Broom.
8 Ways to Train Your Brain to Learn Faster and Remember
More
Maria Brilaki
You go to the gym to train your muscles. You run outside
or go for hikes to train your endurance.
Or, maybe you do neither of those, but still wish you
exercised more.
Well, here is how to train one of the most important
parts of your body: your brain.
When you train
your brain, you will:
Avoid embarrassing situations: you remember his face, but
what was his name?
Be a faster learner in all sorts of different skills:
hello promotion, here I come!
Avoid diseases that hit as you get older: no, thanks
Alzheimer’s; you and I are not just a good fit.
So how do you train your brain to learn faster and
remember more?
1. Work your
memory.
Twyla Tharp, a NYC-based renowned choreographer has come
up with the following memory workout: when she watches one of her performances,
she tries to remember the first twelve
to fourteen corrections she wants to discuss with her
cast without writing them down.
If you think this is anything less than a feat, then
think again.
In her book The Creative Habit she says that
most people cannot remember more than three.
The practice of both remembering events or things and
then discussing them with others has actually been supported by brain fitness
studies. Memory activities that engage all levels of brain operation—receiving,
remembering and thinking—help to improve the function of the brain.
Now, you may not have dancers to correct, but you may be
required to give feedback
on a presentation, or your friends may ask you what
interesting things you saw at the museum. These are great opportunities to
practically train your brain by flexing your memory muscles.
What is the simplest way to help yourself remember what
you see? Repetition.
For example, say you just met someone new.
“Hi, my name is George”
Don’t just respond with, “Nice to meet you”. Instead,
say, “Nice to meet you George.” Got it? Good.
2. Do something
different repeatedly.
By actually doing something new over and over again,
your brain wires new pathways that help you do this new
thing better and faster.
Think back to when you were three years old. You surely
were strong enough to hold a knife
and a fork just fine. Yet, when you were eating all by
yourself, you were creating a mess.
It was not a matter of strength, you see. It was a matter
of cultivating more
and better neural pathways that would help you eat by
yourself just like an adult does.
And guess what? With enough repetition you made that
happen!
But how does this apply to your life right now?
Say you are a
procrastinator.
The more you don’t procrastinate,
the more you teach your brain not to wait for the last
minute to make things happen.
Now, you might be thinking “Duh, if only not procrastinating could
be that easy!” Well, it can be.
By doing something really small, that you wouldn’t
normally do, but is in the direction of
getting that task done, you will start creating those new
precious neural pathways.
So if you have been postponing organizing your desk, just
take one paper and put in its right place. Or, you can go even smaller. Look at
one piece of paper and decide where to put it: Trash?
Right cabinet? Another room? Give it to someone?
You don’t actually need to clean up that paper; you only
need to decide what you need to do with it.
That’s how small you can start. And yet, those neural
pathways are still being built.
Gradually, you will transform yourself from a procrastinator
to an in-the-moment action taker.
3. Learn something
new.
It might sound obvious, but the more you use your brain,
the better its going to perform for you.
For example, learning a new instrument improves your
skill of translating something you see
(sheet music) to something you actually do (playing the
instrument).
Learning a new language exposes your brain to a
different way of thinking,
a different way of expressing yourself.
You can even literally take it a step further,
and learn how to dance.
Studies indicate that learning to dance helps seniors
avoid Alzheimer’s. Not bad, huh?
4. Follow a brain
training program.
The Internet world can help you improve your brain
function while lazily sitting on your couch.
A clinically proven program like BrainHQ can
help you improve your memory, or think faster,
by just following their brain training exercises.
5. Work your body.
You knew this one was coming didn’t you?
Yes indeed, exercise does not just work your body; it
also improves the fitness of your brain.
Even briefly exercising for 20 minutes facilitates
information processing and memory functions.
But it’s not just that–exercise actually helps your brain
create those new neural connections faster. You will learn faster, your
alertness level will increase, and you get all that by moving your body.
Now, if you are not already a regular exerciser, and
already feel guilty that you are not helping
your brain by exercising more, try a brain training
exercise program like Exercise Bliss.
Remember, just
like we discussed in #2, by training your brain to do something new repeatedly,
you are actually changing yourself permanently.
6. Spend time with
your loved ones.
If you want optimal cognitive abilities, then you’ve got
to have meaningful relationships
in your life. Talking with others and engaging with
your loved ones helps you think more clearly,
and it can also lift your mood.
If you are an extrovert, this holds even more weight for
you. At a class at Stanford University,
I learned that extroverts actually use talking to other
people as a way to understand
and process their own thoughts.
I remember that the teacher told us that after a
personality test said she was an extrovert,
she was surprised. She had always thought of herself as
an introvert.
But then, she realized how much talking to others helped
her frame her own thoughts,
so she accepted her new-found status as an extrovert.
7. Avoid crossword
puzzles.
Many of us, when we think of brain fitness, think of
crossword puzzles.
And it’s true–crossword puzzles do improve our fluency,
yet studies show
they are not
enough by themselves. Are they fun? Yes. Do they sharpen your brain? Not
really.
Of course, if you are doing this for fun, then by all
means go ahead.
If you are doing it for brain fitness, then you might
want to choose another activity
8. Eat right–and
make sure dark chocolate is included.
Foods like fish, fruits, and vegetables help your brain
perform optimally.
Yet, you might not know that dark chocolate gives your
brain a good boost as well.
When you eat chocolate, your brain produces dopamine. And
dopamine helps you learn faster
and remember better. Not to mention, chocolate contains
flavonols, antioxidants,
which also improve your brain functions. So next
time you have something difficult to do,
make sure you grab a bite or two of dark chocolate!
Now that you know how to train your brain, it’s actually
time to start doing.
Don’t just consume this content and then go on with your
life as if nothing has changed.
Put this knowledge into action and become smarter than
ever!
So devote 30 seconds and tell me in the comments:
what are you going to do in the next three days to give
your brain a boost?
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/8-ways-train-your-brain-learn-faster-and-remember-more.html
Turbo Charged Reading: Read
more>>>Read fast>>>Remember more>>>Years later
Contact
M’reen at: read@turbochargedreading.com
You can TCR software
and engineering manuals for spontaneously recall –
or pass that exam.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve
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A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
How
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Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?
Perhaps
you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com gives many ways
for you to work with the stresses of life
www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com which takes
advantage of the experience and expertise of others.
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com just for fun.
To
quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will
know.
The
more that you learn; the more places you'll go.
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