STUDY STRATEGIES

Know thyself: How your attitude to learning may affect your educational performance There is a growing interest in understanding how people like you learn. As psychologists you will probably come across some of the research literature - particularly if you develop an interest in educational psychology. Here are some research findings that may help you understand your own approach to learning. Having read this section you may decide to change your approach to your studies, particularly if you think you are an extreme example of one of the categories. Ideally you should aim to develop an approach to your studies that draws upon the strengths of each style, whilst avoiding some of the more negative attributes. At the very least this page may help you understand why you are being exposed to a variety of learning experiences. Can you identify your learning strategy? A group of American researchers has suggested that there are five different types of learning strategy exhibited by adult learners. This is important because knowing what type of learner you are may help you understand how you can best utilize the learning resources and teaching experiences offered on your course. The researchers administered a questionnaire (the Self-Knowledge Inventory of Lifelong Learning Strategies ) to 1,143 students in Alberta and used cluster analysis and group interviews to collect supplementary information to characterize learning patterns and preferences from representative students in each of the five types of learning strategies. I have gone through the report and tried to extract a flavor of each learning strategy. You may recognise yourself in one of the groups. I have also tried to alert you to some of the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy. You already appreciate that your program of psychology courses utilize a variety of teaching techniques, ranging from conventional lectures to group work which involves cooperative work with other students. You may already realize that you are more comfortable in some learning situations than others. For example, you may prefer lectures to working with other students in groups on a Case Report. The reason for this may be your personal learning strategy. If you can begin to understand how learning strategy interacts with particular teaching methods and experiences, you may be able to get more out of teaching situations that you don't personally feel at ease with. Don't give up on a particular type of teaching situation, try to understand what it offers you. It will almost certainly be a valuable educational experience that you would have rejected if left to your own devices and desires. I am conscious that my description of the five learning strategies reads a bit like an astrology column in a newspaper. You may recognise yourself in one or several of the categories. I don't know if learning strategies are stable or change with time or situation - I bet they do. Nor do I know how well the categories would translate across cultures. But this research may help you & that's what matters in the long run. You can read a report on this research online - Identifying groups of learners through the use of learning strategies by Kolody et al, 27th Annual SCUTREA conference proceedings 1997 Navigators locate and use the best information. They tend to plan a course for their studies and stick to it. They tend to structure or process information so that it can be better stored and retrieved. The researchers found that these tended to be the students with highest grade point average. A clear structure and organization of material is crucial for these people. If you are in this group you will probably be interested in the Aims and Learning Objectives for your course. You will probably be aware of the required reading for the course and the supporting web site. I would guess that you will do well on the exam at the end of the course, particularly the multiple choice section. But I do have a word of warning! Try to broaden your reading and discuss ideas with other students. The 'Points to Ponder' inserts are designed to give you jumping-off points for discussion. This will be particularly important in the second and third year of your course when you will be expected to show evidence of imagination, insight and synthesis. See Essay Writing: How do I do it, and why did I get that mark? Monitors tend to be older students who make learning plans, check to see if they are on task and compare their progress to their learning plan. This group tends to avoid distractions and set time aside for learning. They tend to rely on recommended learning resources, books etc. rather than discussions with fellow students. If you are in this group take heed of my comments to Navigators above. Critical Thinkers use mental images and memories to facilitate problem solving. They like opportunities for individuality and creativity in assignments, as well as opportunities for hands-on learning and experimentation. This group of people place relatively little emphasis on memorization and do better on open-ended questions and problem-solving activities than answering factual questions. You may find that the 'Points to Ponder' inserts have captured your attention. If this description fits your learning style, you may be having problems assimilating the sheer amount of information on the Biological Bases of Behavior course. Fear not! Your time will come in the second and third years when much more emphasis is placed on your ability to show critical analysis of material and evidence of imagination, insight and synthesis. See Essay Writing: How do I do it, and why did I get that mark?. I would urge you to take a look at the Aims and learning Objectives for your course and get a copy of the recommended text ! Engagers love to learn. They use lists to help memorization. They tend to do best when they are actively engaged in a meaningful way with the material and therefore excel on projects based on their individual interests. They tend to do well on group projects, particularly when the group dynamics reinforce the learning strategy of reward / enjoyment these people thrive on. You may find that the 'Points to Ponder' inserts have captured your attention. If you are lucky enough to belong to this group I expect you will pass the course with flying colors and you may have utilized the opportunity offered by the web site to explore supplementary material that especially interests you. A word of warning! Don't let your enthusiasm for a topic carry you away so that you don't have sufficient time to cover aspects of the course that are less interesting to you. Check that you have covered everything that may appear in the exam by referring to the Aims and learning Objectives for your course. Networkers engage in lots of discussion and debate with other students. Interaction with students and lecturers is the key to learning for this group. They excel in brainstorming sessions, teamwork and discussion of opposing or different viewpoints. The 'Points to Ponder' inserts has probably sparked off this type of discussion. If this description fits your learning style, you may be having problems assimilating the sheer amount of factual information on the Biological Bases of Behavior course. You may have found that the various bars and clubs around Plymouth offer a more congenial atmosphere for your preferred learning strategy. But there is hope - you have just the sort of skills, aptitudes and approach to life that employers are crying out for. Believe me they want people who can relate to other people - the market for anoraked nerds who know all about how a fly finds its food and a mate is severely restricted. Your time will come, there are plenty of opportunities to work in groups during the three years you are on this course. Just make sure you get through the first year by using the web site for this course and take time out to study the syllabus for your course. Good luck & mine's a Guiness! Some general points about approaches to learning I'm not an educational psychologist but there are some generally accepted do's and don'ts. For example Do adopt a Deep learning approach Don't use a Surface or Shallow learning approach Deep learning approach Surface or shallow learning approach Develop personal understanding Reproduce content 'parrot-fashion' Relate new information to previous knowledge and experience Passive acceptance of ideas and information Link ideas together using integrating principles Lack of recognition of guiding concepts, principles & patterns Relate evidence to conclusions Focus learning on assessment requirements How you view learning may affect your performance Do you think that what you learn is under your own control and are you doing it because it is intrinsically rewarding? In other words do you view learning as self-regulatory and intrinsically rewarding? Or, do you think that lecturers are responsible for teaching you, and they they control the rewards and punishments in the learning situation? In other words do you view learning as externally controlled and extrinsically rewarding? Research indicates that students who rely on self-regulation and intrinsic reward are more effective learners than those who believe learning is under external control and extrinsic reward. There is evidence that learners can improve their performance by modifying their beliefs about the forces that control their learning.

