How to download information faster. The traditional way of learning is sitting in
a classroom and being taught by an expert in the field, or sitting in the library,
flipping pages in a book, while scribbling down notes. But, the process can be tedious,
mentally-exhausting, plus time consuming. And I bet you agree that going through heaps of text may
not be the most interesting thing to do especially if you’re not passionate about that subject.
So, how can we make the process more exciting and easier? Well,
Neuroscience studies have helped us establish ways of developing effective means of studying.
So, whether you’re learning for an upcoming exam, or just need additional knowledge to
boost your career, then you need to watch this video til the end.
So welcome to practical wisdom, and on this channel, we love sharing information,
tips and tricks to help you take your game to the next level. So subscribe if you are new here,
and give this video a big thumbs up, for that good-old… YouTube algorithm!
Now, let’s look at these scientifically proven ways
to download information faster into our brains.
The first tip on our list is: Previewing
Scientist recommend that you should first start off by previewing the text.
The same way you would watch a movie trailer to know what it entails before watching it,
is the same way you need to preview the text before reading it. This will enable
you to gain a better understanding of the content before getting into it. To preview content well,
flip through the book or scan the text, paying attention to the headlines, or anything that’s
highlighted in bold or another font. Read the introduction or the summary if available. In
our goal to download information faster into our brain, this is the first and most important step.
Number 2: Plan the Reading System
Once you have previewed the document, the next step is to plan the attack strategy.
By using a strategic approach, you can successfully digest the content and material.
Start by determining your goals. What is the core achievement you wish to make by
competing the reading or studying session? Write down a couple of questions that you
would want to have the capacity to answer after studying or reading,
For example, if your goal of reading a particular book is to understand
the role of women in ancient Roman empires, then you may not necessarily
need to read the whole book, but a section with the content you need.
Your reading system should also be based on the material type.
For example, if you are reading dense scientific content, then you will
probably have to read the core content more intensely then you would a fictional novel.
You see, the reading system is extremely important in downloading information faster.
Number 3: Be mindful. If you want to have the awesome ability of
not only understanding, but reading quickly, you will need plenty of concentration and focus. To
do this, reduce the noises around you, stay away from distractions, and be mindful of where your
thoughts are wandering off to. If you notice that you’re thinking of what you’ll have for dinner
rather than paying attention to the text in front of you, find ways of bringing your mind back.
Many people often read a passage only to go back and re-read the same text over and over again.
Tim Ferris described this habit as regression. It slows down your ability to study or read
effectively and wastes a lot of time. If you are keen while reading, you will be
able to detect that you don’t understand in a particular segment, which will enable you
to save time by moving on to the next one. Number 4: Don’t read every word or section
To download information faster, you don’t have to read everything. Many people scan text in 1.5-inch
chunks, about three to five words per block, based on the text type and font size. Instead of reading
words individually, scan through the text in chunks moving from one chunk to another. This is
effective with chunks of texts that don’t really require much reasoning and effort to understand.
To effectively use this strategy, take advantage of peripheral vision
to speed up your scanning pace from the beginning to the end of a line.
You can also use your finger or pen to scroll as you scan the text. Also, avoid subvocalizing,
which is the process of internally reading out each word which can really slow you down.
Plus, reading selective sections, allows you to focus more time on the most important points.
Number 5: Take notes and create summaries
Many people love to type notes on their tablets, phones, or laptops during conferences
in a bid to help them learn better. However, this has been researched, and the
findings indicate it’s not a very effective note-taking practice. To speed up learning,
ditch the modern way and go the old-fashioned means of pen and paper. Research findings
indicate that people who use pen and paper retain more information at a faster rate than others.
Using your hand to rewrite notes, fosters better comprehension and a higher retention rate.
Once you are done studying or reading, it shouldn’t end there. The next step is to
create a summarized version of what you have read.
Write down a couple of sentences about what you have just studied. By taking the time to do this,
you’ll be solidifying the material in your brain and have higher chances of recalling it all later
on. Additionally, you can also find someone, and explain to them what you have learned.
Number 6: Implement effective Note-taking skills
To achieve your goal of downloading info to your brain, and learning faster, you need better
note-taking skills, unfortunately there are no shortcuts here. By learning note-talking skills,
you will be able to gain better understanding, remember concepts, and acquire effective
learning strategies. Before delving into learning something new, take the time to learn note-taking.
And one of the most effective strategies is the Cornell Method, which I’ll be teaching you now.
The Cornell Method, involves: • Listening and taking summarized notes
in a simplified manner within your own words. • Re-reading the not right after writing it down.
