“The one who thinks

over his experiences most,

and weaves them into

systematic relations with

each other, will be the one

with the best memory.”

- William James

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FINALLY... LEARN THE PROVEN

TOOLS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES TO

TRIPLE YOUR MEMORY, SPEED OF

LEARNING AND CONCENTRATION

WITH POWERSTUDY!

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Table of Contents

SECTION ONE Planting the seeds for total brain domination _________________________________ 9

SECTION TWOHow to develop a photographic memory ______________________________________ 32

SECTION THREEHow to develop lightning speed learning _______________________________________ 49

SECTION FOURTurning pro ___________________________________________________________________ 72

SECTION FIVEAnswers to all your most important questions _________________________________ 117

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Expanded Table of Contents

SECTION ONE Planting the seeds for total brain domination _________________________________ 9

The PowerStudying 3 Step Formula: Setting the stage for your extraordinary success ___________________ 10

The biggest problem with memory and learning, and the solution to this problem ______________________ 20

The exact step-by-step process that you need to follow

to move new information into your long term memory _________________________________________ 21

Whole brain thinking __________________________________________________________________ 25

Discover the 10 most powerful parts of your brain and how to maximize their full potential ______________ 27

SECTION TWOHow to develop a photographic memory ______________________________________ 32

How and why you remember ____________________________________________________________ 34

Novelty enhancing and sensory stimulation techniques _________________________________________ 36

Discover the 9 most powerful memory techniques and when to use them for maximum results ___________ 40

SECTION THREEHow to develop lightning speed learning _______________________________________ 49

How to get 80% of the work done with 20% of the effort _______________________________________ 52

Mental preparation - how to radically increase your ability to absorb information ______________________ 55

Introduction to the 4 step PowerStudying process ____________________________________________ 57

The Foundation Method _______________________________________________________________ 57

The Detail Method ___________________________________________________________________ 58

The Refiner Method __________________________________________________________________ 58

The Consolidation Method _____________________________________________________________ 59

The most effective revision strategies ______________________________________________________ 59

7 potent summarising techniques revealed __________________________________________________ 63

The most powerful reading and speed reading strategies ________________________________________ 68

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SECTION FOURTurning pro ___________________________________________________________________ 72

World class preparation _______________________________________________________________ 75

Identifying and understanding your enemies _____________________________________________ 78

Giving you orientation to the perfect brain food __________________________________________ 86

Helping you find balance ___________________________________________________________ 90

How to dominate your chosen career or profession ___________________________________________ 95

Course Summary with 200 different actionable strategies _______________________________________ 102

Taking Action: Your 4 Week Implementation Plan ______________________________________________ 116

SECTION FIVEAnswers to all your most important questions _________________________________ 117

The final piece of the puzzle ____________________________________________________________ 118

Hardcore questions with ‘show me the money’ answers ________________________________________ 119

Showing you how to learn efficiently:

Your study material _______________________________________________________________ 119

Getting through the smaller detail ____________________________________________________ 122

Medicine _______________________________________________________________________ 124

Law __________________________________________________________________________ 127

Actuarial science and engineering _____________________________________________________ 128

Diagrams ______________________________________________________________________ 132

Graphs ________________________________________________________________________ 133

Mathematics and statistics __________________________________________________________ 135

Speeches/oral presentations _________________________________________________________ 138

100 pages in just 1 hour ____________________________________________________________ 139

Guiding you into maximizing your study time through :

The no writing method further revealed ________________________________________________ 141

Laser type concentration ___________________________________________________________ 142

Enhancing your understanding _______________________________________________________ 143

Boosting your creativity and imagination ________________________________________________ 144

Best motivation strategies __________________________________________________________ 147

How to avoid procrastination ________________________________________________________ 148

Free online recourses ______________________________________________________________ 150

Providing you with bonus answers including:

Advice to parents ________________________________________________________________ 152

Daren’s formula for success _________________________________________________________ 153

University sponsorship strategy ______________________________________________________ 161

Memorizing numbers and dates _______________________________________________________ 162

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What does it take to develop a world-class memory?

Why are you spending hours and hours learning with little retention

and poor results?

Why do you get bored and distracted while you are studying?

Why do you forget what you studied days or hours after learning it... or some-

times even within minutes?!

Why do you go blank in the exam room and forget all the work that

you ’studied’?

Why are you struggling to find the motivation to study?

Why is it you can quite easily think of 100 other things you would rather do

than sit down and study?

Because you don’t have the answers.... yet!

This manual is designed to work in conjunction with the PowerStudying Formula videos as well as your

workbook. It is packed with real answers that make sense, are easy to use and will put you light years

ahead of your classmates and your competition.

Copyright TM 2010 PowerStudying.

All rights reserved. Copying this material without prior written permission from PowerStudying =

Prosecution... Don’t even think about it.

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What is the best way to develop a world class memory as well as lightning

speed learning and laser type concentration?

The BEST way is to have a big enough reason or a goal that is worth fighting

for, that is exciting and wild enough to beat any temptation to get distracted...

The BEST way is to be more prepared than all your classmates...

The BEST way is to work 100 times smarter than everyone else, leveraging

everything in your power so that you can lead the pack...

The BEST way is to ensure that you make each day a masterpiece of what you

want your life to be like in the future, and then fight to make this a reality...

The BEST way is to find a healthy balance between work, love and play so that

you have the energy to turn your work into art...

The BEST way is to create magic by putting your heart into your work...

FINAL ANSWER: There is no single best way. The big secret is to combine

ALL OF THESE!

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THE POWERSTUDYING 3 STEP FORMULA

SETTING THE STAGE FOR YOUR EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS

1. Reason and desire2. Capitalize on proven tools and techniques 3. Discipline and diligence

This manual and video-based course has the goal of INSPIRING, ENCOURAGING, and most

importantly, EQUIPPING you with tangible and actionable strategies that you can use straight away to

see a huge difference in your studies and in your life.

This course has been designed to help you with:

• STEP 1 - reason and desire, fully equip you with:

• STEP 2 - capitalize on proven tools and techniques, and give you insight and direction with

• STEP 3 - discipline and diligence.

We have done everything in our power to help you become an incredibly successful student. However,

at STEP 3 the baton gets handed over- if we could bottle discipline wouldn’t that be something!

Unfortunately, we cannot and it is up to YOU to master this.

You need to ACT on what you learn. To know and not do, is the same as not to know.

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1. REASON AND DESIRE

Everything in this course will have no meaning to you unless this first essential pillar of creating reason and

desire is in place.

The most powerful thing that you can do for yourself before any test or exam is ALWAYS set out what

you WANT to achieve and WHY you want to achieve it.

You may have all the skills, talent, knowledge and money in the world, but having all these things won’t get

you anywhere unless you have a reason or desire to achieve something.

The greater your desire for the goal you wish to achieve, the more energy you

will have to put towards achieving it and therefore the more likely you are to

achieve it.

Desire and Memory go Hand in Hand

“You cannot have what you do not want” - John Acosta, Poet

Your brain will move towards those things that are most relevant, meaningful and exciting to you. Your

brain will also only store information that it believes to be meaningful, emotionally significant or useful to

know for the future.

One of the biggest challenges you will face is converting your work into your own meaningful

adventure.

If you don’t have clearly defined academic goals, you can’t expect your brain to remember everything you

study. Subconsciously you are sabotaging your success every time you sit down and study without a clear

goal or incentive in mind.

You are at your creative best when there is a goal to work towards or a problem to solve. It invites your

brain to the party and enables you to start creating magic and work that is brilliant.

Developing a world-class memory and achieving extraordinary results is ALL about choice. Yes, this course

will teach you how to take a gun into a knife fight, but at the end of the day, you must WANT to fight and

CHOOSE to fight for something great, something worth putting your butt on the line for, something that

resonates with your soul, embodies your unique fingerprint and makes you come alive.

When you sleep at night your hippocampus (which helps you create new memories) looks at all the

information that was sent to it during the day and decides whether to keep it or not, based on whether

YOU thought it was important or not. So if you say to yourself: “This subject is so incredibly boring I hate

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having to learn it…” What message does this send to your hippocampus? Your hippocampus will respond

something like this: “Ok... your call,” and let go of that information. This is part of the reason why information,

instead of being retained in your long-term memory, remains in your short-term memory, which is a risky

place to be as it can easily be overwritten by new information that your brain deems more important. You

need to be in control of your brain, NOT the other way around.

It is like riding a wild stallion. As soon as you jump on to go for a ride, the stallion is thinking: “Does this guy

actually know what he is doing?!” And you may be thinking: “Does this stallion know what he is doing?!”

Take charge, avoid this kind of confusion, stand up and start harnessing the true power that your brain

actually holds.

You need to tell your brain and then remind it continually, that your goals are important to you. This is a key

aspect of accelerated learning.

Some questions you need to ask yourself:

• Why am I doing this course?

___________________________________________________________________________

• What do I want to achieve?

___________________________________________________________________________

• How badly do I want to achieve it?

___________________________________________________________________________

Keep the answers to these questions in the forefront of your mind throughout the course.

BIG TIP: It is pointless to sit down and study because you “HAVE” to study. This goes totally against the way your brain works. In no time your brain will drift to something you find more interesting. You need to see in your mind the end goal of what you want to achieve. This end goal needs to be as tangible and realistic as possible.

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how”- Friedrich Nietzsche

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2. CAPITALIzE ON PROVEN TOOLS & TECHNIQUES THAT WORk

How long do you think it would take you to cut down a tree using a hammer?

Don’t you think it will take a lot of effort, leaving you very frustrated with the lack of results for all your

hard work? Do you think there could be a better way to cut down trees?

This is probably what you are currently doing with your studies. Using no techniques or ineffective ones

that produce poor results will leave you exhausted and frustrated.

Sections 2 and 3 of this Manual or Disks 2 and 3 of the video provide you with a toolbox of chainsaws,

grenades and rocket launchers - incredible tools and techniques that will increase the effectiveness of

your study time a hundred fold, and proportionally decrease the amount of time you spend studying.

Working hard is not good enough; your effort MUST be intelligent.

World-class memory experts are not born with any innate learning ability or talent. They all understand

exactly how the brain functions best and then capitalize on this by using the very best techniques that

enhance each part of the brain, enabling it to function to its full potential.

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3. DISCIPLINE AND DILIGENCE

Would you like to become known as someone who is focused on achieving results on a consistent basis?

Here’s what you need to do. Being focused is made up of two parts:

• Knowingyourpriorities

• Concentratingonthesepriorities

Solomon, the wisest and richest man who ever lived, said that discipline and diligence would seat you

amongst kings and queens.

Einstein expressed it a little differently. He said that genius is the ability to put into effect what is on

your mind.

Daniel Coyle, author of “The Talent Code” says that it takes 10 000 hours to become a world-class expert.

Other research has suggested that if you spend 1 focused hour each day on a specific area or field, you

could be an expert in that subject after 5 years.

Either way a conscious and consistent effort in an intelligent and focused direction is required from you in

order for you to turn pro.

Woody Allen said that 80% of success is just showing up. We would add to that, make sure that you show

up PREPARED.

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“Learning is not obtained by chance, it

must be sought for with ardour and attended to

with diligence.”

– Abigail Adams

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A STORY OF HOPE

In 2007 I was to have trained up the first South African memory team to compete at the World Memory

Champs in the Middle East. I started off with 15 committed, hungry students who wanted nothing more

than to compete against the best in the world and do well. The list quickly dropped down to 5 and then 3

and then 0. Everyone knew exactly what to do and that is why they were so excited... initially of course, but

they all ran out of steam simply because consistent effort was required in a focused direction.

I got a call from 16-year-old Adithi Naidoo just 7 weeks before the World Memory Champs. She wasn’t on

the initial list of 15 but had heard about it from a friend. She had attended a memory course that I’d held in

her town earlier that year and was on a mission to take her new found ability to higher levels of excellence.

She flew across South Africa to meet with me and I spent 4 hours with her explaining EXACTLY what she

needed to do to excel in the competition. I walked her through the step-by-step process of what each of

the top competitors in the world was doing for each event. I taught her everything she needed to know in

order to prepare to compete in the junior division of the world memory championships.

From past competing experience, I had learnt that it was better to commit 30 minutes to an hour of training

per day throughout the year, rather than spending 8 hours a day for 2 months before competing. A lot

more can be achieved with consistent smaller amounts of time rather than trying to cram at the last minute.

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I showed Adithi how to get a day’s worth of normal output in a 30 - 60 minute study session. I explained

that by doing more than that each day she could be doing herself a disservice. When your brain is working

at its full potential, it needs rest and relaxation to recover.

Adithi needed every intelligent approach she could get as she only had 7 weeks to train. Before she left I

took her hand and said: “Whatever you do or however you feel in the next 7 weeks, DO NOT give up or

give in. I am getting on that plane in 7 weeks’ time and you’d better be on it with me”. Motivation is fickle and

it fades as quickly as it comes, so I told her to not rely on her feelings but to learn what it means to fight for

something when everything inside is shouting to just throw in the towel. After that meeting she flew back

home and I hardly heard from her over the next 7 weeks.

Adithi did show up and not only did she show up, but she ended up becoming the 3rd best junior competitor

in the world. She was incredibly disciplined and after only 7 weeks of focused, 30 - 60 minute power sessions

daily, she attained her goal.

Here is what Adithi did differently to everyone else:

• She had an idea to compete at the world championships and followed through with the idea by taking

action, picking up the phone and setting up a meeting with me.

• She sacrificed a great deal and invested her money, time and energy into making her dream a reality.

• She risked a great deal as she could have failed in her pursuit.

• She removed emotion from the equation and committed herself to a goal that was worthy of her

effort and attention.

• She decided to listen to and act on the small still voice in her head and heart that said that although

this was a crazy pursuit, she could do it, as opposed to letting the dominant noise of the masses

extinguish her hopes.

Reason and desire + capitalizing on proven tools and techniques that work +

discipline and diligence = extraordinary results.

The 4 Week Implementation Plan in the back of your workbook has been specifically designed to help you

IMPLEMENT what you have learnt from this course. A great deal of effort has been put into this 4-week

plan to help keep you accountable for achieving extraordinary success.

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FINAL NOTE

From the desert to the land of milk and honey

All successful people in history have gone through some form of a ”desert” period in their

lives: a period where they have invested heavily into something for a long time but the fruits of

their labour have been almost nonexistent.

This place can be incredibly overwhelming and exhausting, especially if you are not equipped

with all the weapons necessary to get you through to the Promised Land, the land of milk

and honey.

There is a great deal of truth in the saying ’Hope deferred makes the heart grow sick’

We are going to show you how to fight like a professional so that any obstacles that come

your way can and will be tackled effectively, because you are prepared with weapons and a

way of thinking that is much bigger, better and more advanced than before...ultimately helping

you to reach your end goal.

If you can understand WHY you are doing what you are doing, and then work as SMART as

you can to achieve what you set out to, and do not budge until your dream becomes your

reality, you will become a sought after individual. You will finally move out of the desert and

into the Promised Land. You can only achieve this by applying daily discipline and diligence to

your efforts.

Be inspired...... stay close. Let’s do this!

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The biggest problem with memory and learning, and the solution to this problem

The MAIN PROBLEM and BEST SOLUTION hold the entire course together so make sure you read this

slowly and carefully, as nothing will make sense from here on if you don’t understand this…

The course’s main objective is to show you how to radically enhance your memory, speed of learning and

concentration to a level you never dreamed possible.

THE MAIN PRObLEM

99% of the population have no idea how to move information from their short-term to their long-term

memory. This causes frustration and can quickly and easily cause you to get demotivated.

Here are 2 Powerful Questions to Consider

1) Even though you may have planned to study months in advance for an exam, would you agree that you

do the MAJORITY of your learning within 2 to 3 days prior to each exam?

2) When you are learning 5 pages of your notes, by the time you get to page 3, 4 or 5 is it difficult or almost

impossible to remember what was on pages 1 and 2?

If these 2 questions resonate with you and the way that you learn then we have VERY GOOD NEWS for

you. These problems are going to soon be a thing of the past.

The reason why you do the majority of your work within 2 to 3 days prior to exams is simply because you

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subconsciously know that if you studied the work 2 weeks before the exam, you would have forgotten all

of it by exam time. Your short-term memory can only hold information for a 2-3 day period and struggles

to take in more than 5-9 bits of information or facts at a time while you are studying.

Your work is only staying in your short-term memory and because of this, whenever you learn new

information it overwrites the majority of what you have learnt previously, causing much frustration and

heartache.

This is the reason why during study time it is easy to procrastinate and find more interesting things to do

which will actually satisfy you and make you feel like you are achieving something.

We will show you exactly how you will get huge satisfaction out of your study time because you are going

to be able to learn your work AND remember it for as long as you choose to; the BEST part about this is

that you are also going to be able to achieve this in a fraction of the time it would normally take you.

Please study the SHORT TERM – LONG TERM diagrams below. They summarize all that you are going to

learn on this course and therefore it is essential that you understand it... take your time to let it sink in and

keep this at the forefront of your mind throughout the course.

You will also see how the PowerStudying formula fits in with the way information passes from short-term

to long-term memory.

THE EXACT STEP-bY-STEP PROCESS THAT YOU NEED TO FOLLOW TO MOVE

NEW INFORMATION INTO YOUR LONG TERM MEMORY

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This is a summary of the journey that your memory takes when it moves from short term to long term.

Most importantly, it explains WHY it is essential to understand this, as well as how all the techniques you

will learn on this course ultimately facilitate and enhance this process to make sure that you excel. (Some

of the parts of the brain are covered at the end of this section with a detailed explanation of how you can

maximize each one)

By increasing your DESIRE to succeed in your work and creating a big enough REASON why you want to

do well, you set the stage for achieving excellence in your studies and your life.

1. RAS: Your RAS or ‘filter’ will respond to your desire and new found reason by being alert to

potentially receiving important information and it will act as your side kick in helping you excel by

bringing attention to what YOU have told it is important, relevant and emotionally significant.

2. Hippocampus: Your hippocampus helps CREATE new memories. Every night between 11pm and

3am, it looks at the information you’ve sent to it during the day and how much emphasis YOU have

placed on it. Your hippocampus will transfer information to your long-term memory or frontal lobes:

If there is a big enough reason or motivation to do so. (Reason or Desire) If you have used left and

right brain thinking whilst learning - the main focus of this course is teaching you how, in conjunction

with other essential elements that you need to know. (Tools and Technique) If there is an effective

revision strategy in place. (Discipline and Diligence)

3. Amygdale: Your amygdale is your EMOTIONAL brain and works closely with your hippocampus.

By adding emotion to your work, you convince your hippocampus that the work you are learning is

interesting, engaging and worth keeping. The more emotion you use the better.

4. Left and Right Brain: One of the BIGGEST helpers or ALLIES that your hippocampus has is your

left and right brain. Because of its importance, extra emphasis is placed on this. In a nutshell, you will

experience huge success in your studies when you learn to combine a structured, systematic and

ordered approach - Left brain thinking, WITH the use of your imagination and creativity - Right brain

thinking.

5. Neurological Pathways: When your hippocampus is convinced that the information sent to it is

relevant, meaningful and emotionally significant and has combined both left and right brain thinking, it

will reward your brain by consolidating the information, by physically building neural pathways. This is

a process known as protein synthesis. Revision is essential in developing well defined neural pathways

as the more information travels along a path the bigger the path grows and the easier and quicker

the information can be accessed in the future. (Please refer back to the diagram after watching the

Novelty Video in the Memory Section for a better idea of how to start enhancing this process.)

6. Frontal Lobes: Your frontal lobes contain all your LONG-TERM memories. By thinking over

your work and using past memories, thoughts and experiences, you help your frontal lobes become

engaged with the learning process. Be dedicated to the learning process through the use of left and

right brain thinking, adding emotion, meaning and relevance, as well as being disciplined about revising

and reflecting over your work. Your frontal lobes will reward you by storing what you have learnt into

your long-term memory filing cabinets, ensuring it can easily be retrieved later.

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THE JOURNEY OF A MEMORY

External Input

1. Reticular Activating System (RAS)

2. Hippocampus

3. Amygdale

4. Left & Right brain

5. Neurological Pathways

6. Frontal Lobes - Neocortex

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TEMPORAL LOBE

HYPOTHALAMUS

PINEAL GLAND

2. HIPPOCAMPUS

CORPUS COLLOSUM

1. RETICULAR ACTIVATINGSYSTEM

6.FRONTALLOBES

3. AMYGDALE

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WHOLE bRAIN THINkING You will thrive when you understand this statement

When it comes to using your whole brain effectively, you need to become incredibly STRUCTURED and

ORGANIZED in your approach to any work you study, in a way that best fits with your learning style (see

Learning Styles in your workbook). This coupled with the use of your IMAGINATION as well as CREATIVE

differentiation of the work leads to extraordinary results.

Please note: Even though all the techniques you are going to learn will enhance your ability to be both

STRUCTURED and CREATIVE in your approach - ultimately enabling you to move information from your

short-term to your long-term memory - the MEMORY TECHNIQUES will predominantly help you with

RIGHT BRAIN thinking and the SPEED TECHNIQUES with LEFT BRAIN thinking.

Using both Left and Right brain together is

where you get

bingoThe brain working at its best…

IMAGINATION

ORDER

LOGIC IMAGINATION

CREATIVITYLEFT RIGHT

“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change and the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.” – Peter F Drucker

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THE 10 MOST POWERFUL PARTS OF YOUR bRAIN AND HOW TO MAXIMIzE THEIR FULL POTENTIALThis section has been covered extensively in the Learning Process of the Brain in your workbook. Some of the information has been repeated here to reinforce what you are learning.

1. Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Key Function: This is your personal filtering system based on relevance, importance, personal significance

or even a threat. Any information outside of this will be filtered out, not even registered.

How to Maximize its Potential: At any given time your brain has the potential of picking up or taking in

millions of bits of random information. However, it only has the ability to effectively process around 134

bits of information a second. Because of this, your brain naturally filters out information that YOU regard as

less important or not pertinent. Become more focused, as knowing exactly what you are working towards

enables your RAS to assist you in achieving those goals, highlighting information that you very likely would

otherwise have missed.

Enhance your success by hanging around with and learning from people who are successful. You will start to

think like them if you spend enough time around them. If you are studying a difficult subject, try to tap into

the minds of your tutors and lecturers. The academic system can be cracked if you know what to look for

and who to ask for help. You will save a massive amount of time and energy by knowing where to focus your

time and energy. This can be achieved by asking people who have spent many years studying the system

and who have found ways to master it. Make sure that you couple your hard work with strategic, focused

thinking for extraordinary results.

2. Hippocampus

Key Function: This is like a “mother ship” that helps create all new memories. Depending on the intensity

with which the message was received it will either be held in Short Term Memory for a short period and

then be lost, or the consolidation process will begin to transfer the information to Long Term Memory.

How to Maximize its Potential: Your hippocampus needs to TRUST that the information being processed

by it is true as well as important in order for it to be consolidated into Long Term Memory.

The process of new memory formation is enhanced by 3 key elements:

• Meaning, relevance, emotional significance or even a threat. Having a STRONG desire or reason

for studying and setting specific goals is essential.

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• The use of left and right brain thinking whilst learning.

• Revision- reinforcing information learnt is critical. The more frequently your hippocampus sees

something the better it understands its importance.

3. Amygdale

Key Function: This is your emotional brain which is activated by any new information that has some form of

emotional significance. An activated amygdale has a large input in the consolidation process of information

being transferred into long-term memory storage.

How to Maximize its Potential: The key here is ATTITUDE! If you approach your work without enthusiasm,

your brain will interpret it as being insignificant, your amygdale will not respond and it will not be consolidated

into long-term memory. Your study time will therefore be completely ineffective. The more emotionally

significant you can make your work the better - you may need to work on your creativity or the way you

approach your studying, but the results will prove themselves.

4. Left and Right Brain

Key Function: Using both sides of the brain helps store information into long-term memory, ultimately

bypassing short-term memory. Logic, order, structure, sequence, time, words, analytical thinking and in the

box thinking all constitute typical left brain activity. Creativity, imagination, thinking, feeling, emotions and

daydreaming constitute typical right brain activity.

How to Maximize its Potential: A massive tip when it comes to memory is to be incredibly structured and

organized in your approach to any work that you study. This coupled with the use of your imagination leads

to extraordinary results. While studying, do your best to strategically organize your work in a way that best

fits with your learning style. Then find creative ways of making your work stick out vividly in your mind. Using

novelty and sensory stimulation will engage your right brain effectively.

5. Corpus Callosum

Key Function: The bridge between your left and right brain.

How to Maximize its Potential: Combine left and right brained thinking into all aspects of studying.

6. Hypothalamus

Key Function: Maintaining your body’s status quo. It receives signals from many parts of the body and

responds accordingly. When it comes to learning, the most significant role of the hypothalamus is the

production and release of the hormone dopamine. Dopamine affects our happiness and state of well-being

and one of its main triggers is goal setting with incentives or rewards. It also assists with the consolidation

of memories.

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How to Maximize its Potential: Dopamine (the feel good hormone) is released when there is emotional

significance attached to any of your learning. The amygdale works closely with the hypothalamus. That

is why you may remember the words to a song you heard on the radio long ago, as songs have many

emotions attached to them, but forget your history notes a day after studying it. It is also activated when

goals or incentives are put in place and you know exactly what it is you are working towards. Your brain

loves dopamine, loves the way it makes it feel and craves it. Do your brain a favour by setting goals and

injecting emotions into your learning so it can receive its dopamine fix. Being in alpha state not only disables

your hypothalamus’ ability to set off the fight or flight response but also radically increases your ability to

concentrate and store information into long-term memory.

7. Pineal Gland

Key Function: Releases melatonin when you sleep, which helps you get into deep delta brainwave sleep if

uninterrupted by light. Delta brainwave activity is when all the day’s hardwiring occurs, where your brain

runs through the day’s learning, organizing what stays and what goes. Serotonin (the happy hormone) is

produced through melatonin and is your buffer against depression - it helps you feel positive and energised.