 

Reading Strategies

Reading Efficiently by Reading Intelligently

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Get the most from your reading.

© iStockphoto/mammamaart

Whether they're project documents, trade journals, blogs, business books or ebooks, most of us read regularly as part of our jobs, and to develop our skills and knowledge.
But do you ever read what should be a useful document, yet fail to gain any helpful information from it? Or, do you have to re-read something several times to get a full understanding of the content?
In this article, we're looking at strategies that will help you read more effectively. These approaches will help you get the maximum benefit from your reading, with the minimum effort.

Think About What You Want to Know

Before you start reading anything, ask yourself why you're reading it. Are you reading with a purpose, or just for pleasure? What do you want to know after you've read it?
Once you know your purpose, you can examine the resource to see whether it's going to help you.
For example, with a book, an easy way of doing this is to look at the introduction and the chapter headings. The introduction should let you know who the book is intended for, and what it covers. Chapter headings will give you an overall view of the structure of the subject.
Ask yourself whether the resource meets your needs, and try to work out if it will give you the right amount of knowledge. If you think that the resource isn't ideal, don't waste time reading it.
Remember that this also applies to content that you subscribe to, such as journals or magazines, and web-based RSS and social media news feeds - don't be afraid to prune these resources if you are not getting value from some publishers.

Know How Deeply to Study the Material

Where you only need the shallowest knowledge of a subject, you can skim material. Here you read only chapter headings, introductions, and summaries.
If you need a moderate level of information on a subject, then you can scan the text. This is when you read the chapter introductions and summaries in detail. You can then speed read the contents of the chapters, picking out and understanding key words and concepts. (When looking at material in this way, it's often worth paying attention to diagrams and graphs.)
Only when you need full knowledge of a subject is it worth studying the text in detail. Here it's best to skim the material first to get an overview of the subject. This gives you an understanding of its structure, into which you can then fit the detail gained from a full reading of the material. (SQ3R is a good technique for getting a deep understanding of a text.)

Read Actively

When you're reading a document or book in detail, it helps if you practice "active reading" by highlighting and underlining key information, and taking notes (member-only article) as you progress. (Mind Maps are great for this). This emphasizes information in your mind, and helps you to review important points later.
Doing this also helps you keep your mind focused on the material, and stops you thinking about other things.

Tip:
If you're worried about damaging a book by marking it up, ask yourself how much your investment of time is worth. If the book is inexpensive, or if the benefit that you get from the book substantially exceeds its value, then don't worry too much about marking it. (Of course, only do this if it belongs to you!)

Know How to Study Different Types of Material

Different types of documents hold information in different places and in different ways, and they have different depths and breadths of coverage.
By understanding the layout of the material you're reading, you can extract the information you want efficiently.

Magazines and Newspapers

These tend to give a fragmented coverage of an area. They will typically only concentrate on the most interesting and glamorous parts of a topic - this helps them boost circulation! As such, they will often ignore less interesting information that may be essential to a full understanding of a subject, and they may include low value content to "pad out" advertising.
The most effective way of getting information from magazines is to scan the contents tables or indexes and turn directly to interesting articles. If you find an article useful, then cut it out and file it in a folder specifically covering that sort of information. In this way you will build up sets of related articles that may begin to explain the subject.
Newspapers tend to be arranged in sections. If you read a paper often, you can quickly learn which sections are useful, and which ones you can skip altogether.

Tip:
You can apply the same strategies to reading online versions of newspapers and magazines. However, you need to make sure that you don't get distracted by links to other, non-relevant material..

Reading Individual Articles

There are three main types of article in magazines and newspapers:

• News Articles - these are designed to explain the key points first, and then flesh these out with detail. So, the most important information is presented first, with information being less and less useful as the article progresses.
• Opinion Articles - these present a point of view. Here the most important information is contained in the introduction and the summary, with the middle of the article containing supporting arguments.
• Feature Articles - these are written to provide entertainment or background on a subject. Typically the most important information is in the body of the text.