• Leaving spaces to be filled in later, under main points
and ideas for commentary purposes. • Taking notes in abbreviations,
they don’t need to make sense to anyone else other that you, this will save you a lot of time.
• Writing in a readable format. • Writing only the important
information and leaving out trivial sections. • Stay organized, know where notes for each
subject are, by properly labelling the content. • Avoid mixing different concepts
in one piece of paper, and finally. • Store your notes well for future reference.
Number 7: Practice timed runs.
Breaks, breaks, breaks. Take as many breaks in between the learning process to
avoid information overload. Have a timer set to alert you when you need to take
a break. Ever wondered why students start zoning out after an hour of lecture time?
Information overload is the main reason behind this. There’s only so much information you can
take at a go. The learning process starts when the brain sends signals to the sensory receptors
informing them to save the information acquired. Overworking the brain leads
to stress which prevents it from effectively sending the signals.
Also, when you feel anxious or overwhelmed, the brain completely shuts down.
The memory banks no longer work, making it impossible to focus and learn new things.
Whenever you notice it’s taking longer to read, stop what you are doing and take a break,
it will reduce fatigue and enable refocusing.
Number 8: Distributed sessions Have short-well spaced-out study sessions
over a topic within a given period of time. This will promote learning in a better and faster way.
The best way to do this is by approaching your study requirements early in good time.
If you are planning for an examination, start studying at least three to six months in advance.
By doing this, you will have enough time to plan study sessions, with substantial time breaks in
between. You can start by studying once every week, then twice a week, and gradually change
this as your needs and timeframe changes. This will prevent you from having cramming sessions
that are often ineffective in creating long term memory storage. Most people only read
a few days before an exam which creates a short-term memory storage of the information.
Number 9: Try out mnemonic devices Mnemonic devices assist in learning
through creation of patterns of sounds or letters or any other associations that will guide you
through the learning process. An example of a great and popular device is the alphabet song
we learnt in kindergarten. The songs helped us understand the alphabet better and it’s engraved
in our minds forever. Mnemonics are especially useful to students trying to learn a new language
or those in law or med school. If you have to memorize large amounts of data
then mnemonics will really come in handy. Mnemonics have been proven to be one of
the most effective ways of storing and retrieving information in your brain.
It literally creates a file that can be easily retrieved and put back into your mind.
Number 10: Take care of your body There is a strong connection between
learning and the state of your body. To promote better learning, ensure you hydrate often, eat
well and have enough sleep. Studies show that deep sleep strengthens memory storage, if the sleep is
done within 12 hours of studying. The sooner you sleep after studying, the more effective you will
store the information for longer. So, get more sleep to facilitate a faster learning process.
Water keeps our bodies performing optimally. By hydrating we are empowering our body’s cognitive
abilities. Studies show that students who take water to the examination rooms perform better
than those who don’t/ Without enough water the brain works harder than normal. As you study
it is advisable to take a minimum of 2 liters of water a day if you can, also,
add some mint to your water or take some mint tea. Mint has been proven to increase mental capacity.
Number 11: Study in many ways By learning in many ways, you use more parts of
the brain to store the information about a topic. This process makes the knowledge acquired more
interconnected and essentially better embedded in your brain. It enables you to learn the subject
in depth, and not simply memorize it. You can easily do this by learning using different media,
this can include podcasts, video, audiobooks or reading notes of a particular subject.
Number 12: Make Connections
Relating a concept you have just learnt, to something you already knew, makes learning
much faster. The book, Make it Stick, states that many studying methods are not productive as they
often develop an illusion of mastery, but soon enough the information disappears from the brain.
Memory plays the key role in carrying out cognitive tasks such as making decisions
to mitigate problems encountered, or answering questions in an examination or even drawing
inferences from information already known. By creating avenues to merge information that is
already known with new information, you will make understanding faster.
The founder of Tesla, Elon Musk says he swears by this method of learning. He says knowledge
is a semantic tree, to understand something, make sure you understand the core principles.
Which is the tree, then go into the branches, then the leaves.
By connecting the old and the new, you are creating hooks where the new information hangs.
Number 13 Take random quizzes
To really test your knowledge and understanding, take a short quiz. Go through the context of what
you were reading and create short questions around it. Try answering the questions and
take note of the sections where you stutter. By doing this, you will be able to establish
whether the reading process was effective. Go back and re-read topics whose questions you
stumbled before finding answers. To make it even more fun, get someone to ask you the questions.
Well guys, that there you have it. If you’re still here I bet you have enjoyed the video.
We create informative content every other week, so make sure you subscribe if you haven’t already.
Give this video a thumbs up too and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
So, have a great day, and see you in the next one.