How to Maximize its Potential: Try not to turn the light on during the night if you go to the bathroom, as

light will stop your melatonin release, which then robs you of productive brain hardwiring and depletes your

serotonin. This can have a negative impact on your well-being and studying. Try to keep your sleep cycle as

consistent as possible, getting the recommended hours of sleep a night; for adults this is between 7–9 hours,

especially during studying and writing exams.

8. Neurological Pathways

Key Function: Every time you learn new information, your brain physically changes shape as new neurological

pathways are being built. These pathways are the roads to your brain’s long-term storage areas. They

transport new information for storage as well as information that is being recalled.

How to Maximize its Potential: Building a city takes careful planning and hard work. This also applies

to building the neurological pathways in your brain. Use key summarizing techniques and speed reading

strategies as well as the step-by-step process of learning methodology for maximum results. Remember

your brain builds onto what it already knows so start with key foundations and continue from there.

Consistent, daily discipline and having a big enough reason to know the information you are studying is key.

Revision grows and develops these neurological pathways so your speed of recall is increased.

9. Frontal Lobes

Key Function: Comprises 40% of the brain and is considered the most powerful and underutilized part

of the human brain. The frontal lobes deal with vision, planning, spatial awareness and strategic thinking.

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In 2002, Eleanor McGuire ran an experiment that changed everything regarding what we know about the

brain and what it takes to utilise its full potential. She did a study on the top 10 memory competitors in

the world as well as 10 people randomly taken from the street. She had all of them learn large amounts of

information while recording their brain wave frequencies.

The results proved that the world’s top 10 memory experts did a great deal better than the 10 people

from the street, which as you can imagine was to be expected. But the interesting thing was that the 10

people from the street showed little to no brain wave movement in the frontal lobe region of their brains,

whereas the top 10 memory competitors showed extravagant brain wave frequencies filled with red,

yellow, orange, green... a multitude of colours showed a vast amount of activity, proving that the use of one’s

frontal lobes is pivotal when it comes to developing a near perfect memory.

How to Maximize its Potential: It is a known fact that the people who set goals and have a strategic

plan of where they are headed and how they plan on getting there are a great deal more successful than

people who don’t. The more you think, plan, strategize and create space to visualize the ideal outcome

of a specific goal in your mind, the better. While studying, reflect, consolidate learning and create multiple

dimensions of how the work relates to your world. This is where your long-term memories are stored so every time you use existing thoughts and experiences

in conjunction with the work you need to learn; the more you engage your frontal lobes and start to

increase your overall effectiveness.

When you think over what you have learnt, envision what it would feel like to get 100% for the exam you

are studying for, so that you get ahead of the pack... which is where you belong.

Proactive strategic thinking coupled with daily discipline and action will lead to extraordinary results.

10. Subconscious Brain

Key Function: Your subconscious brain causes your actions to be perfectly aligned with your belief system.

What you believe to be true will set the benchmark for what you are capable of achieving. The constant

messages you tell yourself, regardless of what you hear from others, will develop your belief system, ultimately

defining you as a person.

How to Maximize its Potential: Very few people realize the magnitude behind mastering this part of their

brains. You will never achieve anything significant in your studies or in your life unless you believe in yourself

and your abilities.

Your puppet master will respond to the most dominant voice either from

· You and your experience of the way things are according to you, OR

· From what it sees consistent around it in your environment.

“Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t, you are right!” - Henry Ford

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All your actions reflect your deepest belief in who you are and what you believe you are capable of

achieving. Think of your ideal future and live as though you are walking in this reality already. Create specific,

emotionally vivid affirmations that reinforce your ideal self, and say them throughout each day. This will not

only help keep you focused on what you are working towards but will help you start hard-wiring new

neurological pathways in your brain. By spending time with people who are living the way you wish to live,

you reprogram your puppet master to start living out a more colourful and exciting experience based on

its new reality. You need to choose very carefully who you decide to follow, in terms of both the literature

you read and the people who influence you the most.

bIG NOTE:

All the different parts of the brain can in fact be sabotaged by your subconscious brain if your belief system is not congruent or aligned with what you are trying to achieve. It is therefore of the utmost importance that you get your subconscious brain to work efficiently so that you can achieve your full potential.

Change the way you think and you change your life and the lives of those around you…

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INTRODUCTION

What would your life be like if you could remember work that you studied months

or even years before, with near-perfect recall?

Section 2 will teach you how to become a human library of valuable information.

What some people have been able to achieve after mastering the techniques you are going to learn:

• Dr. Yip from Malaysia memorized the perfect order of the Oxford Dictionary, word for word,

in English and Chinese. He also learnt the French dictionary, the Chinese Constitution, as well as a

book of Bible promises, with perfect recall. 8 years later, this information is still locked into his long-

term memory.

• Ben Pridmore from the United Kingdom learnt a randomly shuffled deck of playing cards in

just 24.9 seconds, and 27 decks of shuffled cards (1404 cards) in 1 hour. His barrier to getting faster is

purely a physical one, as he cannot turn the cards any faster.

• Johannes Mallow from Germany learnt a 405-digit number in just 5 minutes at the 2008

World Memory Champs in the Middle East. Imagine memorizing your friend’s 405-digit telephone

number in 5 minutes and being able to recall it in perfect order, backwards and forwards.

You will learn the exact process of how to store information into your long-term memory to make sure

that the hard work you put in is rewarded handsomely.

For a variety of different examples of how to apply the techniques to your work, refer to Section 5 where

you will find answers to questions you may or may not have thought of, such as how to learn a 100-digit

number, how to learn 100 pages in 1 hour, or mathematics, statistics etc.

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HOW AND WHY YOU REMEMbER: A bRIEF HISTORY

The Romans and Greeks developed systems over 2000 years ago, that enabled them to store and recall

entire books, plays and poems perfectly.

They did not have any of the recording devices we have today and learnt huge amounts of information

verbatim, so that they would be able to pass down this knowledge to following generations.

They believed that life was not worth living unless they could remember the experiences they had, as

well as what they learnt along the way, with detail and accuracy. They even had a God of memory named

“Mnemosyne” - where we get the term mnemonics.

One question asked through the ages was where our physical memory was actually stored. History suggests

that the Greeks believed that memory was stored in the blood.

Aristotle believed that the brain’s main function was to cool the blood. He believed, along with others, that

the larger your brain, the more intelligent you were. The dominant thinking between 200 AD and 1400 AD

was the belief that memory was stored in your ventricles – the liquid filled spaces in your brain.

One of the greatest breakthroughs on the brain was made in the early twentieth century by Spanish

neuroanatomist, Santiago Ramon y Cajal.

Cajal set the course of modern neuroscience and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1906.

In simple terms, he contributed hugely to the way in which we understand the basic organization of the

brain. He helped prove that thinking and learning was in fact a physiological process and that memory

consolidation could be found in the form of neural networks, and that these networks of neural pathways

are actually grown and developed through a process of consolidation during learning. He also proved that

if these pathways are not used, over time they will fade and disappear. Our brains never lose the ability to

develop new neurological pathways, therefore no matter what your age you still have a fully functioning

brain at your disposal.

Taken from my Neuroscience Fourth Edition written by Dale Purves,George Augustine, David Fitzpatrick, William Hall, Anthony-SamuelLaMantia, James McNamara, Leonard White

“No one has ever died from an over

exposure to learning.” – Robert M Hansel

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DID YOU kNOW?

Your brain is made up of a complex system of interrelated neural pathways.

What you will learn in this section about the best memory techniques to use, and when to use them, will

help facilitate the process involved in changing your brain for the better. This will help you create new neural

pathways that you will be able to rely on when recalling information in tests or exams.

One of the key elements that will enhance every single study session and will need to be capitalized on

in using any memory technique is:

NOVELTY ENHANCING AND SENSORY STIMULATION

Your brain will continually move towards those things that are most exciting, relevant, meaningful and

emotionally significant to you. It responds best when learning is done in a novel way. When you use

novelty enhancing and sensory stimulation techniques with your work you get your brain to trust that the

information is real, relevant and important. The greater the degree of novelty and emotion used, the greater

the chance the memory has of reaching and staying in your long-term memory bank.

With all the techniques you are about to learn, let the reins loose on your right brain. Use all the following

novelty enhancing and sensory stimulation techniques to help you be creative and wildly imaginative.

Visualize – picture your work vividly in your mind, add colour, make it way bigger than normal, or

smaller - make it come alive. Picture yourself immersed in the subject, participating in whatever it is you are

learning. For example, if you are learning physics, picture yourself in a lab coat performing experiments as a

world famous scientist. The more extravagant you are the more your brain will engage in the subject. Don’t

be afraid to go beyond what you think is reasonable, as the crazier the image, the more you will

remember it.

Add Sound – if your work could speak, what would it say? If it had a sound, what would it sound like? Change

the way you would say something, or play with accents to make the work come alive. For example, if you

are learning World War 2 history about Hitler, put on a German accent to make the subject feel real, more

emotional. If you find it helpful to listen to music while you study that might also help.

Add Physical Features – make your characters all different to represent different areas of work. Engage with

these characters, teach them, and get them to teach you. What would they sound like, what would they feel

like? Alternatively, if you’re learning biology, turn your diagrams into living organs or organisms to make your

brain believe they are real. If you are studying art, picture the paintings in front of you, engage with famous

artists as if they are real, stand up and look at paintings as if you are in an art gallery or museum.

Taste it – if you could you taste it, what would it taste like? Try tasting a frog, or the brain etc., as this will

make any diagram stand out a lot more, especially if the experience is an unpleasant one.

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Smell it – what would it smell like? Can you smell the gunpowder at the Anglo Boer War or the burning fuel

and thick black smoke after the attack on Pearl Harbour?

Add Humour – make it funny, make it completely abnormal, make it so outrageous the only thing you can

do is laugh. Take a boring section of your work and make it humorous: this might seem impossible at first,

but the more you practice, the easier it will get. This could literally halve the time it would normally take you

to learn a section and through adding humour you are guaranteed to remember it.

Make it Personal – bring in all your emotions. Is it something that could make you cry, make you feel mad,

confused, excited? Over-exaggerate how you feel, think about how the subject could possibly affect you, and

engage in it. Instead of the work being something foreign and distant to you, which might translate as boring

and unimportant, bring the subject home - make it as personal as possible.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE:

Think about a nice big, juicy lemon. Is it bright yellow or green? Is it smooth or a little bumpy? Hold it, feel

it, what does it smell like? Now, without peeling it, take a big bite out of the lemon, right through the skin.

Feel the juice running down your chin, chew on the lemon skin and the soft, juicy flesh inside. What does

it taste like? Lick the lemon juice off your fingers. Maybe it squirts you in the eye - what does that feel like?

Are you salivating, does it feel like you could actually be eating a lemon? The more vividly you pictured the

lemon and eating it, the more your salivary glands would have been activated, as your brain starts to believe

it is actually happening.

All we are doing is taking something relatively boring and using our senses to make it come alive. When

tapping into your creativity use all your senses. The more you make it real, the more your brain will be

interested in retaining it. And difficult as it may seem initially, this can be done in geography, art, law, business

economics, mathematics, accounting, drama etc.

Your brain will move towards those things that are most relevant, meaningful and exciting to you.

One of the biggest challenges you will face is converting your work into your own meaningful adventure.

So keep that in mind all the way through this course and most importantly, when you actually incorporate it

into your studying… make it bigger, smaller, bright, light, touch it, smell it. Does it have sound? Make it crazy,

make it personal, make it wild, add humour. Let your imagination run free!

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DID YOU kNOW?

Every time you learn new information, your brain physically changes shape - strange but true. This results

from new neurological pathways being built. Neurological pathways are literally roads that transport

information around your brain and these roads need to be built if you want to transport information into

your long-term storage and then be able to recall it again. The stronger and more developed you can make

these pathways the more success you will have in quickly retrieving the information.

Novelty, along with other techniques, will help to build these paths to your long-term storage, but if you

don’t think about or revise something for a while, the pathway begins to fade and will eventually be lost:

the information will always remain in your long-term storage but the pathway to retrieve it has been lost.

Therefore, REVISION is essential!

So the more techniques and the more novelty you use, the more pathways you create to store and retrieve

information.

“Imagination grows by experience and contrary

to common belief is more powerful in the mature

than in the young.”

– Paul McCarthy

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DISCOVER THE 9 MOST POWERFUL MEMORY TECHNIQUES AND WHEN TO USE THEM FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS

1. ROMAN ROOMS

Key Description: Isolate selected rooms as storage locations for specific information. You can choose a

number of different objects around a room to hook information onto.

Why this Technique is so Powerful: The Roman Rooms technique enables your brain to build onto what it

already knows in terms of set rooms that you are familiar with.

Key Example: Your own room or rooms in your house. Places that you visit often and are very familiar with.

If you were to close your eyes, you should be able to picture where your door is, your mirror, your bed…

You could even ”cheat” and place key words around an exam room.

How to Gain the Most out of this Technique: Try to build up a set of rooms that you are familiar with to

use to store information onto. There can be Sacred Rooms that hold information that you need to know for

the long term - no other information ever gets stored here. There can be other rooms that you reuse, if you

let the information in that room fade. You will need to be careful doing this as in some cases the information

stored in these rooms can be so embedded that it cannot be over ridden, be aware of this and if it is the

case rather create new rooms.

Best Information to Use this Technique With: It can be used with literally any subject. The more you use it

and the better you get at it, the more you will see the power that lies within this simple process of storing

information. This technique can be tweaked and adapted to suit any learner and can even have many other

memory techniques added. For example, at each location around a room you can place a Key Image that

has a big section of your work attached to it - there could be 12 key images placed around a room to

represent a whole subject with its 12 chapters. For example, your bedroom could be your entire biology

file, or your maritime law textbook.

A doctor we worked with used the rooms in the hospital where he was interning. He chose certain rooms

to represent different chapters of his work and stored all the key information around those rooms. Each

time he entered the rooms it would be a natural revision process for him, seeing all the work he had placed

there strategically.

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2. LINkING TECHNIQUE

Key Description: It is much easier for your brain to remember a connection of facts as opposed to random

bits of information. Linking is when you place facts together to make either a sentence or story connecting

all the information you are required to remember. Make the work as novel as you can or use the option

of placing the work on a Journey or Roman Room. Linking 2 or more ideas together is another powerful

technique you will find useful in your studies.

Why this Technique is so Powerful: You could link key headings, themes, or ideas together. In this way, each

idea prompts your memory of the next one that follows it, helping your brain flow through areas of work

in a logical but creative fashion.

Key Examples: When learning the labels of a diagram you can link all of them to flow from one to the other

so as not to forget any. For example when learning the major law cases filed in 1999, link each case to the

next to ensure you don’t leave any out, as each case will be a prompt for the one linked to it. Make each

point interact with one another.

How to Gain the Most out of this Technique: When it comes to linking your work, each point should relate

or communicate with the next one. Create connections, make sure that your connections make sense and

don’t add confusion. This technique can easily be combined with other memory techniques.

Best Information to use this Technique With: Lists of information or subjects that have a lot of facts or

headings, statements, cases, dates, diagrams etc.

3. JOURNEY

Key Description: It is a known scientific fact that your brain builds on to what it already knows. Creating a

journey in your mind made up of set locations that are in a structured, systematic order gives your brain the

capacity to become like a human computer. It helps bypass short-term memory by creating storage space

which information can be hooked or pegged onto and reflected upon.

Why this Technique is so Powerful: By creating mental pegs or hooks in your mind, you enable your brain to

start working as a mass storage device like a well-organized library of information. This technique has been

around for more than 2000 years and has been tried and tested all around the world. It is used extensively

at the World Memory Championships, and the world records of memorizing 100 decks of cards in perfect

order in 5 hours, along with the memorizing of the Oxford Dictionary were reached using this technique.

Key Example: Use a set of locations on a journey that you are very familiar with like your route to school or

work, around your university or school, around your house, your local mall. It is important to use journeys

you are familiar with, routes that you see every day.

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How to Gain the Most out of this Technique: It is physically impossible to store ALL your work onto

journeys or locations. Combining the speed of learning techniques with the Journey technique will help you

reap the maximum rewards. You will need to effectively summarize your work before being able to store it

onto a journey. Only store the key points onto the journey and add the details after this has been done. As

you follow through your journey, key points at each location will be vivid and all the smaller detail will then

almost naturally flow from this.

The biggest tip is to PRACTICE implementing the technique into your work. You will get better and faster

with practice. Have at least 10 journeys with 20 set locations. You can create Sacred Journeys for information

you wish to keep for extended periods such as 6 months to a year. Do not try to put new information on

these Sacred Journeys as this could lead to confusion in a test or exam situation.

Having said that, you can definitely re-use journeys, especially when you do not need to keep the information

learnt for a long period. Try to leave them vacant for about at least 2 weeks before using them again to allow

previous information to fade away, as in some cases information you have placed on a journey can be so

embedded it might not over-write easily.

Best Information to Use this Technique With: Huge amounts of theory. Core foundational work that helps

you keep track of what you’ve learnt in a certain section of work. With practice, this technique can literally

be applied to any learning.

Don’t forget: If you use this technique to store formulas for subjects such as mathematics, accounting,

statistics etc. make sure that at least 85-90% of your time is focused on practicing examples as opposed

to relying on your ability to recall key formulas. Practice helps streamline both memory and understanding.

4. ACRONYMS AND MNEMONICS

Key Description: Making a sentence or words out of the first letters of the information you wish to learn.

Why this Technique is so Powerful: It helps reduce the information by breaking it down to only the one

word or phrase. This word or sentence would then become the key trigger word to which all the detailed

information would be attached. Using words you already know helps draw from your long-term memory.

It can be humorous and fun - often acronyms that are quirky and linked to the subject are most powerful. It

is easier to remember a story rather than facts, but acronyms allow for a personal or humorous encounter

that makes studying real and effective.

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Key Examples: Many very eager monkeys jump suddenly under nine planets

Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto

Never eat silk worms

North East South West

OR

Naughty elephants spray water

Rudy has a real life concentration problem he never finds studying serious

RAS, Hippocampus, Amygdale, Right Brain, Left Brain, Corpus Callosum, Pineal Gland,

Hypothalamus, Neurological Pathways, Frontal Lobes, Subconscious Brain, Stress

How to Gain the Most out of this Technique: If this is something you find easy and enjoyable then go wild

with your imagination in figuring out acronyms that work well. Initially it might seem difficult but as you start

engaging your right brain it will get easier and easier, and once you have an acronym for a section of your

work you will remember it, in some cases for a lifetime. It is a very powerful technique as it forces you to

think strategically around the work and use as much creativity as possible, both of which lock information

into long-term memory.

Best Information to Use this Technique With: Lists of information are easier to start with, but most subjects

once summarized can form a list, so this technique can be used frequently. It can be used for diagrams and

tables and is also effective in subjects like geography when learning countries or provinces and their

capital cities.

It translates to using what works best for you - if you feel it is taking too much time, that would be counter-

productive so rather move on to something that works better for you

5. RHYTHM AND RHYME

Key Description: Songs have the ability to tap into your emotions; and with your amygdale being aroused,

it is understandable that your brain will remember what it has just heard. Songs evoke emotions and by

making random facts into the lyrics of a ballad, it becomes relevant and memorable. Putting a rhythm or

song to your work has incredible results.

Why this Technique is so Powerful: Isn’t it amazing how your brain can recognize a song from hearing just

the first 2 chords? And even more incredible, think of how much information you have effortlessly stored

whilst remembering lyrics to your favorite tracks! A lot of the time you will not only remember the song,

but where you were when you first heard it, or the time of your life it represents. Hearing it again can stir up

emotions, instantly triggering memories. So if you’re musically inclined why not study in the way your brain

is wired and turn your biology notes into a ballad?

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Key Examples: You can have an acronym or linked your work, or information placed on a journey- - adding

a beat to it makes the work come even more alive. An exciting thing is that you can teach others your song

and share in the success of remembering it for the long term. It will most certainly put a smile on your face

as you ”rock out to the red blood cell multiplication process”, instead of just trying to learn it parrot fashion.

How to Gain the Most out of this Technique: Creating a rhyme or putting some rhythm to your work

makes the subject more interesting, emotionally significant and fun. The learning process will be a whole lot

more enjoyable and the best part about it is that it will be locked into your long-term memory. For some

this technique will be difficult, but putting a beat to something or changing the way you read or explain

something, like putting on an accent or a little skip and a jump, all play a big part in arousing your brain and

this results in the information sticking. The trick is to put the lyrics to a beat and then sing it over and over

again. Don’t spend too much time focusing on making the words rhyme, rather get the information down

and start singing.

Best Information to Use this Technique With: Any subject can benefit from this technique; it all depends

on your ability to make it sing. Subjects like mathematics may prove harder to apply but most information

can be sung about.

6. STORY TELLING

Key Description: Creating stories within your subjects naturally engages your emotions. It makes the work

come alive and therefore a lot easier to remember.

Why this Technique is so Powerful: Immerse yourself in any area of your work, touch it, smell it, hear it,

communicate with it. If done properly, your brain will believe it has happened and will store it as an episode

of your life that can be easily recalled. Create stories that are relevant to you. Go back to the day when you

had your first kiss, or when you bunked school and went for lunch only to find your teachers sitting at a

table nearby and got caught out. Place information around various settings and it will be difficult to forget.

Key Examples: If you are studying law and are trying to get through some of the significant cases throughout

history, be the lawyer. Picture yourself standing in the court room, talk to the jury, look in the face of the

accused, see the family in the benches, feel their emotions, shout if you need to, get angry, cry, do whatever

you need to do to make it real. Your brain will hold onto these not just as important facts but rather as an

event that occurred in your life.

How to Gain the Most out of this Technique: Approach your work with the right attitude as this will

enhance your ability to remember. Don’t see the subject as something boring or overwhelming that you

just have to tackle, but rather see it as interesting, a story in the pages of history, even if it is something like

the life cycle of an earth worm. Be the worm and tell your life story. Facts and figures will be forgotten but

stories will always survive.

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Best Information to Use this Technique With: Any subject that has a lot of information to get through

(which means most subjects) - history, art, law, MBAs, marketing, etc. Depending on your willingness to see

a story in everything you look at; this technique can be used in most areas of studying.

7. kEY IMAGE

Key Description: Use a Key Image that you are familiar with as a hook to store information onto. You can

either use one image to store information around or use selective images for different types of facts.

Why this Technique is so Powerful: Closely connected with the Journey and Roman Rooms techniques,

Key Images allows you to use a familiar image to store a large amount of information onto. One image may

represent a whole chapter or section of work, radically decreasing the amount of information you would

have had to try to learn. Images force you to start thinking creatively; they engage your right brain and a lot

of imagination can be used in bringing the image to life. Placing all the relevant information on that image in

a structured way brings order and is therefore making use of your left brain. Using the Key Image technique

makes use of both right and left brain and your ability to remember is impacted hugely. You will be surprised

at the amount of information that will flow from an image, triggered by all the relevant information attached

to it. In an exam situation all you need to do is see the image in your mind’s eye and the answers will just

flow from it.

Key Examples: A ship for maritime studies, or a cat for mammal respiration or an office block for business

studies etc. Always try to use an image that represents, or has some sort of connection to the subject, as it

will make placing the relevant information onto it easier.

How to gain the Most out of this Technique: Initially you might find it hard to think of images to use, as it

may not come naturally to you. Spend a bit of time before studying a certain section of work, thinking of

an appropriate image. The more you practice this, the more you will have the ability to naturally and quickly

think of suitable images and how to place the information you are learning around and in the image. It really

helps to use images that relate to the subject.

Best Information to Use this Technique With: Subjects with many facts or that require specific learning like

biology, history, geography, business studies, life orientation, science, etc. generally work well with the Key

Image technique.

8. CHUNkING

Key Description: Chunking is a very powerful method of separating your work into meaningful groups or

chunks.

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Why this Technique is so Powerful: The worst thing for your brain to see is a paragraph of just words. It

goes straight to sleep because there is absolutely nothing to work with, no pillars, and no foundations to

build on. By Chunking information, you can create categories that your brain can build onto strategically. It

also gives your brain something to work with and helps stimulate both sides of your brain. Logic, order and

structure are created. Your imagination is also engaged to help ensure that the information sticks. Your short-

term memory can hold only between 5 and 9 bits of information on a good day. Therefore, by strategically

organizing your work into separate categories, you radically increase your ability to recall what you have

learnt.

Key Examples: Your geography notes could be chunked into land, sea and sky. Your art file could be

chunked into genres, artists, or galleries etc.

How to Gain the Most out of this Technique: Work through your study notes in a structured, systematic

fashion. (See Speed Learning for more details) Then separate your work into its specific sections, break

it up so that you can clearly see where each section starts and finishes to avoid mixing up the different

areas. Cut out all unnecessary information so you can see at a glance what has to be learnt, without being

overwhelmed by volumes of writing. This will only need to be done once, in the initial learning phase, as all

revision thereafter will take place directly from your chunked summaries.

Best Information to Use this Technique With: All the subjects you study.

9. QUESTION

”The important thing is not to stop questioning!” - Albert Einstein

Key Description: Asking questions around your work prompts you to look for answers.

Why this Technique is so Powerful: It encourages you to tackle your work and look for understanding.

When a question is asked your brain naturally wants to find an answer, so it will help you dig deeper, possibly

seeing things you previously did not notice or understand. It will also prepare you for exam settings where

you are forced to answer questions.

Key Examples: When reading through your work, continually ask yourself

1. Why

2. What

3. How

4. When

5. Where

This will train your eyes to see more than just the plain text in front of you. There are certain questions that

you need to be asking to give yourself the mindset of the examiner.

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How to Gain the Most out of this Technique: Use it continually during the studying process, as in every

section of work you get through you should have asked yourself numerous questions. This helps keep your

focus and forces you to move on to the next point, driving you for answers, or to look between the lines.

It will also make certain points stand out that otherwise might have gone unnoticed. It should be a natural

part of your daily existence to question things all around you. As humans we are always looking for answers,

whether from the universe, history, or the future. Develop this natural ability in your studying.