If you know what you want from an article, and recognize its type, you can get information from it quickly and efficiently.

Tip 1:
Nowadays, you probably read many articles online. You can easily save links to these in a bookmark folder to reference later. Make sure that you title folders so that you can easily find the link again. For instance, you could have separate folders for project research, marketing, client prospects, trade information, and professional growth. Or, it might be helpful to title folders using the website or publication name.

Tip 2:
Remember that there are many online articles and electronic documents that weren't originally designed to be read on a screen. (This will also include documents that are emailed to you.) If you find it hard to read these on screen, print them out. This is especially important for long or detailed documents.

Make Your Own Table of Contents

When you're reading a document or book, it's easy to accept the writer's structure of thought. This means that you may not notice when important information has been left out, or that an irrelevant detail has been included.
An effective way to combat this is to make up your own table of contents before you start reading. Ask yourself what sections or topics you are expecting to see in this document, and what questions you want to have answered by the end of the text.
Although doing this before you start reading the document may sound like a strange strategy, it's useful, because it helps you spot holes in the author's argument. Writing out your own table of contents also helps you address your own questions, and think about what you're expecting to learn from the text.

Use Glossaries with Technical Documents

If you're reading large amounts of difficult technical material, it may be useful to use or compile a glossary. Keep this beside you as you read.
It's also useful to note down the key concepts in your own words, and refer to these when necessary.

Further Reading Tips

• The time when you read a document plays a role in how easy the reading will be, and how much information you'll retain.
• If you need to read a text that is tedious, or requires a great deal of concentration, it's best to tackle it when you have the most energy in the day. Our article, Is This a Morning Task?, (member-only article), helps you work out when this is, so that you can schedule your reading time accordingly.
• Where you read is also important. Reading at night, in bed, doesn't work for many people because it makes them sleepy (which means that you may not remember the information). Everyone is different, however, so read in a place that's comfortable, free of distractions, and that has good light - this is important even if you're reading from a screen.
• It can be helpful to review the information when you've finished reading. When you're done, write a paragraph that explains, in your own words, what you just learned. Often, putting pen to paper can help strengthen your recall of new information, so that you retain it more effectively.

Key Points

If you want to read more effectively, identify what you want to learn from each resource you read, and know how deeply you want to study the material. And, consider "active reading" by making notes and marking-up the material as you go along. It's also useful to know how to study different types of material.
Making your own table of contents before you read material, and using glossaries for technical resources, are other useful reading strategies.

Remember that it takes practice to develop your reading skills - the more you use these strategies, the more effective you'll become.

10 Tips to Study Smart and Save Time

I recently got my marks back from University. My grade point average was a 4.2 out of a possible 4.5, resting between an A and a perfect A+. In itself, this isn’t an incredible achievement. But I managed to do this while spending only a fraction of the time studying than many of the people I knew.

Is it just natural talent? Perhaps. I’ve always had a knack for understanding concepts and learning new ideas. But I also believe the way I learned the information played a role. Instead of cramming last minute or memorizing details, I try to organize information in a way that makes it easier to recall.
This strategy of organization I label holistic learning. Holistic learning is simply the process of organizing information into webs, that interconnect ideas. Instead of forcing ideas into your skull, you focus on the relationships between information. Linking ideas together to see the whole, instead of just the parts.

Building an Understanding
Learning is a process similar to building a house. You aren’t fed the complete picture. Limitations on communication prevent the instantaneous transmission of knowledge. Instead you listen to lectures, read textbooks and take painstaking notes to try and comprehend a subject.
You are fed building supplies, bricks, mortar and glass. It is up to you to assemble the building. Unfortunately, most learning strategies fall into two basic types:

1. Memorization – Instead of building anything you simply stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position.
2. Formulas – This is the equivalent to being blind, fumbling around a new house. You can’t see the building itself but you learn to come up with simple rules to avoid walking into walls.

There is nothing particularly wrong with either of these strategies, assuming they aren’t your entire strategy. The human brain isn’t a computer so it can’t memorize infinite sums of knowledge without some form of structure. And formulas no longer work if the questions they are designed to solve change scope.
Learning Holistically
The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture. Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Metaphor – Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer.
2. Use All Your Senses - Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting.
3. Teach It - Find someone who doesn’t understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect.
4. Leave No Islands – When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you won’t be able to reach them during a test.
5. Test Your Mobility - A good way to know you haven’t linked enough is that you can’t move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you can’t jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you won’t be able to think through the connections during a test.
6. Find Patterns – Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to “if” statements in programming languages.
7. Build a Large Foundation - Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.
8. Don’t Force - I don’t spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning.
9. Build Models – Models are simple concepts that aren’t true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand. When I was trying to tackle the concept of subspaces, I visualized a blue background with a red plane going through it. This isn’t an entirely accurate representation of what a subspace is, but it created a workable image for future ideas.
10. Learning is in Your Head – Having beautiful notes and a perfectly highlighted textbook doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Don’t be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.

