing rubbish, while keeping the important.

Learn to differentiate the wanted from the unwanted.

Learn to clear the mental flow instead of clog up the information passage.
Aim for clarity and not confusion.

Staying focus is one method to doing the proper thing. Practice concentration technique to enhance this focusing.

One of these concentration technique is our "touch" typing. It forces you to look at your material instead of the keyboard.

Another example is to stare at an item for a defined period of time without care for the noise that goes round.

Building this skill to rid your mind of irrelevance saves you unnecessay time lost.
You can imagine a warehouse full of disorganised goods. How to locate the desired item?

Our brain, the warehouse inside our skull, is an invaluable asset we posses that decide our future. Fill it with good stuff and your life will be equally good, later.

Confused? I hope not!

Happy reading..

.

Multi-tasking | A Doubtful Impact to Learning

What do you like, an efficiency way to do and complete many tasks at one go or serially taking longer time but with focus?

This is multi-tasking versus pipe-lining.

While multi-tasking is a very effective way to achieve goals within a shorter time frame and is sometimes used to judge efficiency in work appraisal, is it a suitable technique as far as learning is concerned?

Multi-tasking, as the word implies, means doing multiple tasks at the same time.

What happens to the mind?
What happens to the focus?
How long can a person sustain multi-tasking before quality of work degrades?

Frightening, right?

It may not be so when the tasks at hand are familiar ones. In fact, it will be a pleasure to complete these familiar tasks at one go and at the shortest possible time.

But when learning is the issue, where unfamiliar grounds are all around, multi-tasking and learning different topics at the same time seems to be detrimental.

How to focus into detail with full comprehension when the mind is searching and analysing many information, and converting them into useful knowledge?

Understanding one's learning limit becomes the key element here. While multi-tasking is good, it has its own weakness. The impact it has on learning is doubtful.

Concentration on learning and digesting facts need time and focus. Rushing into matters may lead to wrong understanding that can reveal itself in costly recovery.

When there are many tasks to be completed with pressing learning needs, one solution is to have proper time management and self-discipline.

Go for multi-tasking in work that are familiar in nature or potentially less problematic, while keeping to pipe-lining technique for learning.

In this way, you will have the best of both world, and will be less stressful. You may even find learning a satisfying experience. Practice prudence in multi-tasking.

Mental Inertia

Have you ever wish to do something but just did not have the mental push to do it? Everyone at one time or another will encounter this very common problem of human. There are some people who are less of this than others. They are the "better" ones, I suppose. They are the action-type of people.

We have to learn to overcome this so-called "Mental Inertia" within us. How to do it?

First we must know what causes this sympton. It is the reluctant to perform or "do it". The sluggishness in the mind to think and plan. The laziness that is hidden inside us. Different people will exhibit different level of this laziness. The resistance, therefore, differs. Once we can break this sluggishness and laziness, we create momentum. This momentum is just like a rolling ball that get faster and faster as it moves. We can emulate this ball!

Ways to overcome "Mental Inertia":

1. Mentally see the result of your action and picture the excellent result (this will motivate you into action),
2. Start moving physically, and the brain will follow suit,
3. Start small and pause to see actual result from this small step,
4. When the mode is up, do not stop till you are satisfied,
5. Rest when you feel tired ( otherwise you will feel stress up and anxiety will creep in),
6. Think positively,
7. Be aware that nothing is lost when you "actioned"; staying put causes more harm, and
8. Believe in yourself; "I can do it" mentality.

With the above action-list, hopefully, it gets you going.

Mental inertia is easy to break and control. With practice, the resistance will get lesser and turn-around time will be shortened. You will see results faster and feel better and motivated by recalling past experience of forging ahead admist Mental Inertia.

The catch: "If the mind don't move, move the body".

Learning through Adversity

Does one learn better given obstacles within? Or is it better when learning is smooth sailing? Both are actually possible. However, it is not wrong to learn when there is problems during along the way. It is a well known and proven method used in school. It is also practiced in the working world where adults or apprentices learn through adversity. A probem encountered means a lesson learned. The process of learning through adversity depends on the person learning style. If one is receptive to this method, he will progress fast.
However, attitude towards learning is the key issue. If one does not want to improve oneself, no matter how, no method can help him. Attitude still matters! Whether is it through adversity or otherwise, attitude plays a part in one's learning.
To learn through adversity, the method throws a person into a stage of survival, whereby he needs to learn the rope in order to survive. He will be pulled out of his comfort zone where he has to learn knowledge through problems encountered. This triggers the brain into learning with thinking and details will go into depth. This helps in retention of newly acquired knowledge better compared to learning with a careless attitude. A careless attitude will not wake up the brain to go into the application level of the learning taxanometry. This level lets the learner keeps the skill or knowledge acquired through their usage (example to solve a real-life problem, which is exactly the adversity part of learning!). Go out of the "comfort zone". Learning takes place when the brain is challenged. People needs to think in order to learn. Learning through smooth sailing is alright but need to be enhanced through application. Learning by adversity jumpstart the learning process. Do not give up for this type of learning as it is a well-known and proven way to improve oneself. The habit formed through this method enable the person to possess a lifetime learning skill that he can depend on forever, and indirectly enables him to be an independent learner.
We live to learn and contribute back to society. This creates meaning for our existence in this world. Keep on learning whether it is through adversity or otherwise. Embraces improvement and learning by adversity.