Best Information to Use this Technique With: All subjects should be learnt through a process of questioning.

It will give you insight into possible questions that will come up, as when an exam is set the examiner reads

the work and asks questions for you to answer.

CONCLUSION TO MEMORY

You will begin to experience an incredible breakthrough when you combine the thinking you have learnt

with not just one, but many of the memory techniques, in conjunction with the speed learning techniques.

To become familiar with these 9 very powerful memory techniques you will need to make a concerted

effort to wrestle with each one to see which suits you, as well as what works best with each of your subjects.

Learning anything new takes time and some effort, rather like riding a bike. You will more than likely crash

the first few times but if you stay committed, before you know it you will be riding effortlessly. You need to

train your brain to start thinking differently but as you have been studying in a certain way for so long the

thought of change will stir up some resistance. You may automatically start to revert to your old ways of

studying, but remember:

”A true sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result!”

- Einstein

Don’t become insane. In other words don’t keep studying in the same way, especially if it doesn’t work.

Don’t have insane expectations. Push through, injecting creativity, novelty and use memory techniques while

studying. It will soon become a natural process, and once you get there, the results will speak for themselves.

“Genius is the ability to put into effect what’s on your mind” - Einstein

“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one” – Malcom Forbes

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INTRODUCTION

What is the best way to radically increase the speed at which you learn?

Understand that your brain can only build on to what it already knows and then capitalize on this by using

effective summarizing techniques to enable it to work systematically and effectively.

Having a consistent pattern of thought or a summary that your brain can build onto is essential when it

comes to speed learning. Traditional learning suggests that you should take your time to build your summary

and once you have done this, only THEN you may attempt to learn it... NOT SO!

Even though you will be summarizing your work, Section 3 will show you how to eliminate the middleman

by summarizing AND learning your work at the same time. When you know how to do this, you will

automatically halve your study time.

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Thebestplacetostartistounderstandwhattheproblemactuallyisandthenfigure

out the best solution to that problem.

THE bIGGEST PRObLEM

The biggest problem that the majority of students have when it comes to speed is simply that they do

not have any idea of where to start. So what do they do? They start by reading each and every page. This

approach is arguably the worst strategy that anyone could implement because each time a new page is

read, all that generally happens is that previously read pages are overwritten. This is commonly known as

rote learning.

Not only is this method very ineffective, but it is also incredibly time consuming. This is the cause of much

frustration and long study hours that produce little to no fruit.

Avoid this like the plague. There are faster and more intelligent ways of learning information and this section

is designed to teach them.

THE bEST SOLUTION

You need to see this in the same way as building a house. Would you go and buy a rug for the living room

if that particular room did not even exist yet? Probably not.

Your brain can only build on to what it already has or knows and because of this you need to start by

first building solid foundations.

BIG TIP: You need to build foundations at the start of every study session and systematically build on to that, little by little, step by step.

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HOW TO GET 80% OF THE WORk DONE WITH 20% OF THE EFFORT

How to Triple Your Speed of Learning

There are 2 key concepts that govern this section and these should be used in conjunction with the

Lightning Speed Learning Process, as well as the summarizing techniques. This will enable you to achieve

great results in a fraction of the time you would normally have spent.

CONCEPT 1

THE PARETO PRINCIPLE

Vilfredo Pareto, a well-known yet controversial economist who lived from 1848-1923, provided the world

with a grossly uneven yet rather predictable distribution of wealth in society. He said that 80% of all the

money in the world was produced and owned by 20% of the people and showed how this principle also

applied to almost everything outside of economics.

This principle is also referred to as ’Pareto’s Law’ or ’Pareto’s Distribution’

The Pareto Principle can be summarized as: 80% of the outputs result from 20% of the input.

THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OF SAYING THIS:

80% of the results are caused by 20% of the time invested

80% of a company’s profits come from 20% of the clients

80% of a person’s productivity comes from 20% of their efforts

This may seem like a very unrealistic measuring approach, yet this 80/20 rule is actually a conservative

approach. This distribution can easily move to 90/10% or even 95/5%.

The key learning here is to realize and understand that time is limited and that in most cases 80% of your

results in any subject will come from knowing the top 20% of the information.

This in NO way implies that anyone should spot learn for an exam but rather that you should be very

selective as to what you decide to learn first and then how you build on to that information.

NOT everything is important. But it is essential for you to learn how to strategically pick out the most

important information that you will use to act as pillars to store more detailed information onto.

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CONCEPT 2

PARkINSON’S LAW“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” - Cyril Parkinson

THE SIMPLE BUILDING PROCESS

As in our earlier example, if you were building a house you wouldn’t arrive at your plot of land with the

door handles and wonder where they go. Maybe, but you won’t get far if you hold onto that way of thinking.

Remember your brain can only build onto what it already has or knows so you need to build foundations

at the start of every study session.

By building the foundational pathways first, followed by all the smaller details, your brain knows exactly

where to transport the information and creates little subsidiary paths in a logical format. It really is so super

simple - understand how your brain builds up information and capitalize on it.

TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW THE NEURAL PATHWAYS SPLIT HERE IS A LITTLE STORY:

When you were little, a dog walked into your house and you asked your mom, “What’s that?”

Your mom explained that it was a dog, ”The furry four legged thing is a dog” and so you learnt. A few days later a cat walked into the house and you very proudly announced, ”Look mom, a dog”.

This is when your mom said ”No my little treasure, that is a cat”. Now you are confused, ”But you said the four legged furry thing is a dog”…

Your mom being kind and patient goes on to explain, ”Yes but look, there are differences. The cat has a

smaller head, is thinner, and has pointed ears. Can you see the difference?”

Which of course you can and you learn... Your neural pathways split - from animal, to cat, and dog.

Then a few days later a dog walks in and you tell your mom ”Look I see a dog”.

This is when your mom says ”Yes that is a dog, but it is a poodle”. What the….. ”Oh yes there are many types of dogs and cats” and she explains some of the

differences etc. What happens to your pathways? Yes, once again your pathways split. It is the same when you learn new information - you need to learn that there are animals – foundation,

first branch that there are different groups of animals, smaller branches that there are different types within

those groups…

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Getting into the right frame of mind can help you retain up to 30% more in every study

session, therefore a bit of mental preparation is a very good idea.

MENTAL PREPARATION: ALPHA STATE

At the World Memory Championships we always have a 1-minute mental preparation before we begin

to memorize any work. The reason we do this is to push aside all distractions to help get our brains

focused. Closing your eyes and breathing is one way of getting focused, or for others it’s thinking of what

could distract them and taking note of putting it away for this time. Whatever works for you, make time

for this mental preparation as it can help you improve up to 30% more in your ability to absorb and recall

information. We all also use sound reduction headsets to help block out sound - it is a great tool that helps

a lot with distractions. It also helps get you into the frame of mind to study and concentrate.

HERE’S A SIMPLE MENTAL PREPARATION PROCESS THAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOU GET

INTO THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND:

Close your eyes, take a deep breath and relax. Put aside anything that might be on your mind for now -

you can come back to it later. Focus all your attention, all your energy into the next 40 minutes. You are

going to enjoy the learning. It’s going to feel so real that you will actually feel like you are there. Picture

how good you will feel after the study session when you realize you know everything you just learnt. Just

focus on breathing and relaxing for a few minutes.

Then think of the colour red as vividly as you can - if you can’t see the colour red, picture a bright red

apple... now the colour orange.. now yellow - a bright sun... now green - a huge green field with freshly

cut grass.... blue - blue sky.... purple - purple flower..... violet - a lighter shade of purple..... all your energy,

all your focus… when you are ready, your study session starts... NOW.

This is an example of what you can do to relax your mind and fuel your imagination. Create a mental

preparation that works for you and do it before every study session and exam.

“Learn to do common things uncommonly well,

this will command the attention of the world”

– George Washington Carver

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THE 4 STEP SPEED LEARNING PROCESS

1. THE FOUNDATION METHOD

This is also known as the power scan.

The purpose of this short, intense study session is to look for and draw out key headings, sub headings,

summaries and conclusions.

This is the laying of the foundations for the house that will be built! These foundations need to be solid

otherwise the house will not stand - in other words the information will not stick.

Decide on a realistic, yet challenging amount of information to study and set yourself 20 minutes to get

through it - 17 minutes study + 3 minutes revision. You need to be very strict with your time here to avoid

returning to your old time-consuming ways of studying.

The more you practice this, the better and faster you will become. The aim is to get a solid overview of

what the section of work is about and to think of strategic ways to best tackle it.

You must focus on only drawing out a maximum of 2-3 points per page. This will vary with different

subjects, but do 2 -3 key ideas per page or theme to start, as you will build on to this later.

Do your best to get through our work at least 2–3 times. What this means is that in the 17 minutes

allocated you need to go back and revise what you have been learning at least 2–3 times. Never just sit

and learn from start to finish without taking the time to go back and recap. After every 3 pages go back

and revise what you have just drawn out. Then when time is up, you will easily be able to recall everything

as you have seen it numerous times.

The aim is to also cut out the middleman by actually learning the work at the same time as summarizing it.

Once you have drawn out the 2-3 key points per page and formed the foundation of your summary then

use the memory systems and strategies that you have learnt to help you remember the work. When you

start to revise, add novelty and sensory stimulation techniques.

Do not go into too much depth. Try to pick out and remember the key information and only once you

know this, move on to smaller details under each section.

The focus here is to build a solid foundation/framework that you will continue to use in the next session.

If at the end of the 20 minutes you find that you cannot recall much, it will be because you tried to draw

out too much information in this initial learning phase.

Stick to just the 2-3 points under each heading you listed at this stage, as anything more is too much.

Keep in mind that you are building the main neurological pathways; do not allow for ”tributaries” at this

stage of your learning.

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2. THE DETAIL METHOD (20 – 25 Minutes Study Time)

Once you have a good understanding and framework of the section you are studying you can start to add

smaller detail.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO

a) Reinforce what you learnt during the Foundation method and

b) Build onto this framework by adding the next most important information.

This is where you will add the tributaries, or branches leading off from the main neurological pathways. In

other words, you will start to build the walls of your house, adding some of the finishing features.

Once again, try to get through your work at least 2–3 times.

By the end of the session, you should have seen your work between 4–6 times.

Do not try to add too much information at this stage, rather build slower but solidly.

Focus on trying to pick out the next most crucial bits of information.

3. THE REFINER METHOD

We strongly advise you to use both the Foundation and Detail methods during the early stages of learning

for tests and exams as well as for note taking in class.

Try to use the first 2 methods to give yourself 70 – 80% retention of work.

Once you have done this, make sure you revise effectively in order to help ensure the information you have

learnt remains in your long-term memory.

The Refiner Method can be used closer to major tests and examinations to deepen your subject knowledge.

It is vitally important that you build onto previous learning instead of having to recreate the wheel each time

you learn. If you did, it would be a complete waste of your time.

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4. THE CONSOLIDATION METHOD

After each session, it is essential that you try to recall everything you have just studied.

Why is this so important to do?

Do not forget that every time you learn, your brain changes shape physically. If you cannot recall your work

after studying, you don’t know it and have wasted your time.

Give yourself time to think of all the work you have learnt - chew on it and allow it time to digest.

Have pen and paper ready. If you come to certain areas of information that you cannot remember, this is

perfectly fine, remember the more mistakes you make in practice the better, as long as you learn from them.

THERE ARE 3 kEY STEPS TO THE CONSOLIDATION PROCESS

1. Short term consolidation: within 1–7 days after studying information

2. Long term consolidation: 1 week+ after studying the information

3. Rest/sleep: allow yourself consistently good sleep for the neural pathways to process the new

information learnt. This is covered in more depth in the Turning Pro section of the manual.

REVISION

Picture yourself spinning plates - you start by spinning one plate and move down the line of plates, spinning

each one in turn. Eventually the first plate starts to lose momentum and will fall unless you go back and give

it another spin; you need to keep doing this in order to ensure you don’t drop any of the plates throughout

the performance. Keep this in mind during each study session and apply the same principle.

THE MOST EFFECTIVE REVISION STRATEGIES

THE PURPOSE OF REVISION

1. To check your understanding of the subject.

2. To make links between different topics to see how the whole subject fits together.

3. To remind yourself of material you might have forgotten.

4. To commit what you have learnt and understood to memory.

5. To identify areas that you might still be weak at.

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6. To practice planning and writing answers to questions.

When revising it is better to go over all the material quite quickly several times rather than spending a long

time on each single section. This will build and strengthen your neurological pathways as the more times you

see the work the more developed the pathway becomes and the quicker your recall.

Revision does not have to be a full study session in itself. It could be a process of

thinking over the work you have studied. It should be done often and quickly; in most

casesjustgoingovertheworkinyourheadissufficient.

If you get stuck on one point or topic, it is advisable to look further into the area you are having a hard

time with. By doing this you will be reinforcing your knowledge and what you forgot will probably then stay

longest, as there was energy used in figuring out the problem.

It is a good idea to create a revision timetable to keep you on track and to ensure you are revising often.

It does not have to be an elaborate timetable; just something to prompt your memory of what subjects

you have studied and when it would be best to revise these subjects. Also, write your exam dates on the

timetable to keep you focused on the end goal.

THE MOST EFFECTIVE REVISION TIMETABLE

1 hour after studying1 day1 week1 month

As simple as that!

For example: If you studied 20 pages of science in a 40 minute study session there should be an immediate

revision time to check that you effectively memorized the work. This should not take you more than 10

minutes.

Then an hour later you should go over the work again, recalling it either by rewriting your basic summary

or by just simply going over it in your head. Once again, this should not take you more than 10 minutes.

The next day you should go over the work again - it does not have to be in a study environment or a part

of your set study time. It could be while you are in the shower or on the ride to school; it’s a process of

going over in your head the work studied the previous day. How effectively you studied the work will be

demonstrated in how quickly and accurately you can recall it. Every time you think through the work again,

you are reinforcing the information into your long-term memory. You are sending a message to your brain

that the information previously learnt is important and must be held onto.

This should ideally be done again within a week and by this stage, it should not take you more than 5

minutes to recall the work. If there is anything you are battling to recall, go and look it up; this will help

reinforce the information further.

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THE bEST APPROACH

It is a very good idea to learn all the foundational and some detailed work ahead of time. Work through

the revision strategy mentioned above and then closer to the exam add the finer details to your already

very solid foundations. One of the best things you can do to fully prepare for exams is to work through

past exam papers, under exam settings, in your revision process. This will give you clues and guidance as

to what the exam could hold, what sort of questions could come up that you may not have prepared for,

and is a great way to see just how much you actually know. Students who follow this plan of action always

enter exams fully prepared and confident.

“Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration & inspiration” – Evan Esar

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TRADITIONAL

7 POTENT SUMMARISING TECHNIQUES REVEALED

A good rule of thumb that will keep you focused on the main thing is - in order for your study session

to be productive, you should break down your time as follows:

· 30% Left brain thinking - logic, order, structure, etc.

· 30% Right brain thinking - creativity, imagination, pictures, etc.

· 40% focusing on your ability to recall what you have learnt

BIG NOTE: The key with these techniques is to initially move fast. Do not spend time making your summary look incredible - it doesn’t matter what it looks like. Rather spend your time revising and thinking of clever ways to help differentiate various sections of work from each other. Remember that at the end of each study session you need to know what you have studied.

1. THE TRADITIONAL METHOD

The Traditional mind concept is referred to by many names such as concept mapping, spider diagrams, etc. It can be used as a very powerful tool for organizing information and actually dates back to as early as 550 AD.

BIG NOTE: The majority of people use this method but it can become very time consuming if you focus your energy in the wrong place. You need to understand the original purpose of why the Greeks relied so heavily on this method. It definitely was NOT to give them more to do, but simply to help them gain a structured and systematic way of organizing and understanding the information they wanted to learn.

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DYNAMIC

LINEAR

Your focus should NOT be on the method itself, but rather on what it helps you to achieve. Move quickly

and try finding clever ways to abbreviate key bits of information.

2. THE DYNAMIC METHOD

Similar to the traditional mind method, but here you have a lot more room to be creative. You could use

multiple sheets of paper, representing different sections of work.

3. THE LINEAR METHOD

If you are more structured by nature you might enjoy this method of breaking down your work. Instead

of making your notes landscape style (across the page) you may prefer to write down the page. The

advantage of this method is that you can easily and systematically represent your work in a way that is

easy to understand, but do your best to differentiate one section of work from another. Make sure your

summaries reflect a healthy balance of both left and right brained thinking.

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TREE

kEY IMAGEELBOW

FOOT

HEART

4. THE TREE METHOD

The Tree method is a representation of what your neural pathways look like. You can create one main

image on a page, or multiple images. Use more than one sheet of paper if you need to.

5. THE kEY IMAGE METHOD

This is the same method described in the section on memory. It can either be used as a summarizing

technique to store all the information onto for a given section or chapter of work OR it can be used

in conjunction with the other methods. Small key images can be used within the traditional/dynamic

methods to store smaller bits of information onto. Either way, it is much easier to recall one key image

than it is to try to recall a number of unrelated bits of information.

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6. THE COMBINATION METHOD

This method is taken directly from the Chunking memory technique and basically uses the same thinking as

that of the ”post its” example that you have learnt about. It is a process of separating your work into chunks

or categories so that at a glance, you can see where one section of work ends and a new one begins. This

gives you a great deal more flexibility than the other techniques, while at the same time enabling you to

keep a very structured approach to your work.

7. THE NO WRITING OR ”INVISIBLE” METHOD (COVERED IN GREATER DETAIL IN THE QUESTION AND ANSWER SECTION)

This method can be extremely powerful once you have practiced and mastered the techniques. You can

apply it in a couple of different ways.

1. Building onto key summaries without necessarily writing anything. Simply add detail to core

information without spending a great deal of time writing it all down.

2. Have journeys and locations in place and ready to first store headings, then sub headings, summaries

and conclusions onto your locations and once you’ve done this, move on to smaller detail. Note:

the methods will take practice to master yet will teach you a way of thinking that is at the heart of

accelerated learning. Once you become very familiar with the techniques, after applying them to your

work, they will become second nature. So instead of having to write summaries of all your work, you

may start to find sections of work that you can naturally break down in your head in a logical and

creative way and store these onto journeys straight away.

We highly recommend that you use this technique to save you the time of writing everything out. You

simply do not have the time, and even if you did, it would not be the best use of your time. A general

rule of thumb: build all your summaries with a well-oiled revision strategy in place, at least a week before

each exam. Try to implement the Foundation and Detail Methods in advance enabling at least a 70–80%

recall of your work. The Invisible Method will be a very powerful tool to help you refine and perfect your

understanding of your work. Combine this method with Speed Reading strategies.

COMbINATION

“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out” – Robert Collier

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THE MOST POWERFUL READING STRATEGIES

DISCOVER THE PURPOSE OF YOUR READING

Do you want to know one of the biggest mistakes most students make when it comes to reading?

Answer: Believing that everything they need to read is equally important. You will be a lot more strategic in

your approach by being aware of the REASON behind the reading.

Are you reading for leisure? For an assignment? For an exam? For research?

The purpose of your reading will determine the way in which you approach it.

kNOW HOW CONCENTRATED YOUR READING NEEDS TO bE AND HOW MUCH YOU NEED TO kNOW

The wonderful thing about the academic system is this: it is a system. Think about it. Systems can be cracked.

Most academic institutions will say that their main purpose is to teach students to think for themselves.

While this is a wonderful ideal, the truth of the matter is that every year millions of students HAVE to get

through the same system and therefore if you know what to do and what to look for, then you start to enter

the world of working smart instead of hard.

In short, here is what you need to do. Find out who is in charge of marking any test or assignment that you

have. Ask them what THEY think are the most important areas to focus on. However, before you approach

them it would be a good idea to have some idea of the material so your teacher or tutor will see that you

have already put in some work and therefore will more likely be willing to help you. The true value in this

is that they will have in-depth insight into all of the most important information. This will save you HUGE

amounts of time and effort and assist you to become strategic in your approach towards your reading.

DEVELOP AN ACTIVE READING MENTALITY

Have a pencil or a few highlighters ready to help you tackle your work most effectively. Use the summarizing

techniques to help you organize the information in a way that best suits the way your brain wants to process

information.

You may feel uncomfortable about writing in your books - many people believe that you should never write

inside a book. You may think that you might not be able to sell the book at the end of the year because of

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what you have written in it. Question: is it cheaper for you NOT to write in the book, or is it cheaper to

re-do the entire course because you were too scared of messing up your book? It’s also a good idea to

make notes at the side of each page of your thoughts on the information you’ve just read.

Important Advice: Do whatever you need to do to add as much productive study time to your schedule

as possible so you know and understand your work. True learning is both memory and understanding so

ensure that your active reading mentality facilitates these.

CREATE A GLOSSARY OF kEY TRIGGER WORDS

A brilliant idea is to build up a glossary of important terms, concepts and phrases that you will need to refer

to in the future and reinforce.

You could also do this with mistakes you’ve made regarding any of your learning. You will undoubtedly make

mistakes with either trying to recall theoretical work or with more practical and application-intensive work

such as mathematics, science, accounting, etc. and will be a lot more effective if you learn from all your

errors, keeping a note of them.

CREATE YOUR OWN SUMMARIzED TAbLE OF CONTENTS

Much of the work you will have to study will contain no structure and order. As you have learnt, it is virtually

impossible for you to commit any information into long-term storage unless both your left and right brain

is actively involved in the process. You will greatly increase your ability to retain information by creating your

own table of contents when necessary. Do not spend excessive amounts of time doing this, but use this

exercise to help you gain clarity on the most important information.

SQ3R: SURVEY, QUESTION, READ, RECITE, REVIEW

This method created by Francis Robinson in 1961, helps bring a systematic approach to your reading.

SURVEY: Before starting to read, it is a good idea to survey the chapter for all-important pillars of

information. This would be equivalent to a Power Scan or the Foundational Method.

QUESTION: Try to convert the information you have scanned into questions to spark a train of

thought surrounding it. This is the same as the Questions Technique previously learnt. If you ask yourself a

question your brain will try to find the answer. It provides focus. You could also ask what your teacher or

lecturer said about this information. If you could meet the author of the text you are reading, what would

he/she say about it?

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READ: Do your best to look for answers to the questions you raised. Increase your speed when you

are scanning through information and slow down when you are trying to understand certain concepts or a

difficult section. Stop and reread information that is not clear. You may try to read a few sections at a time

but remember to revise and recap as you go along. As you read, engage your senses as much as possible.

Also make sure your desire or reason for studying is crystal clear in your mind.

RECITE: Engage your unique learning style when it comes to reciting and trying to recall your work.

REVIEW: Reviewing is an ongoing process. Remember that reviewing after the first day of learning

any information is the most crucial. If you haven’t revised your work within a day, all your effort put into the

study process could be wasted, so don’t risk it.

THE k.W.L. READING METHOD

This relatively well known reading method can also be used as a very effective revision strategy. As you

know, your brain builds onto what it already knows. This can be a very powerful tool as it helps you not only

keep each study session focused, but it also allows you to keep getting better and better by quantifying your

progress. You start by asking yourself the question…

“What do I know already?”

After this, you ask yourself…

“What do I want to know or learn during this study session?”

And then afterwards...

“What did I learn during the study session?”

This helps you to reflect on, and connect old and new information.

You may wish to create a chart similar to this:

What do I already know?

What do I want to know?

What did I learn?

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THE MOST POWERFUL SPEED READING STRATEGIESBig Tip: Know what to look for

This is closely connected to using effective reading strategies and knowing what specific information to look

for. You can radically increase the speed at which you read by having some form of understanding of the

work in the first place. We strongly encourage you to combine your effective reading and speed reading

strategies with effective note taking in class, together with summarizing techniques.

INCREASE THE NUMbER OF WORDS IN EACH bLOCk

Get into the habit of not reading every single word. You will definitely need to read every word with certain

sections of work such as technically challenging information, but don’t make this your most common reading

strategy. As you read, try to group words together as your eyes move past them.

REDUCE THE TIME SPENT IN EACH bLOCk

As you read, do your best to move through your work at a consistent pace. A general rule of thumb is: move

faster than what you feel is comfortable, yet slow enough for you to process and come to terms with the

information.

REDUCE SkIP-bACk - TRAIN YOURSELF TO AVOID bACk-TRACkING

You may be very tempted to keep going back in case you might have skipped certain words. Do your best

to reduce time spent skipping back. Obviously, with more technically challenging information, you may have

to go back to certain concepts to help clarify and deepen your understanding.

USE A POINTERUse either your finger or a pen to help you move faster.

USE HOOkS OR GUIDING POINTS

You may find it helpful to use bold or italics to accentuate words as hooks or guiding points to help focus

your reading as well as increase and enhance your memory.

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Moving from a Place of Potential to a Place of Performance.

This section has been designed to help you create structure around your studying as well as give you a

heads-up on all the things that can take you out along the way. The best way to be prepared to enter into

battle is to know your enemy. And not only know the enemy, but also have a plan of action to combat that

enemy.

To become a pro in any field a good plan of action needs to be put in place and followed through

with discipline.

These are guidelines for building the perfect day…

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Do you want to know how to get from where

you are today to where you want to be in

the future?

One word: ACTION

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Not 7 apples on a Sunday or 31 apples at the

end of the month

TURNING PRO IS ALL AbOUT

ADOPTING AN UNCOMPROMISING

APPROACH AND ATTITUDE

TOWARDS WHAT YOU WANT

TO ACHIEVE.

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World Class Preparation

AN OUTLINE OF THE PERFECT DAY:

BEFORE CLASS/LECTURES:

• Start your day positively as this will set the tone for the rest of the day. Make a point of saying your

daily affirmations with emotion and enthusiasm.

• Have a hearty, healthy breakfast, otherwise your mind will be distracted as it will be focusing on the

messages it is receiving from your stomach.

• Never arrive late; especially for exams, as it will create unnecessary stress. Rather make a habit of

getting to class early and spend time preparing for the day.