STUDY STRATEGIES

Know thyself: How your attitude to learning may affect your educational performance There is a growing interest in understanding how people like you learn. As psychologists you will probably come across some of the research literature - particularly if you develop an interest in educational psychology. Here are some research findings that may help you understand your own approach to learning. Having read this section you may decide to change your approach to your studies, particularly if you think you are an extreme example of one of the categories. Ideally you should aim to develop an approach to your studies that draws upon the strengths of each style, whilst avoiding some of the more negative attributes. At the very least this page may help you understand why you are being exposed to a variety of learning experiences. Can you identify your learning strategy? A group of American researchers has suggested that there are five different types of learning strategy exhibited by adult learners. This is important because knowing what type of learner you are may help you understand how you can best utilize the learning resources and teaching experiences offered on your course. The researchers administered a questionnaire (the Self-Knowledge Inventory of Lifelong Learning Strategies ) to 1,143 students in Alberta and used cluster analysis and group interviews to collect supplementary information to characterize learning patterns and preferences from representative students in each of the five types of learning strategies. I have gone through the report and tried to extract a flavor of each learning strategy. You may recognise yourself in one of the groups. I have also tried to alert you to some of the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy. You already appreciate that your program of psychology courses utilize a variety of teaching techniques, ranging from conventional lectures to group work which involves cooperative work with other students. You may already realize that you are more comfortable in some learning situations than others. For example, you may prefer lectures to working with other students in groups on a Case Report. The reason for this may be your personal learning strategy. If you can begin to understand how learning strategy interacts with particular teaching methods and experiences, you may be able to get more out of teaching situations that you don't personally feel at ease with. Don't give up on a particular type of teaching situation, try to understand what it offers you. It will almost certainly be a valuable educational experience that you would have rejected if left to your own devices and desires. I am conscious that my description of the five learning strategies reads a bit like an astrology column in a newspaper. You may recognise yourself in one or several of the categories. I don't know if learning strategies are stable or change with time or situation - I bet they do. Nor do I know how well the categories would translate across cultures. But this research may help you & that's what matters in the long run. You can read a report on this research online - Identifying groups of learners through the use of learning strategies by Kolody et al, 27th Annual SCUTREA conference proceedings 1997 Navigators locate and use the best information. They tend to plan a course for their studies and stick to it. They tend to structure or process information so that it can be better stored and retrieved. The researchers found that these tended to be the students with highest grade point average. A clear structure and organization of material is crucial for these people. If you are in this group you will probably be interested in the Aims and Learning Objectives for your course. You will probably be aware of the required reading for the course and the supporting web site. I would guess that you will do well on the exam at the end of the course, particularly the multiple choice section. But I do have a word of warning! Try to broaden your reading and discuss ideas with other students. The 'Points to Ponder' inserts are designed to give you jumping-off points for discussion. This will be particularly important in the second and third year of your course when you will be expected to show evidence of imagination, insight and synthesis. See Essay Writing: How do I do it, and why did I get that mark? Monitors tend to be older students who make learning plans, check to see if they are on task and compare their progress to their learning plan. This group tends to avoid distractions and set time aside for learning. They tend to rely on recommended learning resources, books etc. rather than discussions with fellow students. If you are in this group take heed of my comments to Navigators above. Critical Thinkers use mental images and memories to facilitate problem solving. They like opportunities for individuality and creativity in assignments, as well as opportunities for hands-on learning and experimentation. This group of people place relatively little emphasis on memorization and do better on open-ended questions and problem-solving activities than answering factual questions. You may find that the 'Points to Ponder' inserts have captured your attention. If this description fits your learning style, you may be having problems assimilating the sheer amount of information on the Biological Bases of Behavior course. Fear not! Your time will come in the second and third years when much more emphasis is placed on your ability to show critical analysis of material and evidence of imagination, insight and synthesis. See Essay Writing: How do I do it, and why did I get that mark?. I would urge you to take a look at the Aims and learning Objectives for your course and get a copy of the recommended text ! Engagers love to learn. They use lists to help memorization. They tend to do best when they are actively engaged in a meaningful way with the material and therefore excel on projects based on their individual interests. They tend to do well on group projects, particularly when the group dynamics reinforce the learning strategy of reward / enjoyment these people thrive on. You may find that the 'Points to Ponder' inserts have captured your attention. If you are lucky enough to belong to this group I expect you will pass the course with flying colors and you may have utilized the opportunity offered by the web site to explore supplementary material that especially interests you. A word of warning! Don't let your enthusiasm for a topic carry you away so that you don't have sufficient time to cover aspects of the course that are less interesting to you. Check that you have covered everything that may appear in the exam by referring to the Aims and learning Objectives for your course. Networkers engage in lots of discussion and debate with other students. Interaction with students and lecturers is the key to learning for this group. They excel in brainstorming sessions, teamwork and discussion of opposing or different viewpoints. The 'Points to Ponder' inserts has probably sparked off this type of discussion. If this description fits your learning style, you may be having problems assimilating the sheer amount of factual information on the Biological Bases of Behavior course. You may have found that the various bars and clubs around Plymouth offer a more congenial atmosphere for your preferred learning strategy. But there is hope - you have just the sort of skills, aptitudes and approach to life that employers are crying out for. Believe me they want people who can relate to other people - the market for anoraked nerds who know all about how a fly finds its food and a mate is severely restricted. Your time will come, there are plenty of opportunities to work in groups during the three years you are on this course. Just make sure you get through the first year by using the web site for this course and take time out to study the syllabus for your course. Good luck & mine's a Guiness! Some general points about approaches to learning I'm not an educational psychologist but there are some generally accepted do's and don'ts. For example Do adopt a Deep learning approach Don't use a Surface or Shallow learning approach Deep learning approach Surface or shallow learning approach Develop personal understanding Reproduce content 'parrot-fashion' Relate new information to previous knowledge and experience Passive acceptance of ideas and information Link ideas together using integrating principles Lack of recognition of guiding concepts, principles & patterns Relate evidence to conclusions Focus learning on assessment requirements How you view learning may affect your performance Do you think that what you learn is under your own control and are you doing it because it is intrinsically rewarding? In other words do you view learning as self-regulatory and intrinsically rewarding? Or, do you think that lecturers are responsible for teaching you, and they they control the rewards and punishments in the learning situation? In other words do you view learning as externally controlled and extrinsically rewarding? Research indicates that students who rely on self-regulation and intrinsic reward are more effective learners than those who believe learning is under external control and extrinsic reward. There is evidence that learners can improve their performance by modifying their beliefs about the forces that control their learning.

