Tag: Studying

College for Introverts – Socializing and Career Seeking

How should introverts approach their college experience and prepare for a career?

Over the next few weeks I am going to review a book called Quiet by Susan Cain. Ms. Cain writes very eloquently about the situation in which introverts can find themselves in today’s society. I hear echoes of Stephen Covey in her conception of the character ethic and the personality ethic. I do not know if she was influenced by Covey and I find the idea compelling that she came to the independent conclusion that we have moved toward a personality driven, surface oriented society. Ms. Cain has produced a TED talk which I find very informative. It was on the basis of this talk that I purchased the book. Here is the key question to which I hope the book suggests an answer – what sorts of goals and careers will sustain an introverted professional?

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Study Tip – Pink Noise Fuzzes Out Sound

Pink Noise is like a “warmer” form of static

Our brains quickly learn to ignore it, but it saturates the auditory system and makes it easy to tune out other noises. I find that when I am stressed, I need a quiet environment without distraction to study effectively. This is a tip that works about as effectively as any earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.

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Study Tip – Mind Mapping Videos

A list of Mind Mapping Instructional Videos

I find that the most effective studying uses 3 phases: 1. exposure, 2. incubation, and 3. reiteration. Your brain wasn’t designed for cramming. Like it or not, repeated exposure make things feel important and memorable. It seems boring, but I do not think that there is a good way around it. You can take notes as an outline or mind map. Once you have your notes on paper, let them sit for at least a few hours. Then copy them along with diagrams and reference from the textbook into your own bound notebook. There are a lot of interesting videos about Mind Mapping on Youtube. I have posted a few here.

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Using NaturallySpeaking for college and editing

How to edit for people who hate editing: I hate editing. It’s my least favorite part of the Academic Experience. Editing makes me really anxious because I miss little things like typos and misspellings. Editing for clarity and readability is hard, but it does not give me the same level of worry.

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Study Techniques 3 – The Pomodoro

Taking Short and Long Breaks Effectively

The Pomodoro technique is named because it uses a 25 minute timer. The original timer looked like a little tomato (Italian for tomato is Pomodoro). Your timer doesn’t have to look like a tomato. The point is that you set your timer for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break. Effective five-minute breaks work when you do absolutely nothing. The point is to let your brain relax. Stare out a window. Stare at a wall. Just sit quietly. At the end of five minutes you will be very bored and want to get back to work.

pomodoro_timer
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Study Techniques 2 – All The Things, All The Time

I wish my University had provided a good introduction to study techniques.

When I used to ask my professors how to study for their class, they would often answer, “Study all the things, all the time.” In some sense, this is good for your education. The professor would be cheating you of your full experience of the material if he said “just study this subset of the material.” If that was what he wanted you to learn, then he would have taught a smaller amount of material. Still, it was not very helpful.
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Study Tip – Try standing at your desk

I like to use a standing desk

Some famous people have been known to use standing desks. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Winston Churchill for examples. According to Wikipedia, standing desks were popular in the 1700s, so maybe it’s true about the Founding Fathers. I like to use a standing desk because it gives me a sense of urgency and momentum.
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