• Always be prepared for your classes, as arriving unprepared even to a small detail like not having a

pen will start you off on the back foot. Know what you need and make sure you have it by packing

your bag the night before.

• Spend time with the right people - if you want to become an achiever, spend time with achievers. No

matter how much you may disagree or not want to believe it, you will become who you spend most

time with.

• Start looking through the sections of work that are to be covered ahead of time. It’s not necessary

to learn the work beforehand, just skim through it, giving yourself an idea of what is to come. This

will start to lay the initial foundations on the subject, when you go over the work in class those

foundations are developed further and by the time you come to learn the work not much effort will

be required of you. Doing this will give you a huge advantage over your classmates.

DURING CLASS/LECTURES:

• Participate fully in class - you have to be there, so be ALL there. By doing this you will be sending your

brain the message that what you are learning is important as there is energy being injected into the

process. This alone will start the consolidation process into long term memory storage so when it

comes to studying, half the work is done.

• Ask as many questions as you can, picking the teacher’s brain until you fully understand what is being

taught. This will prevent your being stumped on difficult sections while studying.

• If need be take the teacher aside after class to discuss any further issues. In most cases, they know the

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exam questions and can guide you as to what is important to know and what can be left out. This will

save you a lot of time.

• If there is an exam coming up try to find out how much the exam is worth and what type of exam it

is, i.e. essay, short answer, or multiple choice. This can guide you in the amount of time you will need to

prepare for the exam.

• Never sit next to someone who does not want to be there or who is a distraction to you. Your

lectures will be pointless and you will have wasted a lot of your time - save messing around for

after class.

AFTER SCHOOL/LECTURES

BEFORE STUDYING:

• Make sure that you know exactly when your next exams are and what assignments need to be handed in by when. This will help you plan your study timetable.

• Always spend some time after class and before you start to study doing something fun or physical, like hanging out with friends, or playing sport. Give your brain a break from academic activity before starting it up again. This will give you the energy you will need later to spend a good couple of hours studying.

• Be strict on your time here though, don’t spend too much time socializing, leaving studying for the late night hours. Sleep is essential to the whole process, don’t neglect it.

• Before you sit down to study make sure your study area is organised and you have

• Different coloured pens

• Highlighters

• Note paper

• Stopwatch

• Light background music if you find this helps you

• Sound reduction headset if you have it

• Big glass of water

• Healthy snacks

• Plan what work you are going to study. Only have that section of work in front of you.

• Set the time you are going to study and stick very strictly to it. By doing this you give yourself an end goal to work towards. This will help you to start and keep motivated throughout the study session.

• Try to have a set place to study and keep to it as your brain knows it is time to work when you enter that space, OR

• If you like to move around, do so, keep it fresh.

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DURING STUDYING

• Make sure you study in an environment free of distractions. It is generally not a good idea to study in the living room or TV lounge, as you will be setting yourself up for far too many temptations and distractions.

• Start promptly - do everything in your power to avoid procrastination. You will be tempted to do 101 other very ”important” things before getting started. See these for what they are - distractions from what you really should be doing.

• Get into the habit of using and perfecting all the memory and speed learning techniques you’ve learnt. Initially it may be difficult but perseverance will produce your ultimate desire - spending less time studying with better results.

• Get things done on time. There is a rule of thumb that goes like this: we will do as much as we need to do within the time limit that we have been given. If you give your brain 1 hour to study something that could take you 20 minutes to study, it will move a lot slower than it is capable. The solution to this is to give yourself a deadline at least a few days earlier than the actual deadline. Another suggestion would be to get things done so early that it bugs your friends

• After you have studied for 30-40 minutes, stop and review for 10 minutes. Use all the speed learning timeframes you have learnt.

• Take small breaks often during your study time. Don’t watch TV during these breaks as it often ends up being a long break and you will find it hard to get back into studying.

• You can form study groups, but only if they work well for you.

AFTER STUDYING

• Revision is the essential ingredient in moving forward effectively. Make sure you set a revision strategy in place and stick to it.

• The first day of learning is the most important. After studying any new information you must revise that work right way so look at it again within the next hour. By doing this, the work should stick for at least the next 24 hours. Going through the work very briefly again the following day will ensure it stays for another week. Thinking about it or just going over it in your head during that week means it will stick now for at least a month.

• Every time you revise the work, you are strengthening the neurological pathways and the quicker your recall time will be.

• Go and do something fun…

• Stick to this daily plan and you are guaranteed to see incredible success not only in your studies, but also in your whole life. Make today a masterpiece of what you want your future to look like.

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WARNING!

Identifying and understanding your enemies

9 THINGS THAT CAN TAkE YOU OUTThe best way to prepare to enter into war is to know your enemy…

1. SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

From the time we are born, our minds gather and filter information. This together with circumstances builds

a platform from which our character and personality is determined. In this way, life experiences create a

processing template through which all new information is filtered. These internal representations form part

of the processing template, which significantly affects and determines how we see the world. One example

is whether the processing template creates a more positive or negative filter, leading to a more positive or

negative outlook and response to life. Remember though that circumstances and life experiences do not

have the final say on who we will be and what we are capable of achieving. For some of us it might require

more effort to change the ways we naturally think or do things, as our old ways can be deeply embedded

into our subconscious mind. But change is ALWAYS possible!

2. WHO YOU ARE SPENDING TIME WITH

BECOMING AN ACHIEVER

You have heard the saying that where you will be in 5 years time is largely determined by who you are

spending time with today. This statement could not be truer!

Have a look at circumstances that you’ve faced in your life; If you are honest enough many of them materialized

because of the friends you had at that time. Your level of belief is determined by the circumstances around

you. For example, you have always wanted to be a doctor but are currently not achieving the required

results in order to see your dream become a reality. The more you sit in this place, the more you see your

dream fading. If you make an effort to spend time with students who are achieving, or with doctors and hear

their stories, the more your level of belief will rise.

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SPEND TIME WITH VITAMIN PEOPLE

My friend James raves about “vitamin people.” A vitamin person is someone who always has something to give rather than just taking. You know who the vitamin people are in your life. Spend most of your time with them and less time with people who drain you. Better still, don’t only spend

your time with vitamin people, become one yourself. Don’t make excuses for not finding the energy to be

a vitamin person every day.

You need people in your life to share your hurts and pains with, as well as your joys and victories. Carefully

select those few who you can trust and make sure that you meet with them often. This helps you remain

real and human. A great deal of your healing will come from sharing your experiences with friends and

family that you trust, love and care for. Also spend time alone reflecting on your life so that when you meet

with people you will be able to be genuinely concerned with what’s going on in their lives instead of just

making yourself the topic of conversation.

When talking to someone, make sure that person has your full attention. If someone has given you his or

her time, do not answer your cell phone unless it is truly urgent. How do you feel when someone gives his

or her full attention when talking to you? You feel great. So make a point of doing the same to everyone

you interact with.

Whatever it is that inspires you... seek that thing out!

3. MEDIOCRITY

Would you like to become passionate about what you do?

We are sure that you do. So does everybody else. Then why are so few people deeply passionate about

their work?

The word passion is derived from the Greek word ”patho” and the Hebrew word ”paseo” which actually

means to suffer. Passion is birthed out of some form of suffering in your life. If you are dishonest, you actually

create an ideal environment for mediocrity to thrive. Do your best to be honest all the time and when you

find yourself dropping the ball, do everything in your power to remain true to your integrity. Do not get

bogged down when you fall short of who you wish you be. Just pick yourself up, truly believe that you are

sorry for what you have done and make every effort to change your behaviour from that moment on. It is

totally worth it in the end.

“Don’t let life discourage you, everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was .” – Richard Evans

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4. PROCRASTINATION

A basic definition of procrastination is putting off the things you should be doing now. This happens with all

of us time after time.

What will make a big difference to your success is your ability to recognize procrastination and promptly

take it under control, before this bad habit steals your opportunities and damages your ability to study

effectively.

The ability to get things done and overcome procrastination is one of the most important skills to master if

you wish to do well. Don’t keep yourself very busy with insignificant activities, while delaying getting around

to what is truly important.

SO WHAT CAUSES PROCRASTINATION?

It can be as simple as

• Waiting for the right mood

• Waiting for the right time

• Lack of clear goals

• Underestimating the difficulty of the tasks

• Underestimating the time required to complete the tasks

• Fear of failure

• Perfectionism

The list can go on…

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO AVOID PROCRASTINATION?

Understanding that the future is not just going to arrive and take you by the hand and lead you forward is

the first step in the right direction. Motivation grows with action, never the other way around. Don’t wait to

feel motivated before you start working, as this will never happen. Forcing yourself to start acting on what

you need to do will get the cogs of motivation moving.

DEVELOP YOUR PLAN:

• A project is easier when it is built in stages; start small and add detail and complexity as you achieve

and grow. Don’t try to build Rome in a day, as you will feel overwhelmed and will only worsen your

procrastination. • Have a realistic view of how much time each section of work will take and put a schedule in place to

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help keep you on track. • Have a set time of day, week, etc. when you dedicate yourself to work. This helps you develop a new

habit of working. Create a good work environment, and distance yourself from distractions. • Put rewards in place that you will receive when you reach certain targets. This will help you keep your

eye on the ball. • Surround yourself with people who will help motivate you and monitor your progress - knowing you

are being watched often helps you focus and get started. Like when you have exercise buddies - if you

know they are going to be waiting for you at the track at 5am you have to get up and be there

on time.

DON’T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF: • Take false starts and mistakes for what they are, learning experiences. They can be more important

than successes, and give meaning to experience. • Distractions will always be an issue so you need to learn to manage them. Don’t try to deny they

exist, but deny their temptation. • Allow yourself to feel frustrated when things don’t seem to be going right. Take a step back, review

the situation and try to rectify it before continuing. Don’t keep doing the same thing over and over

again if it is not working for you. • Admit that you have had a problem with procrastination, as recognizing it will help you to start doing

something about it. • Looking ahead and seeing yourself succeeding can go a long way in helping you avoid procrastination

and give you the get up and go you need to make your dream a reality. Finally, if procrastination is a habit of yours, focus on the immediate task or project, and start working.

Each journey begins with the first step.

5. BREAkING OLD HABITS Taking on a new way of thinking or a new way of studying will always prove to be difficult initially, as your

subconscious brain will naturally want to revert to its old ways. However, once you have forced yourself

to break the old habits the new way will become embedded in your subconscious mind. Gradually the

process will become second nature.

6. STRESS

Stress isn’t only uncomfortable, it’s dangerous to mind and body. In addition to increasing health problems,

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chronic stress causes problems with our memory, blood pressure, problem solving skills, and thought processes.

Although some teachers feel stress is an inevitable part of the education process, research shows it can

actually undermine the learning process. Stress in the classroom or elsewhere, releases a chemical called

cortisol into the brain. A high level of cortisol disrupts working memory and reduces a person’s desire to

explore new ideas and solve problems creatively. While students under stress may work harder, the quality

of their work decreases. The higher your stress levels, the worse your results will be. Your short-term

memory is crippled, and you will have difficulty retrieving previously learnt information.

Obviously, we wouldn’t want to remove all stress as a small amount can help keep arousal levels high

enough to complete tasks. However, large amounts, particularly when the stress causes accompanying

feelings of fear and anxiety, are dangerous and work against the learning process.

While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it is important that our

relaxation responses are activated so bodily functions can return to normal following a stressful event.

Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, our stress responses are activated so often that the body

doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress.

SYMPTOMS OF STRESS:

• Memory problems

• Indecisiveness

• Inability to concentrate

• Trouble thinking clearly

• Poor judgment

• Seeing only the negative

• Anxious or racing thoughts

• Constant worrying

• Loss of objectivity

• Fearful anticipation

• All of the above are extremely negative symptoms to be experiencing during your studying and obviously, while writing exams.

• Studying, writing exams and stress seem to go hand in hand. But it does not have to be this way!

WHY WE STRESS:

• When you look at all the work that needs to be studied, you can easily feel overwhelmed and depressed. • Not having the time to study due to over-commitment, or leaving everything for the last minute, and

therefore going into an exam feeling totally unprepared.

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• Health issues

• Lack of sleep

• Poor diet

• Problems at home, or in relationships

• All of the above can lead to symptoms of stress that will affect you in a very negative way.

HOW TO COMBAT STRESS:

• Set attainable goals for yourself on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

• Visualize future success.

• Set out a study plan; feel prepared before sitting down to study.

• Stick to your study plan so that you can approach exams with confidence.

• Be aware of how you use your time. Avoid procrastination and/or taking on more than you can handle. Learn to say NO.

• Take regular breaks to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

• Think positive! Negative thoughts can trigger a physical fear reaction.

PRACTICAL THINGS YOU CAN DO:

• Eat a healthy well balanced diet to stay in top form.

• Limit your caffeine intake. Caffeine elevates negative stress symptoms.

• Stay physically active - go for a walk or run.

• Try to maintain regular sleep patterns.

• Get into the ”Zone” before studying. To clear your mind, close your eyes, and take 3-5 deep cleansing

breaths. Do your 1-minute mental preparation time.

• To loosen up tight muscles, do gentle muscle stretches for 15 minutes.

• Inject some creativity into your activities: paint a picture, play an instrument etc.

• Laughter is the best medicine. Find something to laugh about.

• Turn up your favourite song really loud and dance!

• Call an old friend - just to chat.

• Putting your thoughts down on paper can help you start to see areas where your stress lies and this in

itself can help to alleviate it.

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7. FEAR OF FAILURE

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.” - Confucius

Failure is as much a part of your success journey as success itself so never see failure as an end in itself.

Embrace it, learn from it and use it to reach greater heights. If you are not failing then you probably need to

ask yourself if you are really working hard enough and pushing any boundaries.

The fear of failure will keep you stuck in one place. The only thing that you will become if you are scared to

fail is mediocre.

If you are scared of failure you will probably find yourself procrastinating. Fear leads to procrastination and

procrastination will lead to your failure. It is a vicious cycle. Fear does not serve you so let it go and do

your best to be courageous.

The extent of your courage will be directly proportional to the amount of preparation you put in. Work

smartly and don’t just jump ahead without thinking. Before making certain important decisions seek wise

counsel. Simply put this means - find people you admire and ask for their input. Listen to what each person

has to say but then act on what YOU think you should do. Do not seek to get advice, seek to get wise

counsel. Then make your decision. Wise advice from Dominic O’Brien, 8 times World Memory Champion,

is that we do not learn and we do not grow unless we make mistakes.

If you want to learn and succeed twice as much, you may need to fail twice as much as you are doing now.

8. MENTAL BLOCkS The best way to avoid a mental block in the exam room is to make sure you have prepared adequately. If

you get to a point in the exam where your mind goes blank, just relax and take a deep breath. If you allow

yourself to get worked up the rest of the paper will become difficult. On a sheet of paper write down

anything that comes to mind relating to the work you are having difficulty with. This could help trigger the

memory and the answer could come. If this is taking too long, move on, as your brain will continue to look

through its neurological pathways for the answer and it could come to you later. The main thing is not to

get stressed. Don’t spend unnecessary time on questions you find difficult.

Answer all the easier questions first, write neatly and clearly and have confidence in yourself. Stress is a

natural part of life and a certain amount of stress can actually contribute to your success. Use it to your

advantage.

9. BURN OUT A while back I had a conversation with the Head Prefect of a nearby school. I had heard that he was burnt

out and a friend had suggested that he talk to me. I had only 2 questions for him:

1) What is the one thing that you love to do most?

2) How many times have you done this in the past month?

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He didn’t need to respond. I already knew his answer. His true joy is surfing. He used to surf every day

before he became Head Prefect, but had only surfed once in the past month. I have been there. I was Head

Prefect of my school and needed a whole year to recover from the burnout I experienced. There were

rumours going around that I would be the first person to be Head Prefect 2 years in a row - the only

reason I passed was because I broke my collarbone 3 games before the end of the rugby season. I couldn’t

do anything else so had to study.

The best work you can ever do comes out of a place of rest and relaxation. Never forget that the work

that you do is just an overflow of who you are. Your internal world will affect your external world. You can

only give what you have. When last did you have a good holiday? Do you take time to smell the roses?

What are you doing each day for yourself to make sure that you have something valuable to give to your

work? Don’t wait. Start now!

The solution to staying energized: when your schedule gets busier, make sure that your playtime gets busier

as well.

GIVING YOU ORIENTATION TO THE PERFECT bRAIN FOOD

DIET

A poor diet puts the body in a state of physical stress and weakens the immune system. This includes

unhealthy food choices, not eating enough, or not eating regularly.

This form of physical stress also decreases the ability to deal with emotional stress, because not getting

the right nutrition may affect the way the brain processes information. 30% of the energy you use is

consumed by your brain.

DIET RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Use the food guide pyramid to help you make healthy food choices.

• There are some great websites that offer valuable insight into low GI diets.

• Plan to eat foods that improve your health and well-being. For example, increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat.

• Eat the right amount of food on a regular schedule, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Try to eat small, frequent meals to keep your blood sugar and energy levels steady.

• Avoid sweets and sugary foods. If you crave something sweet, consider a high protein nutrition bar or a piece of fruit which will provide you with natural sugars.

• Choose meals and snacks that emphasize protein over carbohydrates. Protein-rich meals and snacks keep your energy on an even keel.

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• A snack does not have to be unhealthy so prepare something that will benefit you while studying, like celery, carrots, tomatoes, apples, bananas, nuts, popcorn, cereals etc.

• Make sure your home is stocked with healthy snacks.

• Remember that thirst can be confused with hunger. Try drinking a glass of water or a cup of hot herbal tea if you are unsure of the origins of your hunger.

• Only eat when you are physically hungry, not because you are in need of a study break! And don’t watch TV for a study break. If you get too comfortable on the couch, you may not want to get up again, and before you know it, an hour has passed.

• WATER, WATER, WATER – probably the most important thing to consume while studying. When your brain is working hard, it uses up a lot of water. It’s very important to replace this as most of the oxygen that your brain gets is from the water you drink.

• Don’t use coffee to keep you awake while studying, unless you know yourself very well and can handle your caffeine intake; rather try:

• Pacing as you read, as sitting still for long periods of time can lead to fatigue

• Read aloud

• Study in a group

• Eat green apples. The tart taste and crunchiness keep your senses alert

• Drink plenty of water. Making trips to the bathroom relieves monotony and burns calories.

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VITAMINS

(Please note these are only suggestions - it is advisable to consult your doctor)

• Omega 3/6 – Essential fats, brilliant for memory

• Salmon Oil – Well known brain food

• Ginkgo Biloba – Helps with performance and stimulates blood flow to the brain

Fats, Oils SweetsUse Sparingly

Milk, Yogurt, Cheese Group2 -3 Servings

Vegetable Group 3 -5 Servings

Fruit Group 2 -4 Servings

Fish, Poultry, Eggs, Meat and

Dry Nuts Group2 -3 Servings

Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta Group 6-11 Servings

A HEALTHY bALANCED DIET

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of

choice. It is not a thing to be waited for but rather a thing

to be achieved.” – William Jennings Bryan

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Helping you find balance

SLEEP

Sleep is essential for optimal learning and memory function. The quantity and quality of one’s sleep has

a profound impact on learning and memory. Research shows that students suffering from a lack of sleep

are often overly irritable, anxious, find it difficult to focus and experience a heightened inability to retain

new information. Therefore students who cram, pulling an all-nighter before an exam, are in most cases

setting themselves up for disappointment. Without adequate sleep and rest, over-worked neurons can

no longer function to coordinate information properly and you then lose the ability to access previously

learned information. You also lose the ability to make sound decisions as you can no longer accurately

assess the situation or plan accordingly. Sleep deprivation also negatively impacts moods, which has a direct

consequence on learning. Research by Dr Robert Stickgold

Sleep is not only a time for cells and body tissues to heal, refresh and repair, it is also when your brain

maintenance is in full swing. During sleep nerve cells branch in your brain and hardwiring of the day’s

learning takes place. Students must get sufficient sleep following the learning of new information if they

want that information to be stored into long-term memory effectively. Most of this brain activity occurs

during delta brainwave frequencies.

BRAIN WAVE FREQUENCIES:

Beta – most active, engaged in mental activities.

Alpha – slower frequency, relaxed, restful state of mind, perfect state to be in for effective learning.

Theta – slower frequency, daydreaming, before sleep, very relaxed, prone to a flow of ideas, positive mental state.

REM – rapid eye movement; when active sleep takes place, brain waves become slightly more active, between theta and delta.

Delta – low frequency, deep sleep, when the brain goes through all the day’s activities.

MELATONIN - HORMONE OF DARkNESS

It is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light. When darkness comes or night falls, melatonin is naturally

produced and released, causing tiredness.

If melatonin levels are low and you are not sleeping soundly, it is difficult for hardwiring to occur as your

brain waves are unable to reach their optimal frequency level. Interrupted sleep robs you of precious

learning time.

Melatonin also has a powerful antioxidant function – you have probably heard that sleep is the best drug

for youthful looks and longevity.

Serotonin the ”happy” hormone is a by-product of melatonin, so if you are not getting enough sleep it will

have a direct impact on your happiness and feelings of satisfaction.

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HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES A PERSON NEED?

This depends on many factors like age, health and mental activity.

Infants - 16 hours a day

Teenagers - 9 hours on average

Adults - 7–8 hours is best

Learn to budget your time wisely and manage your stress to maintain quality sleep.

EXERCISE

Not getting enough physical activity can put the body in a stressful state. Physical activity has many benefits

and a regular exercise program can help decrease feelings of being overwhelmed or depressed, improving

your feeling of wellbeing.

ExERCISE RECOMMENDATIONS

• Start a physical activity program. Most experts recommend doing at least 20 minutes of

aerobic/full body activity three times per week.

• Decide on a specific time, type, amount, and level of physical activity. Fit this time into your

schedule so it is part of your routine.

• Find a buddy to exercise with - it is more fun and will encourage you to stick with it.

• You don’t have to join a gym - 20 minutes of brisk walking outdoors will do the trick

SOCIALIzE SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Almost everyone needs someone in their life that they can rely on when they are having a hard time.

Having little or no support makes stressful situations even more difficult to deal with.

Make an effort to interact socially with people. Even though you may feel stressed, you will enjoy being

with your friends, if only to get your mind off things.

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RELAxATION

People without outside interests, hobbies, or ways to relax may be unable to handle stressful situations

because they have no outlet for their stress.

You need to learn to listen to your body and actively put measures in place that will bring about restoration.

Whenever possible take a mini retreat or getaway with family and friends. It is during these times of

relaxation that you can refuel and energise yourself for the next big project. You will often find that answers

to burning questions or difficult decisions will come during this down time.

Make sure that you take time for personal interests and hobbies. If you neglect these you will eventually run

dry - think of them as activities that fill your tank.

LEARN TO LAUGH

“Blessed are they that laugh at themselves, they shall never cease to be entertained.”

- Chinese Beatitude

Your marks do not reflect who you are. Your job is to do the best you can at each test you have to write.

The work ethic that you develop as well as what you learn in the process is what you need to hold on to.

Stanford University, one of the top research Universities in the world, did a study that revealed that there is

little to no correlation between marks in high school/University when related to overall life success.

Does that mean you do not need to work hard? Of course not! You need to work as hard as you can, but

more importantly, you need to work as smartly as you can. Here is some really wise advice:

Work as if it all depends on you. Pray as if it all depends on God.

Once you have done this, take a deep breath, relax and go for gold.

“Blessed are they that laugh at themselves, they shall never cease to be entertained.” - Chinese Beatitude

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LEARN TO PLAY

“Men cannot labour on always. They must have recreation.” - Orville Dewey

One of our pupils was totally shocked to hear how important it is to make sure you find time to play. He

even asked for it to be put in writing so that he could show his mom that this was an official piece of advice!

The word “play” best describes what we need to do. I have just come back from a 7 week snowboarding

holiday in Lake Tahoe, USA. The primary purpose? To play. Yes, I spent many hours at my laptop thinking

about the coming year as well as finding ways to make it the best year possible, but my main focus was to

have fun – and that is exactly what I did. I feel so incredibly refreshed and can now work out of a place of

rest – the best place to work from. My vision is clear and I have the strength and courage to go for my goals.

REASONS WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO PLAY:

1) Playing recharges your batteries and gives you newfound energy. Rest is not only enjoyable,

it is essential. Just think of your most favourite thing in the world. Doing this will feed your soul

like nothing else. Just do it!

2) Scheduling fun events into your daily/weekly schedule gives you something to look

forward to. You know the feeling. It has been a long week. You feel exhausted. But then you

start to think of the party you will be going to on Saturday night. You picture your friends. You hear the

music. You begin to get excited and for some reason you have more energy than you’ve had all week.

Your excitement reminds you that there is more to live for than work. It now seems possible to get

through the week and that final assignment doesn’t seem so bad after all.

3) Playing creates balance in your life: Having fun has this amazing way of reminding you that you should

never be enslaved to your work.

4) Just because it’s fun! I remember back at University when I went out with friends I made sure that I

“had fun” because that would help me be more productive in my work. Go somewhere or do something

with the aim of having as much fun as you can.

A while back friends invited me to join them for an all expenses paid trip to one of the best ski resorts in

the world for a 2-week holiday. I declined their kind offer simply because I thought that I had too much

work to do. When visiting my uncle in Scotland shortly after making that decision I told him about the

opportunity I‘d turned down. He, a 74-year-old retired minister, shook his head in disbelief and took me

up to his Den in the attic. The Den is his little sacred place, his shrine, his happy place. He sat me down

on a chair, looked me deep in the eyes and gave me this wise advice, in his broad Scottish accent.

“Firstly my boy, don’t take yourself so seriously. And secondly, life was meant to be enjoyed and not

endured. Denholm, put your skates on boy!”

I took his advice and had the snowboarding holiday of a lifetime! I hold on to what my Uncle Jack said on

a daily basis.