 

Procrastination – Introduction (Series)

Have you ever procrastinated before? Of course you have, we all have. Procrastination is feeling that you know you should do something but you don’t do it. For some procrastination is a minor annoyance wasting their time. For others, procrastination constantly restrains them from leading a life they would truly enjoy.

Procrastination – Series
Introduction (Understanding Procrastination)
Break It Down
Start Now
This is the first part in a three part series dedicated to helping you to stop procrastinating, whether it is with boring chores or taking massive action in improving your life. Although the exact causes for procrastination can vary considerably, I have found that a single strategy for handling procrastination will work in almost all cases. That basic system is to understand the cause of the procrastination, break it down and then start immediately. Although it sounds fairly simple, I’ll go into considerable depth so you can best execute this plan.
Understanding Procrastination
The first step in overcoming any procrastination you face is to understand exactly why you are procrastinating. Although sometimes procrastination can seem irrational and inexplicable, it all stems from the same root cause. The cause of all attempts to put off taking action is simply this, at some level you believe that taking action will cause more pain than not taking action.
That explanation, that you either consciously or subconsciously believe that not taking action will be less painful than taking action is the reason you are procrastinating. Unfortunately this explanation is fairly generalized, so we need to go deeper. If you are putting off doing something because you believe it will be more painful, why?
There are many reasons why you believe that taking action is more painful than not taking action. Since there are so many possible causes, I’ll go over the main culprits as they tend to cause almost all procrastination. These culprits are fear, stress and lacking energy.
Once you understand why you procrastinate, you have more control in taking the steps to conquer it. Although the same basic strategy of understanding, breaking down and starting immediately will work in almost all cases of procrastination, by understanding the exact reasons you are putting off taking action you can customize these steps to improve their effectiveness.
Procrastination From Fear
The worst cause of procrastination and often the hardest to remove is fear. Fear is the body’s natural method to force you to procrastinate. Whenever your emotional limbic center of the brain perceives that something you are about to do would be especially painful it creates the emotion of fear to keep you from taking action. Even with this incredible drive to not take action, fear can be overcome.
The first part of defeating procrastination that is caused by fear is to admit that you feel the fear. This step is crucial as it will be impossible to overcome any fear you feel while you are still in denial. If the fear you are feeling is completely irrational, your conscious mind may have a hard time accepting that you actually fear it. Unfortunately, without admitting the fear exists, you cannot fight it, and lose all power to control it.
Whenever you are procrastinating anything your first question should be to ask whether fear might be a factor involved. Admitting you feel fear and that it is the source of your inability to take action is the first step in overcoming it. Don’t worry if the fear doesn’t make any sense, or if you feel stupid or immature for experiencing it, just admit you feel it and you can move past it.
Some fears are deeply routed in our biology while others are adapted from past experiences. If you happen to be a heterosexual male and you wondered why you find it so difficult to approach and talk to a beautiful woman, you might be surprised to realize that fear is deeply routed in your biology. In tribal days when man lived in groups of around a hundred people, rejection from a female could lead to social proof that you were inadequate and your gene pool would end there. In today’s world where you can interact with thousands of people who aren’t directly connected, so this fear doesn’t make much logical sense.
I have already written extensively on how to overcome fear in this article, if you are interested in learning more about how to deal with this emotion.

