Recently, I’ve taken a course on Speed Reading by Jim Kwik and I loved it. The course helped me improve my reading speed greatly (250% increase to be exact). Given that I love reading, I can’t even explain how excited I am that I’ll be able to read more now 🙂
However, what I also liked about the course was that Jim mentioned some techniques and gave advice that can relate to many other aspects of life, not only reading. So, I decided to share those with you in the hope that it’ll come in handy one day.
Asking Questions Helps Improve Comprehension
This may sound like a no brainer to you, and if that’s the case, then good for you 🙂 On the other hand, if you’re not sure how to understand this, here’s the thing: asking questions helps your brain focus, it gives your brain a direction and because our brain doesn’t like open loops, it’ll get down to finding the answer. When you’re looking for specific information, you’re more likely to retain that information once you find it. What is more, by answering questions, you get a better understanding of the information at hand, thus you’re able to retain it better.
Left-Handed People Are in the Right Mind
Personally, I like this saying because I am left-handed. But, that is not the reason it made the list. The point with this statement is that we should do things that activate both the left and right side of our brain because one is creative and the other is logical. If we just use our dominant side, our brain gets lazy and we don’t want that to happen.
A simple way to get your brain to work is to do something with the other hand (the one you’d normally not use for that activity). For example, you can brush your teeth with your left hand (if you’re not a leftie). It’s a simple activity but it’ll active your brain in different ways.
Brain Breaks Matter
The primacy and recency effect states that we tend to remember more the first and the last thing, that is to say, we remember better some of the information we hear/read at the beginning (primacy) and some we hear/read at the end (recency). By taking smaller, but more frequent breaks, we automatically get more beginnings and ends so we remember more. In addition to that, in order for our brain to work well, it needs breaks. The best way you can keep your brain fresh is to make sure you get some fresh air, you are hydrated and you move around (because the primary function of the brain is to control movement).
Have a To Learn List
According to Jim Kwik, novelty is power because it stretches your brain in different ways. So, in addition to our to do lists, we should keep a to learn list as well. This can be a list of activities or skills you’d like to try out or learn. It can be as simple as learning how to cook something or learning a new word but it can also be acquiring a completely new skill. Whatever you think is best for you, but make sure you learn something new every few months because it’ll keep stretching your brain.
Fogg Behavior Model
According to Fogg behavior model, in order for a behavior to change, the following three elements must be present at the same time: motivation, ability and trigger (or prompt). If you’d like to build a new habit, you have to be motivated to do the activity, you have to have the ability to do it (with proper training or having the proper environment) and there has to be a trigger, something that will remind you to do the activity in the beginning, until it becomes natural.
For example, when I was learning to speed read, naturally, I really wanted to do it because I want to be able to read more (motivation). During the course, I was working on my ability as I was learning the techniques and tools for speed reading and I would schedule my reading daily at the same time, so the alarm was my trigger to read at the designated time.
As Jim Kwik says, in order to learn and grow, you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Learning is an essential part of our life because everything we now know we had to learn at some point. Perhaps, as we grow older, some people tend to get too comfortable where they are and would rather stay there than get a bit uncomfy to learn something new and grow. Growth is not easy but its effects are amazing.
So, there you have it. These are just a couple of things I picked up from Jim Kwik along the way and I hope you find them useful and helpful.
Until the next article, keep learning and growing.
Sneza