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How to Dominate Your Chosen Career or Profession

What is the reward for thinking differently? Unless you win the lottery or inherit a large amount of money,

you will have to work one day if you’re not already working. You have 2 options:

1 Work for yourself, OR

2 Work for someone else

Either way the same rule applies. The way you approach your work NOW is how you will approach your

work THEN. If you approach your work like a sloth now, then you will just be more of a sloth in 10 years

time... only fatter and poorer.

The flip side is simple: if you learn how to make the boring work you have to do TODAY come alive, and

you keep relatively consistent at doing this each day, where are you likely to be in 10 years time?

Do you find learning boring? Would you rather watch DVDs with friends, flick through the channels on TV

or spend hours on the internet? Welcome to the club. We have the privilege of working with thousands of

students each year. The first question we generally ask is “how many of you think that learning is boring and

could think of 100 other things you would rather do than sit down and study”? And the response? Every

hand goes up. Every time.

My point: Learning takes effort but the rewards are always exceptionally more than your initial investment...

assuming you can hold on long enough to reap the rewards of your efforts.

TRUE REALITY CHECk

if you have studied economics or even if you haven’t you will understand the simple matter of DEMAND

vs SUPPLY. Get this and you will have the reason that will help increase your focus each day until you are

living out your dream job or career. Let’s think: if the supply for something is really high and the demand is

really low, what happens to price? Yes it drops.

If the demand for something is very high and the supply is really low THEN what happens to price? Yes, it

goes sky high.

Let’s add you to this equation. If you cannot differentiate yourself in any way, if you are just normal and

average, how much demand do you think there will be for you? Not much.

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How many people are out there who end up choosing to be ordinary as opposed to a “cut like a Greek

God” look or feel?

But if you DO decide to invest in yourself and start to get ahead of the competition by being able to solve

problems that others can’t, then the demand for you becomes really high and because of your perseverance

in a consistent direction, the supply of people like you gets lower and lower and THEN what happens

to price?

It goes through the roof and where does the money go? Into your bank account.

DID YOU kNOW?

The average American reads 1 book a year and 90% of these readers don’t get past chapter 1 of that one

book. The average CEO reads between 3 and 4 books a month. They also earn on average 536 times the

salary of the average American. That means that the average employee will have to work for 1.5 years to

make 1 day’s salary of that CEO. In South Africa, the average CEO earns 223 times more than the average

worker does.

LEARNING LEADS TO WEALTH. PERIOD

Why do we harp on and on about this? Simply because the learning curve in any field of study is incredibly

high and the dropout rate is equally high... which means you need every bit of help to ensure that you

make the most of your education.

That is what it is all about, continually figuring out what works best and learning from the process. You will

become one of the world’s most sought after individuals if you get good at solving problems or creating

more effective ways of doing things - it all starts here.

You will recall the Stanford University study on the ratio between high marks and over all life success. The

results showed that it did not matter too much, which means that the guys who finish with 9 distinctions

don’t necessarily go on to be top achievers and vice versa. What affects your overall life success is your

attitude, the way you think.

If you change the way you think, you change the quality of your life as well as the lives

of those around you

Thinking is powerful so it makes sense to invest into the correct way of thinking.

“We are currently preparing students for

jobs and technologies that don’t yet exist, in order to

solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet ”

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YOUTHE

SWEET SPOT

Your SkillsWhat could you potentially be the

best in the world at?

Your Interests

What do you LOVE to do?

Your Values

Your internal ethics clock

SkILLS:

What could you potentially be the best in the world at? Not good or OK at, but the best? What comes

naturally to you? What comes easily to you? Do you lead people well? Can you build things with your hands?

Can you sing well? Get realistic feedback from people you trust as to where your magic lies.

INTERESTS:

What do you LOVE to do? What activities are you naturally drawn to? What activities make you come alive

and bring out the best in you?

THERE ARE 3 kEY THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO INVEST INTO IN ORDER TO SET YOURSELF APART:

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VALUES:

Do you value honesty? What about integrity? When you think about injustice in the world, what in particular

really annoys you? What do you stand for? What do you want your life to represent? Imagine you could

attend your own funeral - what would you want people to say about the person you WERE? Not what you

did, but who you WERE. What values do you want to hold close throughout your life?

You should always do your best to make sure that you are living in the centre of where these three circles

meet. When you do so, you will “lose the sense of time” which is known as your sweet spot. This is where

your true magic lies.

Solving Problems: Always make sure that you have an outlet for expressing your skills, interests and values

in a way that will ultimately solve tangible needs in the world.

Zig Ziglar said: “You will have whatever you want in this lifetime if you can help

enough people get what they want”

You need to be relevant and passionate (Interests) about solving people’s problems better than anyone

else (Skills).

Once you start solving people’s problems in a way that is aligned with your greatest skills, interests and

values, you will ideally start making money from your pursuits. What you then need to do is use this money

to RE-INVEST back into your skills, interests and values. This will lead to your becoming more passionate

about what you love to do, as well as help you become more and more skilled. The more passionate and

skilled you become, the more demand there will be for you, and consequently your self-value will also go up.

This re-investing back into yourself process is known as the flywheel concept, but in order for this process

to gain unprecedented momentum, you need to apply the hedgehog concept.

There is a tale that compares the efficiency of a hedgehog to that of a fox. A hedgehog doesn’t do many

things well, but what it does, it is very good at. The fox on the other hand is always involved with a variety of

things, never focusing purely on one thing at a time. The fox always tries to catch the hedgehog and spends

a great deal of his time and energy trying to pursue it. Each time he tries to attack the hedgehog from a

new angle, all the hedgehog does is turn around and the sharpness of its back causes the fox to retreat. The

hedgehog always wins because of the fact that it has one solid skill that it uses over and over again. The fox

always loses because he never focuses long enough to master one set of skills that would actually win him

the prize - hedgehog for dinner.

So the hedgehog concept is all about focusing your resources on a few things that get results.

Don’t be a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. You need to be a jack of few trades

and a master of one.

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Locusts go from crop to crop taking all they can and moving on, with destruction following them. It might

seem exciting and fast paced but eventually there will be nothing left as the locust destroys its surroundings

and ultimately itself. A cow on the other hand just eats grass all day, is consistent in what it does, but is

highly valued as it produces milk for many people. A few things done well will get you to a place where the

flywheel concept will become a reality for you.

We cannot stress it enough: Re-invest into your skills, interests and values to start becoming expert in

your field. Extensive research shows that people who consistently invest into work, love and play time

throughout their lives are least likely to have regrets.

One of the best pieces of advice we can give you is to spend time with brilliant people who are doing what

you would one day love to do. Take them to lunch, coffee, anything to get a piece of their time. Don’t arrive

unprepared, think of as many intelligent questions as you can and write down their answers. Show them

that you have a genuine interest in them and what they do. Remember they were once where you are now

and can give you incredible insight into what the next few years can look like for you. The meeting should

have purpose and structure, giving guidelines on what you can do to achieve your dream, what to look out

for along the way and areas that you should be paying close attention to. Meetings like this can also begin

a web of networking that can spread far and wide. Knowing the right people in the right places can play a

huge role in creating future opportunities for you.

‘‘It always seems impossible until it is done” – Nelson Mandela

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Course Summary Packed with 200 Actionable Strategies

for Immediate Use

This is a summary of all you have learnt which also gives you 200 different actionable strategies to start putting everything into practice.

SECTION 1

THE POWERSTUDYING FORMULA

REASON AND DESIRE

• The most powerful thing you can do for yourself before any tests or exams is to ALWAYS set out what

you WANT to achieve and WHY you want to achieve it - desire and memory go hand in hand

• If you don’t have clearly defined academic goals, you can’t expect your brain to remember everything

you study. Subconsciously you are sabotaging your success every time you study without a clear goal or

incentive in mind.

• You need to tell your brain and then remind it daily, that your goals are important to you.

• Your brain will only store information that it believes to be meaningful, emotionally significant or useful

to know for the future - one of the biggest challenges you will face is converting your work into your

own meaningful adventure

• Developing a world-class memory and achieving extraordinary results is ALL about choice.

• It is pointless to sit down and study because you HAVE to study. This goes totally against the way your

brain works. In no time, your brain will drift to something you find more interesting.

• Motivation grows with action.

CAPITALIzING ON PROVEN TECHNIQUES

• Take out your grenades and rocket launchers as this is how you now need to start approaching your

studies and every area of your life where you want to get incredible results with a fraction of the effort.

• Working hard is not good enough; your effort MUST be intelligent.

• World-class memory competitors were not born with any innate learning ability or talent. They all

understand exactly how their brains function best and then capitalize on this by using world-class

techniques that enhance each part of the brain enabling it to function to its full potential.

• Work through all the actionable strategies on memory techniques and speed learning that follow.

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DISCIPLINE AND DILIGENCE

• Here’s what you need to do. Being focused is made up of 2 parts:

1. Knowing your priorities and

2. Concentrating on these priorities

• You need to learn how to put into effect what is on your mind.

• If you spend 1 focused hour each day in a specific area or field, you will be an expert in that subject

after 5 years.

• A conscious and consistent effort in an intelligent and focused direction is needed from you in order

to turn pro.

• Motivation is fickle and fades as quickly as it comes so do not rely on your feelings but learn to fight for

something when everything inside is shouting to just throw in the towel.

• Remove emotion from the equation and commit yourself to a goal that is worthy of your effort and

attention.

• If you can understand WHY you are doing what you are doing, and then work as SMART as you can to

achieve your dream, it will become your reality.

• You can only achieve this by applying daily discipline and diligence to your efforts.

• Reason and desire + capitalizing on proven tools and techniques that work + discipline and diligence

= extraordinary results.

SHORT-TERM TO LONG TERM-MEMORY

• You need to ensure that every time you study you are effectively transferring the work you are learning

into your long-term memory.

• Your brain needs to be physically changing shape, as new neurological pathways are being created.

• You need to tap into all the parts of the brain that can help with the consolidation process.

• This will ensure that many paths are being created to one memory so retrieval of information is

guaranteed.

• Revision is essential in keeping these new pathways alive.

THE bRAINLet’s look at all you learnt about the brain and its memory consolidation process, and how to make it work

for you!

RETICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM- RAS

Filters information to the brain

• Make your work way more relevant and significant to ensure your RAS does not filter out

most of it, making your study session totally ineffective

• You need to spend time with people who are doing well. They are possibly seeing the

answers you are not, so you could learn a lot from them

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HIPPOCAMPUS - HIPPO

Is the mother ship of all memories.

• The main thing you need to remember is that the hippocampus is associated with short-term

memory and you need to put in the effort required to move all relevant information into your

long-term memory.

• Gingko Biloba has been proven to help stimulate blood flow to the hippocampus, which will

assist in the transferring of information. AMYGDALE - AMY

Is your emotional brain

• You need to create more emotional significance in your work. If you are not very structured,

you need to focus on becoming more disciplined

RIGHT BRAIN

Is your creativity, imagination, thinking, feeling

• If you are not naturally creative and find it hard to use your imagination, especially in subjects

you find dull and boring, work at it. The more you practice, the more natural it will become.

• Injecting creative thinking and fun into your studying can go a long way to achieving the

results you desire.

• Remember to use all your senses.

CORPUS CALLOSUM

Is basically the bridge between your left and right brain

• Using left and right brain together is the key

HYPOTHALAMUSThis helps keep you on an even keel - your equilibrium. It is directly involved in helping you achieve your goals. • Make sure to set yourself realistic goals - have something to work towards. This is when dopamine is released in your brain, which helps in the consolidation of memories associated with your goals.

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PINEAL GLAND

Your dealer in melatonin and serotonin- induces sleep and provides a buffer against depression.

• Make sure you get sufficient deep, restful, delta brainwave sleep to ensure the hard wiring of

your brain can take place and all new information learnt can be safely stored into your long-

term memory.

• The more melatonin you get through long hours of sleep, the more serotonin you will get,

which will help with stress levels and depression.

NEUROLOGICAL PATHWAYS

These are your roads to long-term storage

• The more you revise your work, the more defined your neurological pathways will become

and the quicker and easier you will be able to retrieve information.

• Omega 3 and 6 help insulate your neurological pathways.

FRONTAL LOBES

This area makes up 40% of your brain and is involved in planning, vision, and thinking. It is what sets you

apart from animals.

• Spend time using this crucial part of your brain - think, plan, formulate, set goals.

• Then act on all your visions and goals

SUBCONSCIOUS BRAIN

This is about your belief patterns- what you believe to be true.

• Start to change the way you think and you can change your life

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SECTION 2

MEMORY TECHNIQUES

NOVELTY ENHANCING AND MEMORY STIMULATIONBy using all your senses, you get your brain to trust that the information you are learning is important

and real.

• Work on being wildly imaginative in all your learning; make every subject, every section, as novel as

you can by using all your senses

ROMAN ROOMSThis is where you use rooms you are familiar with as storage locations for information you

are studying.

• Look for rooms that you can use. Remember they need to be familiar, otherwise create new ones and

make them familiar

• Practice placing information around these rooms

LINkINGIt is so much easier for your brain to remember a connection of facts than random bits of information.

This is where linking helps.

• Go through your summaries, linking words, headings, important ideas, dates or facts. All can be

linked in a systematic order, helping the work flow from one point to the next, ultimately helping

you remember it

JOURNEY

The Journey technique is an extension of the Roman Rooms technique. It is where you use locations

along a familiar path as storage hooks.

• Write down as many journeys as you can, each having 20 locations. Remember, if you

are finding this hard to do, the journey is probably not familiar enough. Once you start, you will

be surprised at how many journeys you actually have.

• When you’ve done this use these journeys to store your work on

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ACRONYMS/MNEMONICS This is using the first letters or words from different areas of work and joining them together in a way that makes sense to you. • Take your summarized notes and see how many you can make an acronym from. It must be something catchy and memorable.

RHYTHM AND RHYMESongs have a lot of emotion attached to them and therefore assist incredibly well in helping you

remember information.

• Whether you are musically inclined or not, try to make up a song or jingle, or just add a beat to

your work. You are guaranteed to remember it for a lot longer.

STORY TELLINGStories are easily stored into long term memory as they play on every emotion.

• Try creating stories within your work- make each subject come alive, place yourself there and

experience all the subject has to offer.

kEY IMAGEThis is a very powerful technique. By using a key image you can summarize an entire textbook using a

single image. The image is used as a trigger to which all the smaller details are attached.

• Take a section of work and think of a key image that would suit it. Try placing all the smaller

details around the image. Every time you see or think of that image, recall of the entire section

of work will be triggered.

CHUNkINGRemember your brain likes to have order and structure. When your work is all over the place, your

brain does not know where to begin - this makes studying tiring and tedious.

• Summarize your work in a way that puts the main subjects, ideas and topics together in a clear

and easy way, so that at a glance you can see clearly what needs to be learnt.

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QUESTIONSA question always prompts an answer.

• While studying make a point of asking yourself questions around each topic, point, or section of

your work. By asking questions, you learn to dig deeper into understanding and that is

true learning.

CONCLUSIONThere is no hard and fast rule on what memory techniques you should use or which suits what

subject best. You need to figure out what suits YOU best, what you find easiest to implement. All

these techniques are tools to help make your studying easier, not harder. The main thing is to use your

imagination to make your work come alive.

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SECTION 3

SPEED LEARNING

This section teaches how to get through your work a lot faster and at the same time remember more

for longer.

You need to see this the same way as building a house - your brain only builds onto what it already knows

- you always need to lay a foundation in your initial learning to build onto.

FOUNDATION METHOD

17 MINUTES WITH 3 MINUTES FINAL REVISION

While laying your foundations, force yourself to go faster than what feels comfortable. This will keep you

focused on only the main headings, sub headings and summaries, and stop you from possibly reverting

back to your old way of studying - rote learning

AIM TO

• Always start with a 1 minute mental preparation

• Main foundations- avoid starting with the little bits

• 20-30 seconds a page

• Get 2-3 bits of key information per page. Will differ with different work, but start with 2 -3 key ideas per

page or theme. Build on to this later.

• Go through 2/3 pages- then revise- go back, look at it again. Revise 2-3 times in the session.

• When you revise, start adding novelty and sensory stimulation techniques.

• ONLY main points- headings, sub headings, summaries and conclusions.

• Don’t stress about the smaller stuff- come back to it in the detail method.

• The true test is how much you will know after the time is up.

• Don’t worry about what the summaries look like- cut out the middleman of making a nice summary

and having to come back and learn it later. Learn while you are summarizing.

• Whole purpose = 80% of work done with 20% of the effort in 40 minutes.

CONSOLIDATION/REVISION

THERE ARE 3 KEY STEPS TO THE CONSOLIDATION PROCESS:

1. Short term consolidation: within 1 hour – 1 day after studying information

2. Long term consolidation: 1 week + after studying the information

3. Rest: allow yourself consistently good sleep for the neural pathways to solidify the new information

learnt. Diet plays a role in helping in this process too.

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DETAIL METHOD - 20 MINUTES WITH 5 MINUTES FOR REVISION

This is where you go through the same section of work, working a bit slower, looking for more detail and

adding this to your already laid foundation.

• Don’t get too held up on the finer details as this will be added on the next level, in the

building process

• And once again, consolidate!

REFINER METHOD (OPTIONAL) - 20 MINUTES WITH 5 MINUTES FOR REVISION

• Go through the same section of work, looking for those last nuggets of information that may be

important. By now you will have an 80% understanding and memory of the work, so adding these

final touches should be easy.

• And again, always CONSOLIDATE!

LIGHTNING SPEED LEARNING TIMELINE

FOUNDATION METHOD

Mental Preparation 1 min

Power scan of entire document. 3 – 4 seconds a page 1 min

Drawing out and creating a summary Page 1-3 (30 – 40 seconds a page) 1.5 min

Review Summary of page 1-3 1.5 min

Drawing out and adding to summary Page 4-6 (30 – 40 seconds a page) 1.5 min

Review Summary of page 4-6 1.5 min

And so on… 17 min

(Pen down) Review/revise your overall summary 3 min

Total 20 min

(Blank page) Write down everything you can remember 10 - 15 min

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DETAIL METHOD

Mental Preparation 1 min

Power scan 1 min

Add 2-3 extra details to your main headings from page 1-3 1.5 min

Use a different coloured pen for this

Review page 1-3 1.5 min

Add 2-3 extra details to your main headings from page 4-6 1.5 min

Review page 4-6 1.5 min

And so on… 20 min

(Pen down) Review your overall summary 5 min

Total 25 min

(Blank page) Write down everything you can remember 10-15 min

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SECTION 4

TURNING PRO

How much energy are you putting into everything you do, especially your studying?

If you have a big enough reason, you will have enough motivation to make it happen. You need to set

realistic goals and place rewards or incentives beyond your studying or exam writing. There always needs

to be something you are working towards.

MAkE EVERY DAY THE PERFECT DAY: BEFORE CLASS

• Spend time with relevant, successful people

• Affirm yourself, avoid being negative

• Read through your notes before class

DURING CLASS

• Concentrate and be all there

• Ask as many questions as you want, ensuring that you fully understand everything

• If necessary take the teacher aside after class

• Find out what type of exam it is and how much it is worth

BEFORE STUDYING

• Take a good break after lectures and before studying

• Plan your study schedule, know when your exams are scheduled

• Plan your study session for the day

• Set the goals you want to achieve during the study session

• Prepare your study area

DURING STUDYING

• Study in an environment free of distractions • Form study groups, but only if they work well for you• Start promptly to avoid procrastination• Get into the zone – do this before each study session and exam • Focus on time management• Use and perfect all the memory and speed learning techniques• Create your own memory techniques• Know your learning style• After you have studied for 30-40 minutes, stop and review for 10 minutes

• Take short breaks often

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AFTER STUDYING

• Revise, revise, revise… It is vital if you want what you have just learnt to be transferred to your long

term memory and to be there safely for a long period of time.

• Remember to revise after 1 HOUR, 1 DAY, 1 WEEK

• Eat well, especially during studying and writing exams

• Sleep well - don’t try cramming the night before - it will not do you any good

• Exercise and socialize - you need to have a healthy balance between hard work and play

WATCH OUT FOR THE 9 THINGS THAT CAN TAkE YOU OUT:

1. SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

• Change your attitude and you change your life – literally.

• Make seemingly boring work come alive and you have already accomplished half the effort. By having

a negative attitude towards your work, you are telling your brain that the work is insignificant and not

worth holding onto, so you will be wasting your time.

2. WHO YOU SPEND TIME WITH

• Become an achiever : where you will be in 5 years time is largely determined by who you are spending

time with today. This saying could not be truer!

• Spend time with Vitamin People

3. MEDIOCRITY

• Make yourself an incredibly valuable individual who is in high demand. By doing this you will have

whatever you want out of life.

• Don’t get bogged down when you fall short of who you wish you be. Just pick yourself up, truly

believe that you are sorry for what you have done and make every effort to change your behaviour

from that moment on. It is totally worth it.

4. PROCRASTINATION DEVELOP YOUR PLAN:

• A project is easier when it is built in stages

• Have a realistic view on how much time each section of work will take

• Have a set time of day, week, etc. when you dedicate yourself to work.

• Put rewards in place that you know you will receive when you reach certain targets.

• Get people around you who will help motivate you and monitor your progress

• Don’t be too hard on yourself

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5. BREAkING OLD HABITS

• Once you have forced yourself to make the initial changes and break old habits, the NEW WAY will

become embedded in your subconscious mind. In time the process will become second nature.

6. STRESS

ACTIVELY COMBATING STRESS

• Set attainable goals for yourself on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis

• Visualize future success

• Set out a study plan, and then stick to it. This way you will approach exams feeling prepared

• Avoid taking on more than you can handle. Learn to say NO if you are too busy

• Take regular breaks to avoid feeling overwhelmed

• Think positive! Negative thoughts can trigger a physical fear reaction

PRACTICAL THINGS YOU CAN DO

• Eat healthy, balanced meals to stay in top form

• Limit your caffeine intake

• Stay physically active

• Get into the zone before studying

• Laughter is the best medicine, so learn to laugh more

• Turn up your favourite song - loud. Sing and dance!

7. FEAR OF FAILURE

• Failure is as much a part of your success journey as success so never see failure as an end in itself.

Embrace it, learn from it and use it to reach greater heights.

8. MENTAL BLOCkS

• The best way to avoid a mental block in the exam room is to make sure you’ve prepared sufficiently.

• If you get to a point in the exam where your mind goes blank, just relax. On a blank piece of paper

write down anything that comes to mind around the work you are having difficulty with. This could

help trigger the information you are looking for.

9. BURN OUT

• What is the one thing that you love to do most? Make sure you are doing it. This will always keep you

in check and avoid burn out.

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GIVING YOU ORIENTATION TO THE PERFECT bRAIN FOOD

• Eat foods that improve your health and well-being

• Eat the right amount of food, do not over indulge

• Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner on a regular schedule

• Eat small, frequent meals to keep your blood sugar and energy levels steady

• Avoid sweets and sugary foods

• Choose meals and snacks that emphasize protein over carbohydrates. Protein-rich meals and

snacks keep your energy on an even keel

• Make sure your room/home is stocked with healthy snacks

• Only eat when you are physically hungry

• Don’t use coffee to keep you awake while studying

• WATER, WATER, WATER

• Omega 3/6 – essentials fats, brilliant for memory

• Salmon Oil – well known brain food

• Ginkgo Biloba – helps with performance and stimulates blood flow to the brain

HELPING YOU FIND bALANCE

SLEEP• Develop healthy sleep patterns

• Get an average of between 7 – 9 hours sleep a night

• Don’t try and cram study before an exam - this will impact on you negatively

ExERCISE• Start a physical activity program and stick to it

• Find a buddy to exercise with

SOCIALIzE & RELAx• Create support systems around you

• Make an effort to interact socially with people

• Reach out to other people, and allow others to reach out to you

• Listen to your body

• Make a list of energy fillers and make sure you do them

• Take time for personal interests and hobbies

• Plan some fun

• Take a mini retreat to rejuvenate

• Learn to play

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TAkING ACTION:4 WEEk IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The 4 Week Implementation Plan in the back of your workbook has been specifically designed to help

you IMPLEMENT what you have learnt from this course. A great deal of effort has been put into this to

help keep you focussed on achieving extraordinary success after completing the program. We encourage

you to work through it meticulously.

‘Imagination is more important than knowl-edge’ – Einstein

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05

INTRODUCTIONFINAL PIECE OF THE PUzzLE

You will have learnt a lot from this course and found it extremely valuable. This section will answer further questions you may have. You could just go to the questions that you need answers to, but you will learn most by going through all of them, even if you don’t think that some questions are applicable to you.

Your time is extremely valuable so the questions are designed in a way that is simple, to the point and the answers provided are easy to use...

After applying these answers to your work, you should experience a great breakthrough. If you want to get more answers and continue to grow then we have a great way for you to achieve this. As you have seen on Disk 6 ”Potent Examples and Practical Insight”, we would like you to do the same. Simply capture and send us a 5 or so minute video of yourself, sharing what YOU have done in a section or two of your work that REALLY helped you and made it easier to do in less time. As a reward for your effort we will give you access to all the videos other people have sent in on a number of different subjects, so that you keep growing and learning.

Send an email to videos@powerstudying.com to get details of what you need to do. Make sure the information you provide is really helpful and that it relates to a specific section of work or subject. If you do this small thing you will be getting some great ideas from people around the world who have done the PowerStudying course and achieved amazing results.

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HARDCORE QUESTIONS WITH ‘SHOW ME THE MONEY’

ANSWERS

HOW DO YOU LEARN bEST?

YOUR OWN STUDY MATERIAL

• It sounds a bit weird to ask this question when you have done a whole PowerStudying course on

learning, memory, speed and concentration principles, but how do you build a bridge between what

you’ve learnt on this course and how you apply it in all your work?

• You will obviously need to take everything you’ve learnt and match it with how you like to learn best.

• Make sure that you stick to the 4 week plan to help you implement everything. This process will also

help you keep track of your progress and keep you accountable for what you aim to achieve each

week and each month.

• You can apply over 200 actionable strategies with the 4 week plan. We recommend that you watch

the Summary and read through the actionable strategies at least once a month for the first 6 months

after the course.