Procrastination From Stress
All procrastination works at an emotional, not a logical, level. Your emotions have a very poor ability to plan for the future and tend to worry mostly about what is of immediate concern. As a result, the reason it is so easy to put off running errands or household chores is simply because you feel they will be stressful or boring compared to alternative activities. Even if they will cause more pain in the long-run if they aren’t completed, your emotional mind doesn’t seem to consider this.
Defeating procrastination that is caused by stress or the belief that a different activity would be more enjoyable is easier to defeat than procrastination caused by fear, but it can still pose a problem, especially if it is recurring. Just like all forms of procrastination, defeating procrastination caused by stress starts by admission that it is stress that is causing it.
If you are putting off doing an errand, admit to yourself that you think it will be boring, frustrating or painful. If you are avoiding starting that project, admit to yourself why you don’t want to do it. Own your emotions. Once you recognize that it is stress that is causing your procrastination, you can begin to fix it.
Procrastination from a Lack of Energy

Poor energy management can be a primary cause of procrastination. What this means is that your body is putting off doing an activity because it simply doesn’t have the energy to continue doing it. Although this can sometimes be the case, generally if you feel too tired to do something, you don’t blame procrastination. Instead, a lack of energy can be the culprit when subconsciously you believe that doing something will be too demanding even though you consciously believe that you can do it. As a result, you can’t explain why you don’t want to do something.
An example of this would be going to the gym. Many times you subconsciously feel that going to the gym will be exhausting even though you consciously recognize the need to go. Because exercise often invigorates rather than depletes your energy reserves, this excuse isn’t usually rational, but an emotional reaction.
Similar to dealing with procrastination from stress and fear, you need to start by owning the emotions that are causing you to procrastinate. The process of breaking down procrastination will work in a situation caused by a lack of energy as it will in other cases, but it can’t start until you recognize this problem.
Procrastination from a lack of energy can often be helped by temporarily boosting your current energy levels as well. Closing your eyes and taking several deep breaths can often restore mental clarity and energy. Similarly, doing some quick exercises can get your blood flowing and pique your physical energy levels.

Procrastination Explained
All procrastination is caused because taking action seems like it would be more painful than doing something else. When fear is the culprit, it is a biological reaction indicating that taking action could be dangerous. When stress is the cause, your body feels that doing a different activity would be more enjoyable or less frustrating. When a lack of energy is the cause, your subconscious feels that you don’t have enough energy to take on the task at hand.
The first step in conquering your procrastination is to understand what the root cause is and to own that emotion. Without taking responsibility for emotion it is incredibly hard to overcome. Emotions take effect whether you consciously accept them or dismiss them. At least through acceptance, your conscious mind can take action to stop the processes that are causing the fear, stress or fatigue.

Procrastination can be a minor nuisance or a debilitating effect on your life. In the next article I will explain how you can take an understanding of the cause of your procrastination to break down the action into manageable chunks. In the final article I’ll go over methods that can allow you to start taking action immediately and banish that procrastination forever.

e, perhaps you need to work on fixing problems in your relationship? Emotional management can only help you get into the appropriate state to solve problems, it doesn’t directly solve them on their own. Good luck!

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10 Tips to Study Smart and Save Time

July 5 by Scott H Young | 67 Comments and 3 Reactions | Featured, Lifestyle | Tags: learning, study

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I recently got my marks back from University. My grade point average was a 4.2 out of a possible 4.5, resting between an A and a perfect A+. In itself, this isn’t an incredible achievement. But I managed to do this while spending only a fraction of the time studying than many of the people I knew.
Is it just natural talent? Perhaps. I’ve always had a knack for understanding concepts and learning new ideas. But I also believe the way I learned the information played a role. Instead of cramming last minute or memorizing details, I try to organize information in a way that makes it easier to recall.
This strategy of organization I label holistic learning. Holistic learning is simply the process of organizing information into webs, that interconnect ideas. Instead of forcing ideas into your skull, you focus on the relationships between information. Linking ideas together to see the whole, instead of just the parts.

Building an Understanding
Learning is a process similar to building a house. You aren’t fed the complete picture. Limitations on communication prevent the instantaneous transmission of knowledge. Instead you listen to lectures, read textbooks and take painstaking notes to try and comprehend a subject.
You are fed building supplies, bricks, mortar and glass. It is up to you to assemble the building. Unfortunately, most learning strategies fall into two basic types:

1. Memorization – Instead of building anything you simply stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position.
2. Formulas – This is the equivalent to being blind, fumbling around a new house. You can’t see the building itself but you learn to come up with simple rules to avoid walking into walls.

There is nothing particularly wrong with either of these strategies, assuming they aren’t your entire strategy. The human brain isn’t a computer so it can’t memorize infinite sums of knowledge without some form of structure. And formulas no longer work if the questions they are designed to solve change scope.
Learning Holistically
The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture. Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Metaphor – Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer.
2. Use All Your Senses - Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting.
3. Teach It - Find someone who doesn’t understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect.
4. Leave No Islands – When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you won’t be able to reach them during a test.
5. Test Your Mobility - A good way to know you haven’t linked enough is that you can’t move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you can’t jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you won’t be able to think through the connections during a test.
6. Find Patterns – Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to “if” statements in programming languages.
7. Build a Large Foundation - Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.
8. Don’t Force - I don’t spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning.
9. Build Models – Models are simple concepts that aren’t true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand. When I was trying to tackle the concept of subspaces, I visualized a blue background with a red plane going through it. This isn’t an entirely accurate representation of what a subspace is, but it created a workable image for future ideas.
10. Learning is in Your Head – Having beautiful notes and a perfectly highlighted textbook doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Don’t be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.

