Make your decisions with clarity Making sound decisions is a valuable skill that can significantly impact your life. Whether you’re choosing a career path, navigating relationships, or managing finances, the quality of your decisions shapes your overall well-being and success. By employing a simple yet powerful strategy, you can navigate your choices with greater ease… Read More »Deciding how to decide
Mind mapping is a visual thinking tool and learning technique that helps structure information and promote meaningful learning. Developed by Tony Buzan in the 1970s, mind maps use a non-linear graphical layout to organize and represent knowledge (Buzan & Buzan, 1996). The main topic is placed in the centre of the diagram, with related subtopics… Read More »The role of mind maps in learning and memory (Literature review)
Sharpen your understanding through opposing views A powerful learning and research hack is actively seeking out thoughtful rebuttals and counterarguments to the ideas we encounter. Engaging with well-crafted counterarguments can deepen our understanding, challenge our assumptions, and develop a more nuanced perspective on complex topics. The rebuttal reading technique involves intentionally seeking critiques and opposing… Read More »The rebuttal reading technique
In today’s fast-paced, distraction-filled world, focusing deeply and producing high-quality work has become increasingly uncommon and valuable. As someone who has spent years refining my own deep work abilities, I eagerly dove into Cal Newport’s book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. The insights and strategies Newport presents align strongly with… Read More »Deep Work by Cal Newport (Summary)
Forgetfulness can be frustrating, especially when it comes to misplacing everyday items or struggling to retain important information. However, a simple trick can help combat these memory lapses: saying things out loud. When you verbalize your actions or the information you want to remember, you engage multiple senses and create a stronger memory imprint. By… Read More »Speak up for memory’s sake
Learning is deeper and more durable when it’s effortful. Learning that’s easy is like writing in sand, here today and gone tomorrow. (Make it stick) One of my favourite books about learning and study techniques is Make it Stick (2014) by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger and Mark McDaniel. It completely transformed my understanding of what… Read More »Make it stick – Book Summary
SOAR is a systematic teaching and learning strategy developed to address commonly used inefficient learning strategies. It stands for Select, Organize, Associate, and Regulate. Here’s a brief explanation of each step: The SOAR method promotes a deeper understanding of information and helps individuals retain it more effectively. It’s more than just a method for taking… Read More »What is the SOAR method for learning?
The use of laptops for note-taking in classrooms has become increasingly common. Many teachers believe laptops are distracting and detract from learning, while students tend to believe they are beneficial. Prior research has focused on the tendency for laptop use to enable multitasking and distraction. However, even when laptops are used solely for note-taking, they… Read More »The pen is mightier than the keyboard
I’ve been a student and learner my whole life. From high school through college and my career, I’ve sat through countless lectures, meetings and training sessions. The one skill that has helped me retain and understand information better than anything else is my note-taking. But not all note-taking is created equal. Through trial and error… Read More »The 7 principles of note-taking
You’ve taken notes, captured ideas, and collected information from various sources. You’ve followed the best advice on active reading and note-taking. Now, you find yourself standing before a towering mountain of wisdom and knowledge—a testament to your commitment and curiosity. But there’s one problem. As you stare at the heap of scribbles and snippets, hoping… Read More »How do you organize your notes? Piles, boxes, notebooks, outlines or mind maps?