• Every time you do this, you will pick up something that you may not have realised previously - the

reason for this is simply that you would have grown since the last time you watched it or tried to

implement what you learnt.

• As you know, the true reflection of whether you will achieve success is found in how you spend each

day. If you change your day to match your ideal end goal, you are onto a sure winning formula.

• Do you have to stick religiously to the 40-45 minute study session with your own work? Not at all.

You can adapt the time frames to how you learn best. It is just a recommendation of what we believe

is the ideal time to study. Refer to the question “How long should you study at a time?”

• You can apply everything you learnt on this course to what you have to learn. Remember: You will get

the most success when you start to combine as many strategies as possible, simultaneously.

• Always know why you are doing what you are doing and if you can’t think of anything,

CREATE something.

• Each week set out what you want to achieve.

• Always aim for productive study sessions where you can actually quantify what you have done at the

end of the session.

• Always have a 1 minute mental prep before you start. Don’t skip this.

• Do a 1 minute power scan. This 1 minute will save you time and help you create a strategy around

what you need to do, or at least where to start.

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• Apply the Foundation, Detail and Refiner methods to your work, always being able to see that you

are making process.

• Remember that early in the process it will be hard and won’t seem at all romantic. Give yourself

some space to get better. Don’t be hard on yourself, you will get there.

• You will have a huge strategic advantage by summarizing your notes in class exactly as you’ve learnt in

this PowerStudying course.

• The 8 times World Memory Champion, Dominic O’Brien said that if you doodle in context (as you’ve

learnt with the summarizing techniques) you will increase your memory and understanding by 400%.

If you add colour it goes up to 700%.

• Try to keep 60-70% of the work in your head throughout the term by applying the effective revision

strategy you’ve learnt.

• Then build on to this closer to exam time.

• Make sure that you ALWAYS use your two memory muscles to become FAMILIAR with your work

and to try and RECALL your work. This will help keep each of your study sessions as productive as

possible and help keep you focused on RESULTS instead of the ACTIVITY.

• Make sure that you get 80% of the work done with 20% of the effort by applying the Pareto principle

as well as Parkinson’s Law. These are covered in your manual in the Speed Learning section.

• Go over your work 10 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after you studied it.

• Realize that many aspects such as stress, lack of sleep, poor diet and emotional problems have a huge

effect on your learning.

• When there is an emotional problem that affects you, your family or friends it could take twice as long

to learn information and your recall probably won’t be as good as normal.

• There is ALWAYS going to be more work than you can do and there is NEVER going to be enough

time to do it in. Everyone is in the same boat so don’t get despondent, just keep going and you will

make it even if you doubt that you will. Learning how to fight for something is a good thing so count

yourself worthy of being challenged. Failure means that you could actually be very close to big success.

Think of working out at gym.... your muscles only grow when you get to a stage where you push them

until they physically break down and tear. Yes, you may feel like you’ve failed but keep going as you are

actually winning.

• It is a weird thing, but failure is just as important as success itself. The two cannot be separated. Just

make sure that the majority of your failing happens in your practice.

• Be proud of your work, put your heart into it and try to make it as much fun as possible. Work as

hard and smart as you can and you’ll continue to get better and better.

‘The great aim of education is

NOT knowledge but ACTION ’

- Herbert Spencer

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GETTING THROUGH THE SMALLER DETAIL: How to beef things up to the 85-100% retention mark

• Please be sure to listen to the explanation of the No Writing Method so you will know how to build

onto your summaries without actually writing anything. This will save you a huge amount of time.

• Start by applying the Foundation and Detail Methods and then move on to the Refiner Method. If you

find yourself struggling to remember the work during the Foundation Method, you are probably trying

to add too much detail too soon. Build slowly.

• You may well do more than one Refiner Method. It depends how deep you want to go and how well

you want to do. The key thing to keep in mind here is that in depth knowledge of a subject comes

with time, but obviously you want to get there as soon as possible so you need to be able to quantify

some form of change or increase in knowledge. This will provide motivation as you will be able to see

the progress you are making.

• Have something specific to work towards that you can compare to previous performance. A good

example would be for you to write out what percentage of the work you think you are familiar with.

You could then set a goal of increasing your knowledge by a further 10-15% after a 20-minute

study session.

• We adopt a similar strategy before the World Memory Championships and have proved its success.

Ensure that EVERY study session has a specific goal or target that you could beat: write down what

you achieve and try to beat your performance of the previous day or your all time best score.

• Every study session has the potential of being extremely boring but help focus by giving yourself a big

enough reward to work towards.

• The trick also is to not let your brain get distracted, but rather to just start learning. Get started

without letting your brain convince you of other things it would possibly rather do. Who is in control,

you or your brain?

• In order for you to get to the 80/90% or even 100% mark, you need to really want this and BELIEVE

that it is possible.

• Picture yourself getting full marks for the subject - imagine getting your test paper back with 100% on

it. Say positive words like: “It feels so great knowing that I cracked 98% for that test...”

• Remove your previous ideas and beliefs of what you believe possible about your performance.

Reinforce the times where you have done really well.

• We recommend that you try to keep between 60-75% of the work memorized throughout the term

or semester and closer to exam time, spend focused time using the Refiner Method to beef up all

you know.

• Because your foundation should be relatively strong, your brain has a platform to build quite solidly

onto. It can now add smaller details such as more precise information.

• Apply the Speed Reading and Reading Strategies in the PowerStudy Course Manual.

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• Bring your brainwaves down to alpha or even theta state. You can achieve this by listening to light

classical music, using sound reducing headgear and having a 1 minute mental preparation. There is an

event at the World Memory Champs that is probably one of the toughest events to do really well in.

It is the binary numbers event where each person has to remember many random zeros and ones in

perfect order. The world record is held by Ben Pridmore, with 4140 binary numbers memorized in

perfect order in just 30 minutes. Günter Karsten is usually in the top 3 of the competition and realizes

that if he had to revise in this event he wouldn’t be able to get a good score so what he does is only

see the numbers once. In this 30 minute event I can memorize about 1600 binary numbers but then

I see the binary code 3 times to make sure that they are stuck in my head like glue, so even though I

don’t memorize as much as I could, at least I can rely on what I have learnt.

• So where am I going with this? Dr. Günter Karsten shared with me one of his dirty little secrets which

enable him to remember so much after only seeing the work briefly. His strategy? He brings his

brainwaves down to theta state, almost just before REM sleep, or delta brainwaves.

• I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. I recommend trying to relax enough to where your brain almost

becomes totally sponge like while building the smaller information, but you also don’t want to be

too ’dreamy’.

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MEDICINE How to learn terminology for a degree in medicine and entire medical textbooks.

Note:Alsorefertohowtostudylawcasesanddefinitions

• We have had the privilege of working with many doctors. The best students have always been those

who believed in themselves being doctors before actually getting their degrees. They could see

themselves working on patients and helping them way before they were qualified..

• We’ve just had feedback from a doctor who is specializing further after applying much of what he

learnt from this course to his work. He agreed that you must work as intelligently as possibly but

ultimately a lot of discipline is essential, especially as there is so much small detail that is required in a

medical degree.

• If you are studying to be a doctor or have already qualified, your job is to become the best

doctor possible.

• There are so many important facts that one can’t leave out, but there is good news: There are very

clever ways of tackling this to help ensure that the hard work and sweat that you DO put in will be

the most intelligent approach possible.

ON A MIND LEVEL

• Start off with a healthy respect for what you have to learn, and get going. Take a deep breath and

just start...

• Do not get despondent and make sure that failure is NOT an option. Tell yourself that you will do it.

You WILL become what you desire. The secret lies in BELIEVING and actually SEEING this clearly in

your mind BEFORE you achieve it. It will then be just a matter of time for it to become a reality.

• Put up reminders around your house or office of your desired end goal - stick up a picture of the

degree or a pictorial representation of what you aim to accomplish where you will see it every day.

• Make sure that there is intense emotion connected to your end goal. Try to connect to this daily

and weekly. Every morning on awakening, and every evening before you go to bed visualize yourself

actually DOING & LIVING your dream.... if you are studying to be a surgeon, visualize yourself actually

operating on patients.

• Be specific - picture yourself working on a patient - what is her name? How old is she? Does she have

children? You are known as one of the best surgeons and that is why she has come to see you. And

guess what? You have solutions to her problems and you are going to help her.

• Make sure that your self-talk each day is aligned with your end goal. Before I started competing in

memory competitions I went on a very expensive course on the mind. They recommended using

emotionally lead affirmations to myself each day for 3 months. One of my affirmations was “I have the

best memory in the world”. Another was “It feels amazing to compete against the best in the world

and push my brain to the limit”. Every time I said these words, there was something inside of me that

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rebelled and said, “Of course you don’t have the best memory, don’t be ridiculous.” Do you know

what this voice was? What I was used to. My OLD belief system. How wonderful to know that our

dominant thoughts and words become our reality and we DO have a chance to change our lives to a

large degree.

• Guess what? Just 7 or so months later, I was jetting off to compete at the World Memory Champs.

While I’ve not won the World Memory Champs I have been the best in Africa and the Southern

Hemisphere for the past 4 years and the best I have achieved in couple of events would have placed

me in the top 3 in the world. So yes, I will stamp my feet and testify that the words you speak and the

thoughts that dominate your mind DO affect your current reality.

• DO NOT just nod your head and agree, make sure that a day doesn’t go by without using the power

of affirmations.

• An affirmation that you could use as a guideline: “It feels great to know that I am a qualified doctor

and that I am brilliant at what I do.”

• Another key is to create affirmations around areas you may struggle in e.g. if you struggle with

discipline and following through you may say “It makes me feel wonderful knowing that people get

great benefit from my expertise that I have been able to acquire through discipline and hard work”.

ON A PRACTICAL LEVEL

• How to study 6000 pages of detailed work and excel, including getting through an ear, nose, throat,

and neck and skull surgery degree, one of the most difficult medical degrees.

• Listen and read the answers provided in question 1 to add to this. If you have the luxury of attending

lectures, build up 60-70% of your work in class by applying the summarizing techniques learnt on

the course.

• Take the books you have to study and spread them out in front of you. Each one is a different animal

and will require some different form of approach.

• It may sound like a silly thing to do, but make sure that your brain notices each book and show it

WHY each one is DIFFERENT and what each book’s main focus is.

• Take each book, one at a time, and start to break it down a bit further. What are the key sections in

book 1, 2, 3 etc.

• Draw a very basic foundation of each book comprising the key sections together with the chapters.

• Once you have done this, take a chapter of work and choose an amount of pages that would be a

challenge for you to do. Obviously, it should be a lot easier for you to learn the information if you

have attended lectures but if not, it’s not a problem, it will just require a bit more effort to become

familiar with.

• Apply the Foundation, Detail and Refiner Methods to your work and get an ESTIMATE on how long

it took you to get to the 60-70% retention and understanding level.

• Remember this requires patience so don’t get despondent. Taking knocks is part of the process. You

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NEED to fail in order to get to a stage where you have an exceptional understanding of the work.

The question is, are you prepared to FAIL and GET UP more times than your classmates?

• Once you have an estimate of how long you took and how much you were able to recall and

understand, you may use this as a benchmark and challenge to beat in study sessions to come. This

will help you get through the work and keep you focused. If you were running a race without a

specific time that you were trying to beat, would you perform at your best? How much faster would

you run if you were aware of a previous record that you had set and were trying to beat? Yes, every

subject is different, and each section may be different in length and may require different thought

processes, but getting an estimate on what it would take for say 10 or 20 pages will give you a target

to work towards.

• Always gauge how much you know after each chapter and set a plan in action of when and how you

plan on upping the percentage of your memory and understanding for that chapter.

• We recommend that you write less and less as you add more detail. As you do this start combining

more of the memory techniques such as Linking information together, connecting it to a Key Image,

creating a Story out of it etc.

• Keep a copy of the summary you create in each section as your reference guide to what you have

done. You can also record how much of that section you know and understand, and make a note of

work you still need to do.

• It is recommended that you try to keep 60-70% of the work in your head throughout the term and

between 3-7 days before exam time start to add on smaller detail. In other words, get through the

bulk of ALL the sections and use this as a base to build on closer to exam time.

• After you’ve done this you can apply the Refiner Method to each section to beef up your work and

get closer to the 80-95% mark.

• One of our students, Sujith, was working full time and studying as well. What he did with great success

was apply the above information to his work and he then added the combined Roman Rooms,

Journey and Key Image techniques.

• He knew the hospital where he worked well and strategically broke down the work and placed

the core elements in different sections of the hospital, which then acted as his personal library of

important information. Each section was broken down into various rooms that in turn held key

information. The ear section for example was in the ICU ward and each room held a core section

of important information that in turn could be broken down further. Not only were key bits of

information placed around the hospital in a strategic and structured way, but Sujith combined the

Key Image and Linking Methods with this to maximize his storage capacity and use of space. The

surgery that Sujith would be performing would require intricate attention to detail and literally only

a handful of people in the country are qualified to do this, so to help create meaning and reason

beyond just learning the work, he made sure that every key procedure was practiced in his mind with

a person that he knew well, loved and respected. He practiced a section on the ear thinking that he

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was working on his 4-year-old daughter. Even though he may never operate on his daughter, he will

undoubtedly operate on someone else’s daughter and this inspired and gave him extra energy and

reason beyond merely learning the work.

• Not only is this strategy great for motivation, but by using a specific person who represents each

section of work, you assist your neural pathways to split which helps create clarity. This also makes

the information easier and more enjoyable to learn and definitely aids in the process of memory

consolidation.

• Use Roman Rooms and Journey Techniques on many of the key diagrams you have to learn.

LAW Howtolearnhundredsofcasesanddefinitionsforlawstudents.

• Law students have had incredible results with PowerStudying as there is a huge amount of information

to be learnt and they have to know how to separate and structure the work in a consistent and

creative way. Unfortunately, the dropout rate for law degrees is exceptionally high because of the

workload and the inability most people have to learn effectively.

• Find out from your lecturers and tutors where the most important information lies regarding what

you REALLY need to know about each case.

• You may think that EVERYTHING is important, but certain aspects of each case are critical and others

are not. Make sure you focus your energy on learning the most important facts.

• By focusing on the core information in each case, your reading will become more productive as you

will be looking for the most pertinent information.

• Be very specific with your approach and have a goal for each session. Start with 5 cases and learn

how to remember them. Make each one very different, unique. For example: Mrs. Jones, red curly hair

with a big revolver in her hand... connect all important information to her.

• Try placing Mrs. Jones and others in separate locations on Journeys that are familiar to you.

• By doing 5 cases and seeing how easy it is to remember them, you will become motivated to try to

do more. Use this motivation to your advantage and create a new image in your head of how well

you can do in law. Picture how good you will feel getting a near perfect grade as your knowledge of

this subject is so great.

• Most important: When you are storing cases on Key Images or creating highly imaginative stories

around the case and placing these images, stories or ideas onto your Journeys, it is a really wise idea

to categorise your Journeys into key sections of work. This means that you shouldn’t have many

random cases on any random Journeys. You could put all your Family Law cases on Journeys around

your hometown and your Criminal Law cases around another town you’re familiar with. They must

be separate in your mind. You can tweak this idea to fit your style of learning but make sure that the

information you need to learn can all be found together so it will be easier to locate.

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• You will be amazed at how long you will be able to remember the information for, assuming that you

wish to keep it. Once you’ve learnt the information, say by combining the Key Image Technique or the

Story Technique with the Roman Rooms and Journey Technique, you may in the future overwrite the

information by storing NEW information onto the locations that you used for this specific work, but

this does not mean that you won’t be able to remember the work when prompted to do so. You may

very well in fact be able to remember precise details of the work. The technique or techniques that

you initially used to help remember the work will ultimately fade away but the information will remain.

The techniques are just used to help move the information to long term memory.

• Create Sacred Journeys with consistent patterns of thought that come out of lectures or sections of

work. This means full journeys with core themes that you can use in tests and exams that prove you

don’t just know your work but you understand it as well. You will be able to use core information on

journeys to argue various points.

• Create Sacred Journeys in conjunction with the other techniques you’ve learnt to help store

important work. Look for AHA moments and store these core ideas on Sacred Journeys to help

solidify thought and create firm neural pathways.

• When tackling definitions do the same - just start with a key word or phrase and build from there.

ACTUARIAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERINGHow to excel in your engineering or actuarial science degree

Reality: No easy answers. There are so many different disciplines within each field of actuarial science as well as engineering.

• Mechanical engineering compared to chemical engineering is as different as engineering and

actuarial science.

• The first part of this section will help you on a psychological level and the second part on a

practical level.

• We’ve had the privilege of working closely with many actuarial science students and have spent a

great deal of time customizing how PowerStudying applies to dominating such a practical degree.

We’ve also worked with all the engineering bursary students of one of South Africa’s largest oil

companies - around 400 each year.

• We contacted some 120 professors and heads of department from many Universities around the

world to find out what it took to get through an actuarial science degree. Every response was that

it is impossible to get through the degree without working exceptionally hard. The 2 most consistent

and dominant pieces of advice were:

• Stay up to date each day and each week. Don’t let a week go by without knowing and understanding

the work you’ve done. It is best to do past papers under exam conditions. A certain amount of

wrestling on your own is essential, but once you have gone as far as you can, it would be wise to

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set up a small group that is disciplined enough to work hard and find solutions. The reason this is so

powerful is that it enables you to create space that helps compensate for your weaknesses as well as

helping you leverage off each other’s strengths.

• Theo is a very successful businessman who was asked to do a talk at a local college and he kindly

took time out of his very busy schedule to do so. Throughout his talk students walked in and out,

those who stayed seated chatted amongst themselves and others put their heads on their desks in an

attempt to sleep. The lecturer in attendance was very intrigued by what Theo had to say on how to

succeed in business in today’s fast paced world. She was incredibly thankful that he had come to share

some practical insight into his world and what made him the millionaire he is today - she thanked him

for attending and said that she would love for him to return and share further with some of the other

classes. However, what Theo experienced shocked and saddened him. He said he would never go

back, commenting that people do not know what it means to work hard these days. The students in

attendance were rude, lazy and did not really have any desire to bring value to the world; they had a

”give me what I want without much effort on my part” attitude. This breeds an unproductive,

inactive workforce.

• Actuarial science and engineering are highly specialized career choices and because of this, the

opportunities that come from qualifications in these fields are vast. Almost all the successful students

who have excelled in these fields have created mastermind groups not only to help keep them on

track with the work, but to excel and thrive.

• Think about the Tour the France cycling race. The team is the number 1 contributing factor to the

success of an individual. Of course the person who wins the race would have trained intensively, eaten

right, slept well, etc. but the team has all worked to their strengths to help the individual win. So how

does this apply to you and getting through this tough degree? You also need to team up or collaborate

with exceptional people.

• A group of close friends at University who were studying chemical engineering called themselves the

Chemical Brothers although there were 2 girls in the group. They worked incredibly hard together, and

also leveraged off each other’s strengths and found ways to compensate for each other’s weaknesses.

They were close - not only did they work and attend lectures together but they also went out and

had fun together. The community they created enabled them to find a very healthy balance between

working hard, playing hard and developing meaningful friendships.

• Picture getting through by being in the ring with a really big giant who is known for knocking his

opponents out cold... The stats are unfortunately not in your favour as this giant is renowned for his

incredibly good track record of winning. So you must fight with all your resources!

• The desert period unfortunately has to be endured by people who want to make something

wonderful out of their lives. It doesn’t mean that there is no water or food in the desert, but what

it does mean is that you may very well feel that you invest over and over and over again into your

dream by giving your time, money, energy and possibly even your whole heart, but find that the

rewards you get out are not evenly matched to your investment.

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• Hold on and keep giving because if you can hold on long enough the land of milk and honey will be a

place where you will be able to reap what you have sowed in the desert.

REMEMBER THE FINEST STEEL GETS SENT THOUGH THE HOTTEST FURNACE, SO CONSIDER

YOURSELF FINE..

Ok, so that is enough psychological talk, here is some practical advice to help you get

through successfully. The reality is that 8 hours of lectures leaves very little time to study. It seems like quite a contradiction, but with actuarial science and engineering you could be at a disadvantage

if you spend much of your time learning. I am obviously referring to the majority of your subjects that are

practical in nature. Let me expand on what I mean by “not learning”

What you need to do is make sure you understand in class. Grasp the concept when it’s discussed. Don’t

leave until you at least partially understand the lecture. At home, go over the day’s work, and make sure you

understand what was covered - reinforce your understanding of the concepts by practicing a few examples.

Sure, this is a very hard thing to do. Probably at least 95% of your class won’t have time to do this, but at

least try and commit one short, focused session each day to doing it. It will really set you apart and give you

leverage that the rest of the class won’t have. We remember a girl at University who managed to do this

every day after lectures when the rest of the class said it was impossible to find the time. She was the top

student in the class! So do it every day, without fail.

Here is another essential - if you have the privilege of attending tutorials or smaller workshops make sure

you fully grasp the concepts: The biggest learning takes place when practicing examples. You must take

advantage of the wonderful guidance you get from tutors.

In a 3-hour tutorial you might only get 4 questions. These 4 questions might translate into 3 pages of writing

which could take you 25 minutes to write out. However, in reality it took you 2.5 hours to understand

enough to then be able to write it down.

Get assistance, try something else, and think of things differently. Never, ever leave a tutorial without knowing

and understanding each concept taught. Make it a rule and stick to it, in hot, cold, windy, rainy, stormy, even

hurricane weather. Don’t let yourself off the hook!

Many successful people in engineering practice repeatedly until the concept becomes ingrained.

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We know students who have learnt an entire textbook and failed the exam. You need to understand what

you are learning.

Generally, you should spend 10-15% of your time making sure you know key concepts taught, and the other

85-90% of your time practicing examples. It may even take 19 hours’ practice and 1 hour of learning.

Visualize what is going on... most questions will require practical application. So the more you add Visualization

and Novelty Techniques, the easier it will be for you to recall.

Mechanical and chemical engineering - set of equations to design a heat exchanger - visualize what a heat

exchanger looks like and what it does. Energy is transferred from the hot substance to the cold substance

indirectly, and this is done in a piece of equipment that is basically a series of tubes within a larger pipe. So

as you visualize what is going on, the equations and the methodology that you need to solve the problem

become a lot clearer. You should be able to see if you are on track or not. You could easily mix up a plus or

minus sign, so you need to have an idea in your mind of what an answer could be. It needs to make sense.

What you need to understand is that in answering all questions you should write out all your methodology

as in most cases it counts for 70% of the marks. If you just calculate your answer and give the correct answer

that will probably count for 1 mark. Understanding the process behind any answer is where the marks lie.

There are a few fundamental concepts that all other concepts and theories branch off from... so make

sure that you understand what these are. If you are not sure, ask your lecturers or tutors. Remember the

Pareto Principal, which states that 80% of your marks will come from 20% of the key information.

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DIAGRAMS Below is an example of how to learn diagrams.

• If this were an event at the World Memory Champs, there are two main approaches that competitors

would use to tackle it. Option 1 is a more time consuming, but solid approach. Option 2 is faster and

the recommended one.

1) You could imagine this diagram with the key names of the parts of the brain in different locations

of a Journey you are familiar with. For example, you could work in a clockwise rotation in the order

of the diagram, starting with the PINEAL gland. You could place PIN and EEL on the wall in your 1st

location, the FRONTAL LOBES in the FRONT of your second location etc. Ensure that the parts of

the brain are stored in a location that includes information on the diagram to give you a clue as to

what it looks like.

TEMPORAL LOBE

HYPOTHALAMUS

PINEAL GLAND

HIPPOCAMPUS

CORPUS COLLOSUM

RETICULAR ACTIVATINGSYSTEM

FRONTALLOBES

AMYGDALE

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2) Use the diagram as your Key Image. Combine both the WORD and the IMAGE (what it looks

like). Marry the two and make sure that when you think of the first one it triggers the others e.g.

the PINEAL gland. As you can see, it looks like a big black dot or even an eye. You could imagine a

PIN going through the EYE of the EEL. HIPPOCAMPUS - the stripy area of the brain shown in the

diagram could be the home where a HIPPO CAMPS. You could even imagine the hippo sliding down

that section of the brain and being very protective of it.

• Do this with all the words in the diagram and then ideally revise it once to reinforce the images and

the clever left and right brain connections you have made. Once you’ve done this, cover up each part

and see if you can recall them.

• Photocopy each of your diagrams WITHOUT the names or words you need to know on them and

apply the effective revision strategy with trying to recall the key information. This will help reinforce

your knowledge as well as the connections you’ve made.

• The initial funny or creative connection you make will ultimately FADE AWAY, but the information will

remain in your long-term memory. Even though it might seem like more work initially, the long-term

rewards of working like this will FAR outweigh the initial effort put in.

• You can make each diagram work to act as a Key image for you to store other information onto.

Many students isolate core diagrams as Key Images, do what we suggested above and go on to ace

their exams.

• See and treat your work like an onion. Get through it layer by layer and keep making progress. You

will need several attempts at each section to go deeper, but every time you do, your brain will be

remembering more and more... assuming that you have something to build on from the previous time.

• You can even take it further - say you have 5 pages of work that you can draw out from 1 key

diagram. (Which is actually very easy to do) If you have 1 journey of 20 locations you can technically

store 100 pages of work on this, assuming that 1 diagram would go on each location. 5 pages on a

diagram x 20 locations = 100 pages. Bingo

GRAPHS

• There are a million and one graphs so it is hard to generalize on how to best study them, but this

insight will help you to be strategic in your approach to learning graphs.

• Firstly, you need to understand that a graph is just a representation of information.

• Your aim should never be to learn a graph off by heart, but you should rather aim to understand

key components that make up that particular graph and be able to speak on all the changes that will

result if one of the components were manipulated.