IMPROVING YOUR CONCENTRATION

Improving Your Concenteration
Help Yourself is created by Counseling Services
copyright 1989, 1997 Kansas State University

"I can't concentrate." "My mind wanders when I try to study."
Lack of concentration is one of the most frequent complaints heard on a college campus.

Concentration: the ability to direct one's thinking in whatever direction one would intend.

We all have the ability to concentrate -- sometimes. Think of the times when you were engrossed in a super novel. While playing your guitar or piano. In an especially good game of cards. At a spellbinder of a movie. Total concentration.

But at other times your thoughts are scattered, and your mind races from one thing to another. It's for those times that you need to learn and practice concentration strategies. They involve (1) learning mental selfregulation and (2) arranging factors that you can immediately control.

Training Your Wandering Mind: Learning Mental Self-Regulation for Improved Concentration

Improving concentration is learning a skill.

Learning a skill takes practice... whether it is shooting baskets, dancing, typing, writing, or concentrating. Do not confuse these strategies with medicine. When you take a medicine, it acts on the body without your having to help it.

Concentration strategies require practice. You probably will begin to notice some change within a few days. You'll notice considerable improvement within four to six weeks of training your mind with some of the skills that follow. And that's a short period of time considering how many years you've spent not concentrating as well as you'd like.

Begin by practicing these techniques:

• Be Here Now,
• The Spider Technique, and
• Worry Time.

Then try any of the Other Mental Strategies that sound promising to you. Give them an honest try -- use them for at least three days. If you notice a little change, that suggests that the skill will be valuable and, with continued practice, will greatly improve your concentration. There are also Other Factors You Can Change now in your environment that may be helpful.

Be Here Now

This deceptively simple strategy is probably the most effective. When you notice your thoughts wandering astray, say to yourself

"Be here now"

and gently bring your attention back to where you want it.

FOR EXAMPLE:
You're in class and your attention strays from the lecture to all the homework you have, to a date, to the fact that you're hungry. As you say to yourself

"Be here now"

you focus back on the lecture and maintain your attention there as long as possible.

When it wanders again, repeat

"Be here now"

and gently bring your attention back.

You may notice that your mind often wanders (as often as several times a minute at times). Each time just say

"Be here now"

and refocus. Do not try to keep particular thoughts out of your mind. For example, as you sit there, close your eyes and think about anything you want to for the next three minutes except cookies. Try not to think about cookies...When you try not to think about something, it keeps coming back. ("I'm not going to think about cookies. I'm not going to think about cookies.")

When you find your thoughts wandering, gently let go of that thought and, with your "Be here now," return to the present.

You might do this hundreds of times a week, if you're normal. But, you'll find that the period of time between your straying thoughts gets a little longer every few days. So be patient and keep at it. You'll see some improvement!

The Spider Technique

This is another strategy that sounds deceptively simple. But it is the basis for concentration because it helps you to maintain your concentration and not give in to distractions.

Hold a vibrating tuning fork next to a spider web. The spider will react and come looking for what is vibrating the web. Do it several times and the spider "wises up" and knows there's no bug and doesn't come looking.

You can learn that. Train yourself not to give in to distractions. When someone enters the room, or when a door slams, do not allow yourself to participate. Rather, keep your concentration on what's in front of you.

Use the "Be here now" technique to help you regain concentration when you do become distracted momentarily.

Practice this in a variety of settings, such as:

• In lecture classes practice letting people move or cough without having to look at them - just let them "be out there" while you form a tunnel between you and the lecturer.
• When talking with someone keep your attention on that person, look at his face, and note what is being said. Let the rest of the world just be "out there."

Worry or Think Time

Set aside a specific time each day to think about the things that keep entering your mind and interfering with your concentration. For example, set 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. as your worry/think time. When your mind is side-tracked into worrying during the day, remind yourself that you have a special time for worrying. Then, let the thought go for the present, and return your focus to your immediate activity.

There's research on this, believe it or not! Persons who use a worry time find themselves worrying 35 percent less of the time within four weeks. That's a big change!

The important steps are:

(1) set a specific time each day for your time,

(2) when you become aware of a distracting thought, remind yourself that you have a special time to think about them,

(3) let the thought go, perhaps with "Be here now," and

(4) be sure to keep that appointment with yourself at that special time to think on the distracting thoughts of the day.

Other Mental Strategies:

Tallying your mental wanderings. Have a 3 x 5 inch card handy. Draw two lines dividing the card into three sections. Label them "morning," "afternoon," and "evening."

Each time your mind wanders, make a tally in the appropriate section. Keep a card for each day. As your skills build, you'll see the number of tallies decrease. And that's exciting!

Rest/Stretch Time . Remember to take short breaks. Lectures are usually 50 minutes long, and that's about the length of time most people can direct their attention to one task. But, that's just an average. Your concentration time-span might be less (20-35 minutes) or longer (perhaps 90 minutes).

When you take a break, oxygenate (get more oxygen to your brain)! Get up and walk around the room for a couple of minutes. When we sit for long periods, blood tends to pool in our lower body and legs (because of gravity). Our calves serve as pumps for our blood when we walk, getting blood flowing more evenly throughout the body. As a result, more oxygen is carried to the brain and you are more alert.

