Undertaking in any branch is not an easy path, but optimizing our learning will surely make it easier. We never stop learning and that is why we must be aware of how we are doing it; to increase our productivity and shorten the path to success.
“Hard work” is one of the most common premises in the world of entrepreneurship, even when studying we must do it hard.
Benedict Carey, a New York Times science and medicine columnist, disagrees and proposes study intelligently, not harder. This is explained in his book In just 20 hours: Learn what you want quickly
Contrary to what we have heard all our lives, Carey It is based on scientific studies to say that interruptions, sleeping, daydreaming and studying in unsuitable environments can enhance our learning. It also gives us the following tips to learn how to study intelligently.
How to study smart
1. Share the time.
If we seek to retain information in the long term, it is better to divide the study time. In other words, if we are going to allocate 3 hours to study, it is best to do 3 sessions of one hour and not one session of 3 hours.
The reason is simple, with the passage of time we tend to forget information like this that the more times we return to the subject of study, our brain will get used to remembering the necessary information.
2. Be careful with the illusion of fluidity.
How many times have you finished studying, skimmed over the topics and are sure you have understood everything? Surely many and it is normal, because we feel comfortable with that feeling of fluidity; The problem is that many times we don’t understand as well as we think and because we are simply lazy not to review it again. How to avoid it?
Carey suggests the desired difficulties, which are those situations that put us in the discomfort of trying to remember what we have learned; like the following:
- Take tests: As soon as we finish studying, it is important not to assume that we already have everything clear and ask ourselves questions to really see how much we know. Self-assessment allows us to dig deeper and unravel questions that we would not have thought to ask ourselves.
- Teach: After studying, look for someone and explain to them in the simplest way possible what you have just learned, if you can do it, it is a sign that you actually understood the subject.
3. Sleep.
We tend to think that sleeping and studying do not go hand in hand; Either it is one thing or it is the other. In her book, Carey talks about studies by Sara Mednick, where people who took tests in the evening hours performed 30% better if they had taken naps for an hour, to an hour and a half. Which is the reason?
The brain stores certain types of information in its memory when it is in the fifth stage of sleep., known as REM (Rapid eye movement). In a nap of more than an hour, we reach REM sleep, so sleeping 8 hours and taking a nap is just as beneficial for learning.
So now you know, a nap is not an hour of lost time, it is time that optimizes learning.
4. Interrupt help.
Do you know the Zeigarnick effect? It is the facility that we have to remember better the tasks that we have not finished, than those that we have completed.
Bluma Zeigarnick came to this conclusion after carrying out different experiments, including one in which he showed that waiters better remembered orders from tables that had not yet been paid.
So when we have to study extensive topics it is advisable to stop from time to time, so that the brain puts the subject at the top of our priority list and we are subconsciously thinking about it. Carey suggests that when we get stuck in some reasoning, the Zeigarnick effect helps us to overcome it.
Conclusion.
Studying smart is easier than most think. You simply have to let go of what you have always believed to be right, and open your mind to new possibilities. Additionally, you can learn these study techniques to boost your learning.
We hope this information will be of great help to you 🙂
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