• Do your best to understand the equations that are represented in the graph. As a very simple

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example, let’s look at a straight-line graph. The equation is y = mx + c. You will obviously need to

know the key components making up this equation. You would find out that m is the gradient and

what you need to do to find the gradient. You would also find out that in order for you to find the

x-axis you make y = 0 and for the y-axis you make x = 0, and so on. Once you have done this you

can start to practice examples based on what you have learnt to help reinforce what you have learnt

as well as giving yourself a deeper understanding of what is going on in the graph.

• Ask yourself: What is going on here? What does the x-axis represent and what does the y-axis

represent? What relationship is this trying to convey? If you can get to the heart of what the graph is

trying to represent, you will start to understand the relationships involved which will in turn help you

understand various questions that might be asked on this subject.

• You need to understand the fundamentals: A sine wave looks like a repeating squiggle or oscillating

wave. However, you need to understand what information would be represented by a sine wave,

before just learning the graph off by heart.

• Because it is oscillating, you visually see a sine wave, and the reason it oscillates is because of whatever

understanding you have of the equations or principles relating to that graph. Straight line or a parabola

or points that you are connecting or even a 3D graph...

• Visualize all of these and try connecting the equations you need to know with what is going on in

each of the graphs.

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MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS

When I started PowerStudying in 2004, I had no idea that students would be able to apply the memory and

study techniques that I showed them to improve in mathematics. After a while I started hearing story after

story of how maths exam marks had gone up by 30, 40%. I was impressed and excitedly started to learn

from the many students who had improved in maths. Even though I am not an expert on maths or stats,

hopefully you will obtain insight into how to work more strategically with these subjects.

My maths teacher at high school was passionate about her subject and was good at teaching it. She used to

tell us about her star pupil, Johan. Johan had failed maths dismally in senior primary school... when he was

around 13 years of age his teacher wrote in his report card that he was exceptionally weak at it and should

not attempt to do maths as a subject in high school. Johan made a choice that day to prove his teacher

wrong. He went to extra maths lessons in high school and when he received his report card 5 years later

what do you think was the first thing he did? He visited his senior primary school teacher with 2 reports in

his hands. The first showed her comments that he should never do maths as a subject in the future, and the

second report showed what he got for higher-grade maths... 97%! Johan not only made a choice when he

was 13 to do well in maths, but he backed up this decision with daily hard work.

Doing maths and stats is similar to playing the violin. Anyone can get good enough to play at a party but

not many will turn pro.

Unfortunately, there is no substitute for practice and if you are serious about doing well in maths and stats, it

is recommended that you put in at least 1 - 2 hours of practice a day. That is what Johan did and it definitely

paid off for him.

Have a maths or stats diary that you use to record your daily performance and to note any mistakes you

made that day. It is vital that you make notes of where you have gone wrong... to ensure that you don’t make

the same mistakes in the future.

You should split your time into a maximum of 10-15% making sure that you know key terminology, equations

etc. and 85-90% practicing and perfecting what you have learnt by doing examples.

It is essential that you have a thorough understanding of the terminology of both

maths and stats.

This acts as your personal library that you access when trying to solve problems. Your focus should be

on becoming faster and more proficient in solving problems. If you do not fully grasp or understand the

terminology your speed will be negatively affected.

What this 10-15% of your time should look like - report back from students who’ve come back to show

us how well they’ve done - was consistently that they had simply grouped or chunked key concepts and

sections of work together and built onto each section systematically.

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It was very clear in their minds as to which equations were meant for each specific section. Building clarity

like this right in the beginning helped ensure that practice time was most productive and avoided confusion.

For example: you are doing 3 sections of work and each section has 7 key equations that you need to know.

In total, you would have to know and understand 21 separate equations that unlock 3 sections of work. This

may seem obvious, but it is essential that you know which formulas belong to which section of work. Once

you have grouped key concepts you would need to know and understand each of the concepts. You may

have the luxury of being provided with a formula sheet during the exams, but if you don’t have this then do

your best to come up with a creative way to remember each equation or formula.

One past student had great success by grouping key equations and assigning a key image to each part of

the equation and then storing that little story, with his key images, in separate rooms and journeys. So one

room may have represented say trigonometry equations and another room may have been filled with

algebra equations.

Obviously all of this would be useless UNLESS you practiced using these equations with examples. 85-90%

of your time as stated should be used to practice example after example. The more you practice the easier

it will be to remember the equation. Your initial method of remembering each equation will ultimately also

fade away, but will assist the initial learning process from short term to long term.

We recommend that you start with the simplest of examples and work your way up to more hectic

questions.

Save huge amounts of time by studying theory more intelligently and effectively. This buys you time for

practicing maths and stats.

In order for you to get faster and more proficient you need to group and arrange concepts in a methodical,

systematic and structured way that makes sense to you.

There are a number of ways you can make sure that you grasp concepts taught to you on a daily basis. You

can personally just wrestle through the problems until you get it. This will be rewarding once you get the

concept but is often costly on time. A strategic method will be to find diligent people in your class who

can act as your mastermind group. Be careful of who you choose to partner with. Also, seek advice from

your tutors and lecturers.

It is essential that you do not fall behind so do everything in your power to grasp each concept taught each

day, and make sure you file this information in your brain in a way that enables quick and easy access in

the future.

Initiallearningisalwaysthemostdifficultandrequiresthemostamountofenergyso

structure your time with this in mind.

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of the will” – Vince Lombardi

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ORAL PRESENTATION / SPEECHES

How to get 100% for an oral presentation

Delivering at speed without notes

• Open with a captivating story. Don’t give your topic away, build up some form of suspense, draw them

in and at the end of the story let them know what your oral is on and why you chose that topic.

• It’s ideal to speak on something you are passionate about. It will show. Hint: if they are not going to

talk about your presentation and what they learnt later with friends, then choose something that they

will talk about… in a good way that is.

• World-class communication means that your listeners will understand what you are saying and feel

what you are feeling.

• Oral presentations are generally short. Aim to include between 3-5 main points or themes. Anything

more could give your audience information overload. Rather say less but let that information be

powerful and meaningful.

• Each point or theme may have other information attached to it. Everyone loves a good story, so feel

free to add smaller detail in the form of a story. Do not overkill it though.

• Do not speak too fast or too slowly. Make a dramatic pause when you have said something important.

• Take your audience on a journey. If you are not excited about your topic, how can you expect them

to be? Move them, get them to think, stir them up. Be passionate and show that you’ve done

your homework.

• End by bringing everything together and then do your best to end on a very powerful note. Generally,

the beginning and end will be embedded in their minds the strongest.

• Practice in front of a mirror so that you will be confident when it comes to doing your talk in front of

the class.

• When the time comes, act confident, look at your audience as you speak and just enjoy

the experience.

• Memorizing your oral or speech: Use the Journey or Roman Rooms Technique to help

store all the main points of your presentation in your mind. A good idea is if you know the location

you will be delivering your oral or speech, go there beforehand and place all the key bits or main

points around the room in a strategic, logical order. Then when you get up to deliver the speech, you

just look around the room and all the points will be there. This will also ensure that you don’t forget

anything if you work your way around the room focusing on each storage location you created.

• With practice, you will get faster and a lot more confident in doing this.

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100 PAGES IN JUST 1 HOUR

How to learn 100 pages of work in 1 hour with 70% retention

• It will take maybe 2-3 years of practice to get to this place but it is very do-able.

• Listen to the Invisible or No Writing Method, as the third option explains this.

• Unfortunately, this method does not apply to novels with huge amounts of information.

• In my last year at University I could get through 100 pages of work in 3.5-4 hours with around 80-

90% retention, getting me around 75% overall for a test. Now I often learn 150 pages on a 1-hour

flight with around 70% retention.

• You need to ensure that you have enough journey space in your head. To give you an idea: I currently

have 50 journeys of 20 locations (1000 places) in my head that I use frequently. Dr. Yip from China has

100 000 locations. Many of the ancient Romans and Greeks were known to have had as many as

100 000 locations as storage space!

• So it is recommended that you have at least 10 journeys of 20 places to start with, which would be

200 storage locations.

• OK so let’s assume you need to know 100 pages of work in a week’s time and you only have 1 hour

to study for it.

• This is pretty much the same as the Invisible Method and storing directly onto journeys. Start with

storing the core heading or sub heading. Once you’ve done this then move on to the smaller detail.

• Make sure you are in alpha state, use the time frame method aka Parkinson’s Law, using your 2

memory muscles - become familiar and then try to recall without looking - revise every 2 to 3

pages etc.

• First, break down the 100 pages into distinct sections in your mind. Let’s say there are 7 key sections

or chapters – make sure each chapter starts a new journey. This will help keep things clear in

your mind.

• Isolate key headings into different categories or prominent locations on each journey.

• If Chapter 1 was say 15 pages, you would break down this chapter into the core pillars which you

would store directly onto your Journey No. 1 and once you have done say 3 pages you would go

back and reinforce what you have learnt. Only when you feel you know the core components will you

start to build the smaller information around that... the NEXT most important information.

• If you run out of space, and Chapter 1 cannot fit onto Journey 1, then you can start another journey

but when you are ready to start Chapter 2, you should ideally start Chapter 2 on a new journey too.

• At the beginning of each journey or chapter, make a wild or obvious sign showing you what the

chapter is about.

• E.g. World War 2: Hitler is Chapter 1, so at the beginning of the journey you could picture Hitler doing

something funny or weird...

• If you can’t think of how to picture the chapter heading at the beginning of the journey then visualise

a big sign on the wall. e.g. “Hitler plans to conquer the world...with a scary photo of him...!”

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• Be as creative as you can with your storage space to try and make it fit with the information you

need to learn. e.g. if Hitler had 4 key strategies of attack that he implemented and this section of work

happens to be in your room or a friend’s room, these 4 strategies may be found in each one of your

4 drawers.

• Use a pen or pencil as well as your finger while you go through your notes. This will help keep your

vision focused on the core information and help you structure the work in your head.

• If you need to keep information for a long period, make sure that you put it on Sacred Journeys. In

other words, once you have placed information onto this, DO NOT place other information over it

until you don’t mind letting go of it.

• If you learn over the work, it does not mean that you will forget what you previously learnt, but it may

just be more difficult to remember the information with perfect recall.

• By storing information onto Journeys, you aid in transferring the learning process from short term to

long term so even if you do overwrite a Journey the information should still be quite solidly imprinted

in your mind.

• Find out how much information you can store in your head before you need to revise. Just because

you may be able to store 5 pages in a few minutes, it does not mean you will be able to do the same

with up to 50 pages. Obviously your speed will slow down the more pages you need to do, so be

sure to go back to revise the work that you have learnt. Remember, this is the same as spinning plates.

If you don’t go back and spin the plate again, it will drop... and you don’t want this to happen because

your brain can only build on to what it already knows, so if key information drops it means nothing

else can build on to it... at least it can technically, but it is a lot harder to do so.

• This will take a long time to get right but at least you have a solid approach to use if you are willing to

put in the time that will get you results.

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MAXIMIzING YOUR STUDY TIME

NO WRITING INVISIBLE METHOD

This is an incredible summarizing method to use because it will really help you if you put it into practice.

There are ideally 3 ways in which you can use the No Writing Method to achieve wonderful results in

your studies. • Breakdowntheinformationyouarelearning,firstinyourmind,theninyour

recall, and then try to draw out the summary as you remember it.

You can use this technique while doing the Foundation and Detail Methods. Instead of just drawing out

your summaries as you perform the Foundation and Detail Methods with your work, you can save a

great deal of time by learning to break down the work first in your head, or by using a highlighter, or by

underlining your work. Simply take your first 2 to 3 pages of work, break the 3 pages down in your mind

and get through them without writing anything down. You may need to see them twice or even a third

time for the information to start to stick. Be as active as you need to with your reading. You may wish to

circle key information with a pencil, draw strategic lines to direct your thinking or even write key words or

thoughts in the margin of your page. This is high brain functioning stuff so make sure you are in alpha state.

Once you have broken down the information (assuming you are using the Foundation Method), try to

recall what you have done on a blank sheet paper. So the first time you actually write anything is when

you are trying to recall what you’ve broken down in your mind.

This method will save you a great deal of time as you are not being limited purely by writing, but are using

your writing time as a chance to check what you know. Writing is an incredibly time consuming activity

and it is a known fact that the brain moves way faster than the speed at which one can write. So you can

understand why this is so powerful... but it needs to be practiced and perfected. If you can’t remember

something, it will force your brain to think hard about it and will even direct your brain where to look.

• You can add directly onto your summaries.

You may have learnt 60-75% of your work after applying the Foundation and Detail Methods but obviously

you want to try to beef up your knowledge as much as possible and this method can help you do just that.

What you need to do is use your summaries as the core foundation that you are going to build onto.

The difference with this is simply that you are adding to your knowledge from what you already know from

the Foundation and Detail Methods. Add to your summaries in a different coloured pen AFTER you have

spent time allowing your brain to pick up the smaller details of the work; then use the Reading and Speed

Reading Techniques to help you add all pertinent information to your already somewhat firm foundation.

The key here is trying to add 2-3 extra pieces of surrounding information, taking into account the Pareto

Principle, which states that 80% of our success is the result of 20% of our actions. In other words, NOT

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EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT. Use your discretion to ascertain what you believe is the next most

important information.

So in a nutshell, you are building onto your summaries without writing everything down...

• YoucanstoreinformationdirectlytoJourneys

This will take some time to practice but is well worth the investment. You would ideally have enough pre set

journey or location space available and would start by placing key headings and subheadings onto various

places in a systematic way. (The Foundation Method) It would be best to revise every 2-3 pages or so...

as you have learnt before. You would then start to add detail once you feel that your main headings and

subheadings are secured in your long-term or semi long-term memory bank. The powerful thing about

this strategy is that you start storing information you feel is most important and once you have done this,

you can add the next most important information etc. This is the exact same process as going through

the Foundation, Detail, Refiner, Consolidation Methods as before, the only difference here is that you are

doing this and storing the information directly onto Journeys instead of writing them out in the form of

a summary. And the great thing is that you are getting 80% of the work done with 20% of the effort by

focusing and isolating what you believe is the most important information. AND you are saving extra time

by skipping over the writing phase completely. The only way to get better and faster at this is summed up

in one word... PRACTICE!

LASER LIkE CONCENTRATION • Howtodeveloptheartandscienceofworld-classconcentration

• People don’t necessarily have a CONCENTRATION problem but more of a CONTENT problem.

The secret is thus to change your ATTITUDE towards the work and make it way more meaningful,

relevant and emotionally significant. It will take effort but remember that your brain doesn’t know

what is real or not, only what YOU tell it.

• Your brain will always be drawn towards those things that are most exciting, relevant, meaningful and

emotionally significant to you.

• The best advice on concentration is, “Wherever you are, be ALL there”.

• Get into alpha state. You cannot stress there.

• Create intrinsic and extrinsic rewards for yourself. Intrinsic means those rewards that make you get

excited about how good you will feel when you achieve your goal, your internal feelings. Extrinsic

refers to a tangible reward that you can give yourself such as: “I will only go out to watch a movie

with friends if I learn 70% of 9 and 10” - the external rewards.

• Always ensure you are able to quantify the work you have done. This will motivate you to aim at an

actual goal or amount of work to be covered and keep yourself on track.

• Remember that motivation is a by-product of action.

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ENHANCING YOUR UNDERSTANDING How to radically improve your understanding of a subject

• Start by accepting that you know little or nothing and that you are willing to learn.

• Commit to becoming an expert in the subject. It might only be a short course that you are doing, but

you could become an expert in that subject for that semester.

• See yourself as the expert, even lecturing 1000 people on the subject.

• Pre-read before class using the Foundation Method.

• Start building on detail in class.

• If you doodle (when you summarize your work in a relaxed way) in context, you increase your

understanding by 400%. If you doodle in context and in colour, you increase your understanding

by 700%.

• Allow a day for the information to settle in.

• Revise after a day, then a week, then a month.

• Build on as you revise.

• Have a pen and paper next to your bed for AHA moments as well as when you are walking around

your home or around campus... flashes of insight will come if you invite and allow them. These

flashes of insight are directly connected to your desire and reason behind wanting to have a deeper

understanding of the subject... your hippocampus responds to your desires and works in conjunction

with your amygdale or emotional brain.

• Speak to friends about what you have learnt, at appropriate times, and engage in a discussion if those

friends have been studying the same material. Understanding is deepened through experience.

• In order for you to increase your understanding, you need to increase your amount of ACTION

around the subject and be prepared to fail many times in the pursuit of going deeper with the

knowledge.

• Do extra reading and research. Is there a captivating movie on the subject? Is there a knowledgeable

person you can interview or ask further questions on the subject?

• Pick your lecturers’ brains, find out if there are others way of understanding the work. Get them to go

over material after class if you are still battling to grasp the concepts.

• Force yourself to ask as many questions as it takes to get more understanding.

Intelligentpracticeisalwaysawinnerbutmakesureyourecordandreflectonyour

mistakes.Keepgettingbetter.

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HOW TO BOOST YOUR CREATIVITY/IMAGINATION

Einstein said that genius is the ability to put into effect what is on your mind. It’s no use having a great

amount of creativity unless there is some benefit that comes from it. This can be in the form of pure fun

and fulfilment and not necessarily something tangible, but the goal here is to create some form of reward

or fruit from your ideas and creativity.

Whether you are left brain or right brain dominant, creativity is vitally important. Stick to your strengths. If

you are more left brained, team up with people who are more right brained and vice versa.

Creativity and imagination can be developed extensively over time with continual input and practice. We are

all born with a natural ability to be wildly imaginative, but sadly after time a ‘maturing’ mentality sets in and

we stop using our imagination. Start making a conscious effort to re-ignite it, so bring back your youthful,

wild imagination.

Let’s say your friends invite you to go away on holiday with them but you don’t have enough money.. NEVER

get in the habit of saying to yourself: “I can’t afford to go...” This is the height of creative laziness and lets

your brain off the hook so it doesn’t need to find an answer to your problem. What you need to rather do

is ask yourself ”What do I need to do to be able to afford the holiday?” All creative geniuses have realized

this and are continually giving themselves problems that help facilitate the creative process whereby their

brains churn out answers.

Walt Disney had the dream to open Disneyland and was known for giving his engineers tasks that they said

were impossible. Disney wanted a rainbow coloured waterfall in his first Disneyland but his engineers said

it was not possible... He refused to accept defeat and continued to press on. The colours kept washing into

each other but that was OK... they did not give up as Disney refused to accept no for an answer. Finally, the

rainbow waterfall was developed and was a major success.

Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, inventor, and a multi millionaire before the age of 30, dropped out

of University and dropped in on calligraphy classes that later resulted in the inclusion of fonts in computers.

You too have innate creative ability. What is your magic? Start to find ways to nurture it so you can build

confidence and momentum.

Take beagle hunting - we have a beagle and whenever there is a storm she runs outside and howls with

excitement. The other dogs hide under the table, but the beagle is in her element. She is a hunting dog and

the thunder reminds her somehow of shots being fired which means the hunt is on. She has never been

hunting but deep down there is excitement in her that she can’t help but pay attention to. You need to view

your future and your career the same way.

Start to see all the possible options around your problems. Expand ideas and concepts as often as you can.

Feel free to test concepts.

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Visit and spend time at places that enable your creative juices to run wild. Create space, whatever “space”

means to you, for this to grow. Find things that help it thrive.

It is one thing to conjure up the ideas; it is a whole other thing to land them. Go wild with your brainstorming

but make sure that when you are finished throwing ideas around, you have a plan of action about pinning

down these ideas into goals and smaller tasks with a deadline. If you are not the person who is going to land

the idea then can you delegate the idea to someone else?

Be accountable by telling someone you trust about the ideas you are working on. Create a network of

friends who complement your thinking and who are hopefully somewhat different when it comes to helping

you ensure that your creativity materializes, so that you all benefit from each other.

Aristotle said that thinking requires leisure. So make sure that your life is filled with exciting things that you

look forward to and help you relax.

Because of the fact that your brain only builds onto what it already knows, be sure to have a tangible way

of reflecting your thoughts and ideas as well as the action plans that follow these.

Some ideas can be used straight away. Others could take years to mature.... like a fine wine. The secret

is trying to discern the season for when each great idea is meant to be birthed in... A few months ago I

couldn’t sleep all night because 6 years’ worth of ideas all came together in the middle of the night in one

big fell swoop... I was buzzing for weeks after as if on a caffeine high. This would not have happened if I hadn’t

developed the habit of creating space to think and dream, but even more importantly, always searching for

ways in which my ideas and dreams could become reality.

Pray for wisdom.

“Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there ”– Will Rogers

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BEST MOTIVATION STRATEGIESHow to get through a dip: How to get a boost of motivation

The future will never come and take you by the hand, you need to get up and go get it.

Action produces motivation, if you start to act, motivation will follow.

You might get SO close to just throwing in the towel, but hang in there.

When creating a desired end goal using the 3 biggest motivators will help you. They are

1) Desire for Gain

2) Fear of loss and

3) To love or be loved

As hard as it may be to do this, be grateful for your dips or challenges. It could very well mean you are

getting close to breakthrough.

Create a collage with your favourite things that you love and that get you excited.

Life is tough. It helps to know this. When things are going really well see it as a bonus and celebrate. When

they are not, do your very best to endure the trial.

Understand that there are good and bad times, just as the tide comes in and goes out. The tide will change

and you will get through this and become a stronger person on the other side of it.

The finest steel is sent through the hottest furnace so feel privileged that you are being shaped. Another

way of saying this is: “The fire of suffering brings forth the gold of godliness.”

Try to spend time with wise people to get your mind off problems. You do not have to share everything

with them but you can let them know that you are going through a difficult time and that you would really

appreciate their support. It will make it a lot easier if you have been there for them previously as well, so

connect with family and friends in good times and bad.

If the burden is very big and too much to burden your friends, family or partner with then try to find a good

therapist who will work with you on a professional level.

A really great piece of advice from a business coach - when things seem hectic and you feel overwhelmed...

draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper and on the left side write: ME and on the right side write:

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GOD, or even the word FAITH. On the left, list all the things that you need to do that day and on the

right side of the page list all the things that you need God to cover, or need the faith to believe will get

done without you. This is a very liberating task to do and allows you to avoid being stuck in your thinking

or actions.

It is often a good thing to write out all the things that are causing you to get stuck. Your imagination can easily

get the better of you and exaggerate problems that may not actually exist. Write everything that is on your

mind and then start to tackle each item one by one. Make a note of rewarding yourself or at least noticing

the progress that you are making, however small or insignificant it may seem.

A great book by Seth Godin called “The Dip” explains that one needs to be wise in discerning whether to

press on through a dip, or quit. Godin argues that all successful people need to realize that there are dips

and there are dead ends and that knowing which one of these you are in is vital for achieving success. Even

though this is not easy, keep asking yourself ”Is this a dead end that is not getting me anywhere? Or is this a

dip that I need to push through?” Once you’ve made your mind up, commit yourself 100% to what you aim

to achieve. This type of thinking is always critical to success as it helps you gain focus and clarity.

HOW TO AVOID PROCRASTINATION

A basic definition of procrastination is putting off things that you should be doing now. This happens with

all of us time after time.

What will make a big difference to your success is your ability to recognize procrastination and promptly

take it under control, before this bad habit steals your opportunities and damages your ability to study

effectively.

The ability to get things done and overcome procrastination is one of the most important skills to master if

you wish to do well. Do not occupy yourself with random activities, wasting time instead of getting around

to the truly important things.

So what causes procrastination?

It can be as simple as

• Waiting for the right mood

• Waiting for the right time

• Lack of clear goals

• Underestimating the difficulty of the tasks

• Underestimating the time required to complete the tasks

• Fear of failure

• Perfectionism

The list can go on, and on…

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What can you do to avoid procrastination?

Understanding that the future is not just going to arrive and take you by the hand is the first step in the

right direction. Motivation begins to grow with action, never the other way around. Do not wait to feel

motivated before you get to work, as this will never happen. Forcing yourself to start on what you need

to be doing will begin the cogs of motivation. Develop your plan

• A project is easier when it is built in stages; start small and add detail and complexity as you achieve

and grow. Don’t try to build Rome in a day, you will feel overwhelmed before you start and will only

worsen your procrastination.

• Have a realistic view on how much time each section of work will take and put a schedule in place to

help keep you on track.

• Have a set time of day, week, etc. when you dedicate yourself to work. This helps you develop a new

habit of working. Build a good working environment, and distance yourself from distractions.

• Put rewards in place that you know you will receive when you reach a certain target to help you keep

your eyes on the ball.

• Get people around you to help motivate you and monitor your progress. If you know you are being

watched it often helps you focus and get going. Like when you have an exercise buddy, if you know they

are going to be waiting for you at the track at 5am you have to get up and go.

Don’t be too hard on yourself

1. Take false starts and mistakes for what they are, learning experiences. They can be more important

than successes and give meaning to experience.

2. Distractions will always be an issue; you just need to learn to manage them - don’t try to deny they

exist, but deny their temptation.

3. Allow yourself to get frustrated when things don’t seem to be going right. Then take a step back,

review the situation, and try to rectify it before continuing. Don’t keep doing the same thing

repeatedly if it is not working for you.

4. Admitting that you have had a problem with procrastination and recognizing it will help you put

measures into place to do something about it.

5. Looking ahead and seeing yourself succeeding can go a long way in helping you avoid

procrastination and provide the get up and go you need to make your dreams a reality.

Finally, if procrastination is a habit of yours, focus on the immediate task or project, and build up from there.

Each journey begins with one step.

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FREE ONLINE RESOURCESVALUABLE INFORMATION THAT WILL DEEPEN YOUR kNOWLEDGE.

Please note: We have done our best to provide you with some excellent free resources available to expand

your horizons and keep you growing.