Change Topics. Many students aid their concentration by changing the subject they are studying every one to two hours. You pay more attention to something that's different. And you can give yourself that variety by changing the subject you study regularly.

Incentives and Rewards. Give yourself a reward when you've completed a task. The task might be small, such as stay with a difficult assignment until you've finished. An appropriate reward might be a walk around the block, a glass of water, or reading the day's cartoon in the newspaper..

For those special projects such as term papers, design projects, or long book reviews, set up a special incentive. Upon completion, plan to give yourself a special pizza, movie, or an evening of TV.

Incentives and rewards can be overdone. Use them for the especially difficult assignment or longer projects. When you do use them, make the rewards something you ordinarily would not give yourself.

Increasing Your Activity Level. Your concentration wanders more easily if you just read an assignment straight through. Instead, take the heading for each section and turn it into a question. For this section, that would be, "How can I increase my activity level while studying?" Then study that section to answer that question. Do this routinely. The questions give us a focus for each section and increase our involvement.

Also, as you study an assignment, make a list of questions you can bring to class. Listen to the lecture for answers to those questions.

Shift position in your seat every so often. Don't sit there frozen in one position. The move will help keep the blood circulating, sending more oxygen to your brain and helping you remain alert.

Skydivers, rock climbers, tightrope walkers, and lion tamers don't have trouble concentrating! You probably haven't done any of those. But, think back to some time in your life when you had that calm, total concentration. Close your eyes and recreate that time. Visualize it, if you can. Feel how you felt at that time. Now, when you begin studying tonight, recapture that focused attention and see how long you can hold it. Does it feel as if that might work? If so, begin all your study sessions with the feeling and see how long you can maintain it. With practice, your concentration will get better and better.

Factors You Can Control Now

Chart your energy levels. When is your energy level at its highest? When are your low energy times? Study your most difficult courses at your high energy times. Sharpest early in the evening? Study your most difficult course then. Later in the evening? Work on your easier courses or the ones you enjoy the most.

Now that's not what most students do. Instead, they put off the tough courses until later in the evening when they are more fatigued. It's more difficult to concentrate when you're tired. Reverse that. Hard courses at peak energy times. Easier ones later. This alone can help to improve your concentration.

Light. Make sure you have adequate light. It's essential to keeping your attention focused on what you are studying. So your eyes don't tire, use indirect lights (to avoid glare) and ones that don't flicker.

Chair and Table. Sit on a not overly comfortable chair at a table, not sprawled out on your bed. Your bed is where you sleep and dream.

Posture. Sit up straight to aid concentration rather than sprawled out in a similar-to-sleep position.

Clear away distractions. Don't have pictures where you'll notice them when looking up from your studies. Also, put out of sight any material for other courses. Seeing it can panic you a little about all you have to do. So put it out of sight.

Signs. Don't hesitate to put signs on your door. "I need the grades. Please let me study." "Please do not disturb." "Concentrating is tough. Help me by staying away." Some inconsiderate person will interrupt. Ask them to come back later. If they don't leave, practice ignoring them (See the Spider Technique above).

Take your phone off the hook. Yes, you might miss a call. But developing your concentration skills is important. It will be useful for the remainder of your life.

Where you study can make a difference. Think about where you concentrate best. Often it's difficult to study where you live, so look for a corner in the library that's quiet and facing a wall (not a door with people coming and going or a window with a distracting view). Some students study better where they live. Find the place or places you find most conducive to concentration.

Background music? Research on productivity with music versus without music is inconclusive. If you think you need music, choose some with no lyrics and with relatively monotonous melodies. Baroque music is the best example. Something with words, a definite beat, a catchy melody, or one of your favorite pieces can easily divert your attention, often without your being aware of it at first.

Perhaps you might try "white noise" -- it masks out environmental noises and helps minimize distractions. Your radio can be an inexpensive source of white noise. Switch to FM and team to the high end of your dial. You should get a steady static or form of white noise, unless your radio is an especially good one. Or keep a fan running.

Enough time for everything? Ever find your study of one subject interrupted by worries about getting assignments in another course done? Or waste time trying to decide what to study? Take an hour or so and do a little planning.

First, estimate for each course the number of hours you'll need to study each week. Then work up a flexible time schedule. Include all your obligations (classes, meetings, meals, laundry, etc.). Then allocate specific time periods for studying particular subjects. When studying one course you won't worry so much about others because you'll know that you have time for them.

Be flexible in your schedule. If you need an extra hour on a subject, continue with it and then do a little juggling to make up the study time you encroached on. You'll probably need to modify your schedule from time to time.

If you would rather schedule smaller chunks of time, each Sunday plan the following week and change from week to week. Check to be sure you're getting study time in on all your courses.

Rewards for Concentrating. In summary, the rewards for improving your concentration can be priceless. You'll be delighted at your ability to recall information given in lectures. You'll find yourself accomplishing more in the same period of time. It can even affect your social life. Your special friend will appreciate your undivided attention and, in return, will give you undivided attention. So will other friends. Best of all, concentration skills help your self confidence because you will realize how much more is possible when you can give your total attention.