A library of incredibly good extra information on a variety of effective studying topics:

http://www.studygs.net

Great articles on memory and learning. In small print at the top left side you will find “Accelerated

Learning” Click on it for extra articles: www.happychild.org.uk

Visit the World Memory Championships website for interesting insight into the world of memory as a

competitive sport: www.worldmemorychampionships.com

The most valuable website on the Internet: You will need a fair amount of bandwidth to download a

wide variety of 20-minute videos: www.ted.com

Over 50 great problem-solving strategies explained:

http://www.une.edu.au/bcss/psychology/john-malouff/problem-solving.php

POWERFUL RESEARCH TOOLS TO FIND ANSWERS QUICkLY:

Business is ALL about becoming brilliant at solving problems. Use the research tools below.

www.google.com/reader

Tip: Search for groups and communities that will provide great advice and support, but be careful, even

ruthless regarding the information that you accept. Delete any groups that have more spam than meat.

NB: Make sure that “All items” are viewed in “List view” and not “Expanded view”. By only seeing the main

headlines of the RSS feeds you will be able to sift through large quantities of information, articles and

answers that will be most beneficial to you, on a daily and weekly basis.

www.yahoo.com/groups

Tip: This is another very powerful tool that will enable you to connect with literally thousands of people

with similar interests from around the world. We recommend that you join the WWBC (worldwide brain

club) for an extensive library of day-to-day conversations from some of the best minds on memory, speed

of learning and concentration. This group was created in 1999. You can post questions on subjects you are

having difficulty with and receive advice and answers.

‘If you think education is expensive, try ignorance’ – Andy McIntyre

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bONUS INFORMATION

ADVICE TO PARENTSThe best advice I would give parents with young children about increasing their productivity in school

from an early age

• You have learnt a vast amount from PowerStudy that you will be able to massage into your child’s brain

on a daily basis. The key of course is to try to help your children apply intelligent thinking to each of

their daily study sessions.

• Amongst Sasol’s top bursary students was a student who got 8 As in his final exams at school. He said

he’d been thinking along the lines of our teaching since starting school at age 6. He’d struggled until

an occupational therapist working with him daily taught him basic study skill principles which became

second nature.

• An interesting study was done by Elton Mayo between the years of 1924-1927 at the Hawthorne

Works (a Western Electric factory outside Chicago). Hawthorne Works commissioned a study to see if

its workers would become more productive in higher or lower levels of light. The workers’ productivity

seemed to improve when changes were made but slumped when the study was concluded. It was

suggested that the productivity gain was due to the motivational effect of the interest being shown in

them. Sometimes all that might be required to see an improvement in your child’s behaviour or marks

is to give them your attention.

• 2 things everyone needs - 1. Autonomy 2. Self mastery

• The ancient Greeks’ approach to teaching was to show students what they needed to do and then

let them to do it. The Hebrews had a very different approach. They would teach students what they

needed to do and then continue to give them guidance and assistance for a number of years to ensure

their full understanding. It is obvious which approach was the most effective - anyone who has continual

mentoring or coaching ultimately gets the foundations required for solid growth.

• Teach them the importance of hard work, love, relationships and play.

• Behaviour that is rewarded is behaviour that is repeated. There are internal rewards that affect the

person internally, like the way they feel. For example; ”If you get good results for the upcoming exam

I am going to be so proud of you”. External rewards refer to rewards that are more tangible, like

getting something. For example; “if you get good results for the upcoming exam you can have that new

PlayStation game you want”.

• Words have the power to shape their destiny. Always be sure you build your children up - NEVER tear

them down with the words you use.

• Separate your child from their wrongdoing. Punish the wrongdoing; don’t attack them personally. What

they do and who they are, are completely different. Take every opportunity you can to affirm them, lift

them up and give positive reinforcement.

• Seek to find where their areas of skill, passion and values lie. Feed them emotionally as much as you can.

Gently but firmly steer them away from areas that they are weak at and let them become more and

more aware of being allowed to focus on their strengths.

• Schools unfortunately don’t generally allow kids to thrive in their areas of strength, but often do the

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opposite. Let’s say your child does really badly at art in school. Where would most of the effort then

be placed? On art. So you are encouraged to put effort into your weakest areas. This doesn’t

make sense.

• Richard Branson’s parents realized that he had a very courageous streak and at the tender age of

4 dropped him off miles from home and told him to find his way home. They also set many other

challenges up for him, as they knew this inspired and challenged him.

FORMULA FOR SUCCESS & PERSONAL MAGIC

I am a firm believer in sticking to your strengths as ruthlessly as you can.

My goal has been to compete at the World Memory Champs so I can develop the best memory in the

world, and to make this information available to others. My gift is strategic thinking as well as communicating

my thoughts in a way which inspires and equips people to act in a new way, which brings results.

Following my struggles at University I naturally had a passion to share with others what I had learnt, and

how much my life changed once I applied a few basic principles and strategies to my daily studying routine.

My passion has always been about the strategic discoveries I made and sharing this with others. Once

my business started building momentum I decided to do my utmost to become the best in the world at

SHARING and making this information readily AVAILABLE to others. I felt a fair question would be: If I were

to attend a course on memory skills and believe that the facilitator was the best in the world at what he

did, what would I need to see in his life to really believe he is the best? The 2 top answers that came to

mind were:

1. He would need to compete against the best in the world - not necessarily be the best, but would

still have to be very good

2. He must have hung out with and learnt from the best in the world

I decided then to compete at the World Memory Championships for at least 5 years in a row doing my best,

ensuring I would spend time with the best in the world. And not just spend time with them, but also really

get to know them and learn how they think. That is why I’ve made an effort to have in depth discussions

with top competitors since 2004, spending time with them and even staying at their homes. This has not just

been about finding easier ways of learning for my own benefit, but also for affecting the lives of the people

with whom I have the privilege of sharing this information.

My passion for learning gets me excited each year to get better personally. I cannot give what I do not have,

so my goal is to be the best that I can be, so that I can be more and ultimately give more. Because another

gift is the ability to connect and network with people, I am continually putting that to good use as well.

Some questions you could ask yourself:

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• What would you say is your true gift or personal magic?• What percentage of your day is spent in developing your gifts?• What do you need to say NO to?• What do you think the result of this would be for you? Your team? Your family?

I went on a superb training course on the power of the mind at a critical time in my life, about 8 months

before the 2006 World Memory Championships. My mentor Michael Tipper had dared me the year before

to compete at the World Memory Champs, but I didn’t taken his dare seriously until after completing this

course. The course’s main theme was that the words you speak on a daily basis will ultimately affect your

reality.

The many times I’d failed in school and University had caused me to believe that I could never compete and

the words that I said to myself consciously and subconsciously reinforced this. I soon realized that you can’t

do something that you believe is impossible, so unless I changed my personal belief system, I wasn’t going

to experience any real breakthrough with developing a near perfect memory. The only way to change my

self-belief system was to change the words that I spoke to myself. So I needed to use my frontal lobes, the

largest and most powerful part of my brain, to really think of what my desired end goal would look like. I

needed to see, feel, experience and become excited about it. Once I’d done this, I needed to create positive

daily affirmations that reinforced my new desired end goal. Initially it seemed ludicrous telling myself things

like: ”It feels great to have the best memory in the world” and ”I have one of the most advanced brains in

the world”, but eventually the loud, dominant voices that tried to remind me how inadequate my brain was

got silenced.

The trick is to speak your affirmations as if your desired end goal has actually happened. So instead of saying:

”I hope to one day have the best memory in the world”, say: ”It feels GREAT to have the best memory in

the world”. I also learnt that our brains respond best to emotion so the daily affirmation needed to have

some emotional significance or feeling attached to it. I learnt that my brain had no idea what was real or

not, but built up its belief system from the repeated messages that I told it or allowed it to believe. This was

a huge revelation and a big tipping point in my life.

I have been the highest ranked competitor from Africa and the Southern Hemisphere at the World Memory

Championships every year for the past 4 years. Some of the things I can now do include memorizing the

order of a randomly shuffled deck of cards in 50 seconds, 12 decks in 1 hour, as well as memorizing an

1100 digit number in 1 hour. This isn’t boasting, but illustrates how my life has changed radically, simply by

changing my self-talk.

In what areas of your life would you like to see exciting changes or more results that are positive?

Something practical YOU can do:

Write out 3 positive, emotionally lead affirmations. Say these every morning and every evening for the

next 3 months. Keep them brief and add as much feeling as possible.

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PEOPLE AND BOOkS

When I was struggling at University, I read a quote that changed my life after applying its wisdom. Charles

Jones said: Where you will be in 5 years time is based on 2 things

1.The books you are reading

2.The people you are spending time with

After struggling at University, I decided to read pretty much everything I could find on the topic of memory.

I also emailed top memory experts from around the world. I’m very persistent and this resulted in my

travelling around the world to meet with these gurus to pick their brains.

My new belief system was realized only when my new positive self talk was aligned with my desired end

goal. But my biggest breakthroughs in memory only really happened after actually witnessing firsthand what

people were achieving at the World Memory Championships. I used to think that memorizing a deck of

cards in 3 minutes was quite amazing, until I watched Ben Pridmore memorize a deck in just 24.9 seconds,

and 27 decks in 1 hour. I have also seen Johannes Mellow from Germany memorize a 405-digit number in

just 5 minutes, and many other amazing feats.

By choosing to hang out with free thinkers, my belief system has become rock solid on what is possible and

my actions have followed suit.

SOMETHING TO THINk ABOUT:

• What literature are you reading on a daily basis?

• With whom are you predominantly spending your time?

• Are you happy with the answers to these 2 questions?

• If not, what can you do to change things?

PODIUM

At the 2009 World Memory Championships in London, I achieved 9 personal bests out of 10 events after

putting in less training time than ever before.

I had been doing all the “right stuff ” for previous years but didn’t realize that I’d actually put a cap on my

own performance.

My mentor had come 2nd in the 1998 World Memory Championships. He was mentored by the 8 times

World Memory Champion and what I had subconsciously done was place him on a pedestal. I believed

that he was better than I and because of this my subconscious would not allow me to do something that

I believed was not possible. I only discovered later that my scores before the 2009 World Champs would

have placed me 3rd in 1998, just 1 place behind my mentor.

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So I started a conversation with my brain about my determination to win. I told myself that even though my

mentor was incredible and that I respected him highly, times had changed and greater memory feats were

possible. I then thought about the top 3 competitors in the world and what they were achieving on a day-

to-day basis and concentrated on this until finally it became my belief. I knew that my belief had changed

after seeing how much I’d improved.

This may seem similar to positive self-talk but once you have the right thinking in place, you need to make

sure you do not sabotage your success by holding on to a good, but limited belief.

THINkING A BIT DEEPER

• Are there any deeper beliefs that are potentially sabotaging your current success?

• If so, what do you plan to do to change these beliefs about yourself and what you can achieve?

REFLECT AND GET BETTER

I keep a memory training diary where I record my daily achievements as well as reflect on past performance

and mistakes. I note mistakes in the back of my diary and make a mental note to never make that

mistake again.

Before each competition I read through all my mistakes and reinforce the correct approach.

I’ve realized that all top competitors fail at least 10 times the amount that most people do when it comes

to learning, but the secret to success is trying to make sure that the failing happens in practice.

It usually takes at least 2 or 3 attempts at putting information into my long-term memory before the

information actually sticks. So technically every time I “forget” information and have to reinforce it I am

actually failing. Dominic O’Brien said that failing extravagantly in practice is essential if someone wants to

become a phenomenal competitor.

Can you think of any fear in particular that you know limits what you can achieve?

What do you believe you could achieve if you were fearless, yet still applied wisdom to each situation?

Invest Heavily into New & Improved Ways of Thinking

Learning is expensive, but ignorance is a lot more costly. As a student I couldn’t afford to buy extra books so

I’d often sit in Exclusive Books (the South African version of Barnes and Noble) and read for days on end.

They never kicked me out so I assumed that they were OK with my being there. At the end of the day when

they were locking up, I would choose one book that rocked my world, buy it, go home and study it further.

Steve Jobs, the owner of Apple, hired 1000 fulltime programmers for 3 years straight, to work on and

perfect their current operating system, Snow Leopard, or OSX. 1000 professional people for 3 years! And

think of the iPod. Yes, it was a risk to invest into that, but to date over 250 million iPods have been sold.

Picture Steve Jobs as a sniffer dog... he smells a scent and hunts down and catches his prey. Each of the Apple

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products in recent years has been a rip roaring success because Steve Jobs has been bold enough to back

up his vision with hardcore investments of time, energy, talent and money.

I think the secret behind this is combining heavy investment into learning with strategic, focused,

intelligent thinking that aims to ultimately help you become better at solving problems that people have.

Zig Ziglar said that you would have whatever you want in this life if you can help enough people get what

they want.

There are far too many stories of overqualified people struggling to find work. A friend who lives in another

country has 3 degrees, one of them a master’s degree but has struggled for years to find work. I recently

tried to find him simple, minimum wage work simply because he had possibly become too ‘brain’ heavy. His

knowledge was incredible but it was very spread out. Not even he knew what his number one area of skill

was. When I asked him what problems he could solve better than everyone else, he gave me 5 very different

answers. Do your best to ensure that your learning has been channelled into one consistent direction.

Wisdom is Mining the Very Best Thinking

Always be on the hunt for the BEST information. It definitely takes years to fine tune good ideas, but the

end result, if this thinking is allowed to stew long enough, always far outweighs your overall investment.

I try to ensure that my discovery of new ideas is never the prime goal, but the adventure is. The more I learn

about the brain, the more excited I get about the possibilities of what it can achieve.

Before my first world championships I trained anywhere between 5 and 8 hours daily. After interviewing

top competitors, I realized that they only trained from 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. This seemed impossible

until I suspended my disbelief and applied their intelligent ways of thinking. My study time has now dropped

substantially to 30 minutes a day, but I achieve a great deal more in each 30-minute study session than in 8

hours previously.

COURAGE: LET YOUR ACTIONS BE BOLD

Ken Blanchard, author of “The One Minute Manager” said that the worst thing that can happen to you if

someone turns you down, either by saying no to meeting you, or not agreeing to a proposal you suggested,

is that you break even.

Some years back I attended a phenomenal career development workshop. An exercise we had to do was

to contact one of the top thinkers in our field of expertise and invite them to a 20-minute lunch. You

were to try to be as professional as you knew how, be fully prepared with intelligent questions, and of

course, offer to pay for lunch.

I emailed Michael Tipper, one the world’s most respected and influential memory trainers. I said that

I wanted to fly to London and take him to lunch. Long story short, I flew to London and took a train

to Swindon to meet Michael for a pub lunch.

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Our 20 minute scheduled meeting turned into 4 hours as we shared stories and talked about the

wonderful world of memory. Michael was the one who dared me to compete at the World Memory

Championships. Since then we’ve become great friends and we try to connect whenever I am in London.

Not only did I meet Michael, but he introduced me to his friends, many of whom I had read about and

respected deeply. Michael’s best piece of advice was: “Stand on the shoulders of giants” in other words,

learn from the best. By being bold, I’ve had the privilege of meeting the most incredible people. For

example, I had lunch with a previous South African Minister of Education when Nelson Mandela was in

power. It was great, I picked him up from his home and we spent a wonderful afternoon talking about

education in South Africa as well as the goals he and Mr. Mandela had for the country. It is amazing what

an idea and a phone call can produce. My aim has always been to develop friendships and not only take,

but give back too.

OUTSOURCING AND AVOIDING MENTAL CLUTTER

There are many things that I am bad at. I have ADHD, which means that my brain generally runs in a million

directions all at once - which also means people struggle to keep up with me. It’s very difficult for me to

keep to any structure or routine and because of this, I outsource as much as possible to ensure that I am

not responsible for the many little important tasks that need to get done each day. I’ve learnt that in order

to achieve anything I need to limit my intake of random information as much as possible. I continually try to

become more brutal with what I block out, as well as what I allow in.

For example: I never cook for myself. I have tried to before but it is just very difficult for me to eat at regular

times as well as to have enough patience to cook every day. I pay someone else to do this so I can focus my

time and energy on doing what I do.

I seldom write out long to-do lists as I try and limit what I need to do each day to just a few very important

things and always push to make it a habit of spending at least 80% of my day smack bang in the middle of

where my greatest gifting lies. I also do my best to help others who work with me do the same.

I never read the daily paper or watch the news. 99% of any news will make no difference to my life and if I

really need to know about something then someone will tell me about it.

On the flip side of this, almost every single day involves me somehow staying in touch with what is going

on in my area of focus or expertise.

PAIN: LETTING IT DIRECT YOU

Unfortunately, most of the passion I have for what I do has been birthed purely from the pain I have

endured from not knowing more intelligent ways of thinking. The word passion is derived from the Greek

word ”Patho” or the Hebrew word ”Paseo” which actually means - to suffer. So in essence, passion is

birthed out of adversity... if you let it.

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It has always been tempting to stamp my feet, sulk, and rather get involved with something where I could

be the instant hero without having to go through the school of hard knocks.

Instead of burying my pain and shortcomings I decided to look it in the eye, call it by name, find ways to

turn the tables on it and get it in a WWF headlock.

Somewhere deep down there has been a small still voice directing me to continue doing what I’ve been

doing because I know I am not the only one who finds the education system radically incongruent to the

way that I think and perform.

My past pain causes me to stop and look at struggling students and know what they are going through and

help them to a better way.

BUSINESS COACH: kEEPING THINGS ON TRACk

One of the best investments I ever made was hiring a really good business and life coach. We were designed

to live in community and not meant to do life alone - there is something incredibly powerful about sharing

our lives with people. I realized that if I wanted to push the boundaries in my own life, I needed to make

sure that I had a place solely dedicated to my being allowed to vent and to heal from any past hurts or

misfortunes.

I could never give extensively to my work and to others if my headspace was not free and uncluttered.

I saw my business coach, Catherine, every 2 weeks for the first 6 months and then saw her on average once

a month for the following 1.5 years, and now I see her whenever I feel stuck in my thinking.

It is very difficult to put an exact figure on how much the return on this investment has been, but to date I

would not be surprised if the return has been 100 fold. This doesn’t include the advantage that is currently

being created by the foundation I have been building for the past few years.

I was very sceptical in the beginning as I thought that a business coach seemed like a lame idea. Because it

is difficult to see the immediate benefits, many people may let an opportunity like this pass them by, not

weighing up the rewards that come from intelligent thought and reflection built up over a decent period.

THE ROYAL FINGER

Many competitors at the World Memory Championships were labelled as having learning disabilities at

school. The 8 times world memory champion, Dominic O’Brien had ADD, was also dyslexic and never quite

fitted into the traditional schooling system.

Dominic and I, as well as many others, compete largely for the thrill of knowing that we can in fact learn,

that we have beaten the traditional system so to speak, and have overcome a seemingly impossible task. I

get a huge kick out of turning traditional paradigms of the current schooling system on its head, as I believe

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it rewards students largely on their academic performance as opposed to teaching them how to think

and solve problems, although this is what they are currently trying to do in South Africa. I think anger is a

powerful and good thing as long as it is channelled in the right direction.

It’s similar to the book ”Screw it, let’s do it” by Richard Branson of Virgin.

There is something very special about knowing how to beat a system that once bullied you around. To

give it the royal finger - which is pointed at almost every teacher or persons in my past, including those

psychologists who said that I should never go to University because I wouldn’t cope and that I should settle

for a more ’technical’ profession. It’s amazing that they can figure all of that out from ticking and crossing

a bunch of academic questionnaires that are almost always geared to predominantly favour left brain

thinkers... which would make sense as I don’t think I have a left brain.

Brent Curtis said: ”Let people feel the weight of who you are and then let them deal with it”.

My heart has always been keen to serve people and give to them in an extravagant way. I get a kick out of

helping people find easier and more intelligent ways of doing things, ultimately helping them create extra

time to do what they don’t usually have the time to do. I especially enjoy working with people who are

working hard, but are using the wrong tools. I know that my work is not just about teaching memory skills;

it is about sharing with real human beings who have real hopes and real dreams. This gets me up in the

morning and keeps me trying to find answers to life’s changing questions.

Whenever I train for a competition there are, as you can imagine, 101 other seemingly more interesting

things that my brain could run along and flirt with. Learning thousands of binary numbers, decks of playing

cards, history and dates surprisingly can be a heap of fun, but in the end, it always necessitates convincing

my brain that what I am learning is in fact incredible and fascinating. One of the greatest reasons I compete

is simply because it keeps me in the game of knowing what my clients go through whenever they write

exams. How can I tell someone how to push through and stay motivated if I don’t practice this with study

material on a day-to-day basis?

FUN AND ENJOYMENT

This is much easier said than done, but I have always tried my best to have as much fun as possible even

during seemingly dark and gloomy times.

At the 2008 World Memory Champs in Bahrain in the Middle East, my work colleague Heidi and I had the

privilege of meeting Shaik Rashid Al Khalifa of the royal family. He kindly invited Heidi and I to stay at his

palace for 4 nights after the competition. I bought a thobe (traditional white Muslim clothing) as well as a

traditional red and white check headpiece and have photos of Shaik Rashid and I playing Sony PlayStation

Guitar Hero!

I am generally a very extreme person and throw myself fully into a task or project. Because of this I have

learnt that it is essential to disengage and revel in life otherwise burnout is probable.

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I have realized over the years that there are two main approaches to competing at the World

Memory Champs.

The first approach is to take it very seriously and try really hard to make sure that the information

learnt sticks.

The second approach is not only more enjoyable but amazingly more effective than the first. That is to enjoy

the learning, have fun and not think of the 100 million people that the event is televised to. The opposite

of concentration is not distraction, but anxiety. Repeat.... the opposite of concentration is not distraction

but anxiety.

UNIVERSITY SPONSORSHIP STRATEGYHow I raised R100k for university and did not have to pay it back

• There are many top businessmen and women around with lots of money. A question to ask yourself

is do they want to spend it on you?!

• Write to every big business in your country.

• Personalize the letter so it is addressed to the head of HR, or even better, the CEO or president of

the company, or send it to both.

• Hand deliver as many as you can to the big players. It will be well worth your effort. My biggest

sponsor came from a hand written letter that I delivered to his post box personally. I deliberately

didn’t put a stamp on it so he could see that I’d made the effort to put it in his post box.

• The letter that you write has to be very moving; tap into their emotions but at the same time be

clear as to what you want. Tell them what you want to do to conquer the world, end poverty, feed

the hungry, save the Egyptian mongoose from distinction, etc. and tell them why the degree you plan

on studying will help you achieve this goal.

• Be creative and courageous in your approach and even a bit in your face. Many will turn you down...

so what. Don’t try to please everyone with a normal boring letter. People are busy. Give them a

reason to be captivated by your story.

• Tell them what you have done so far. Show them that you work hard, but your thinking at your young

age does not match up to the resources that you need to get you to the next step.

• Send MANY letters out. I sent around 50 and only two positive replies came back but those two

provided me with R100k for my university fees.

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MEMORIzING NUMbERS AND DATESThe simple and easy approach

You could quite easily learn a 50-digit number in order with this system, but by moving to the advanced

system you could double your storage space with the same effort.

Create a 0-9 system converting each number into an image that represents that number

For example:

0 - Doughnut

1 - Tree

2 - Swan

3 - Stool

4 - Car

5 - Glove

6 – Golf club

7 - Angel

8 - Gate

9 - Balloon

After learning what image represents which number, you would put stories together to remember the

sequence of numbers.

For example:

If you wanted to remember the phone number (031) 5838032

The story could go something like this: there was a Doughnut(0) sitting on the Stool(3) that was under

the Tree(1). I put my Glove(5) on as I did not want to get sticky fingers and then opened the Gate(8) and

walked towards the Stool(3). The Gate(8) then slammed shut causing the Doughnut(0) to fall from the

Stool(3) and a Swan(2) ate it.

How this translates into learning dates

The same number learning process would take place but you would then translate that ‘story’ into the event

that happened.

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For example:

18 December 2008 – ”Hunger for Freedom” Nelson Mandela Foundation book wins award

Nelson Mandela was sitting under the massive Tree(1) next to the Gate(8) that shut up the hunger for

freedom Swan(2), Nelson Mandela gave it 2 Doughnuts(00), (as it was Christmas)(December) from over

the Gate(8) and was awarded for his kindness.

• This is one of the events at the World Memory Championships and you will be incredibly surprised

to see how many dates can be memorized using this technique. Johannes Mallow holds the world

record for memorizing 118 dates in 5 minutes. The more you use it the faster you will get.

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AbOUT THE POWERSTUDYING FORMULA CREATORS

Daren Denholm was born and raised in Durban, South Africa. He is a

lover of life and people. He has the energy of a 5 year old with a College

degree and a business card.

Besides training his brain to compete against the World’s best in

International memory competitions, Daren travels the world in search

of adventure, knowledge, friendships, fresh snow and un-crowded ski

resorts. In the past 10 years he has clocked up nearly half a million km’s

from his travels to foreign places. He gives value first and always seeks to

find ways in which his knowledge and experience can best serve those

around him.

He believes that the work that we do is an overflow of who we are and

for this reason he views friends and family as something of far greater

value than any business transaction and he views his students and clients as his friends.

His ultimate goal in life is to be the best son to his parents, brother to his sister, friend to his friends, husband to

his wife, Kath, father to his children and loyal steward of his God given talents.

“The Glory Of God Is Man Fully Alive” - Benjamin Disraeli

Heidi Pringault was raised on the coast of Durban, South Africa. She is an avid surfer that lives for the outdoors

and adventures. Her desire to explore the world took her across countless oceans where she experienced living

and surviving in many foreign lands. She married a French islander that

shares her passions and they have had 2 gorgeous, very energetic kids.

Heidi is an excessively hard working person that firmly believes in putting

her all into whatever she does. After initially not believing in her own

mental abilities, she put her mind to it and has now been representing

South Africa at the World Memory Championships the past few years,

being placed in the top 10 women in the world.

‘Anything is possible if you just believe’ says Heidi, ‘I never pictured myself

working in a field where I help students to learn more effectively, I was

never an ‘A’ student, but rather battled through school. But I totally love

what I do, there is nothing better than being a part of changing peoples’

lives, I am living testament as my life has changed significantly!’

I am super excited to already see the impact of what I know is having on my kids as young as they are. If I can give

them a strategic advantage on entering school I know the impact it will have on them later in life and that energizes

me. My dream is that every person will have access to this knowledge as it is life giving….