listen to books based on brain science

listen to books based on brain scienceA new way to read/listen to books based on brain scienceIn 1986, Dr. Sinah Goode and Dr. Richard A. Magill published a study called, Contextual interference effects in learning three badminton serves.As a reminder, badminton is like a mix between tennis and ping-pong with a funny looking feathery rubber thingy you hit.In the study, the goal was to test different learning approaches to landsee which ones created the best performance outcomes.Group 1 practiced in a block manner with very little interference. Specifically, the people in group one practiced one serve over and over and over for an entire day. Then on day 2, they practiced a different serve over and over, etc. On day 3, they practiced a third serve all day. Hence, they blocked their practice to ensure repetition of the same swing each day. Then they were tested on all three serves.Group 2 practiced in a serial manner with mixed interferences. Specifically, the people in group two pract iced each of the three swings daily, one at a time. So for a period of time, they would practice swing one, then swing two, then swing three. They repeated this serial practice style for three days and were then tested on all three serves.Group 3 practiced in a random manner with high interferences. Specifically, the people in group three were told to practice the three shots in whatever order they wanted for three days. After the three days, they were tested on all three serves.Common wisdom suggests that Group 1 would perform the best, since they likely practiced each serve mora than the other groups. Indeed, there were less interruptions and there was more repetition.Over and over and over. This is how habits are formed and mastery developed, right?Actually, leid so much.Repetition and a lack of interruptions is good for the short run. Indeed, the people in Group 1 had a huge surge of skill development in the beginning of the study, but actually tested the worst when game day cam e. They plateaued quickly and bonked when it mattered.The true definition of learning is your ability to TRANSFER your learning from one situation or environment to another. This is why so many people fall apart in the big moment. Their practice environment didnt reflect the realities of a volatile world.This is why the public education system often sets people up for failure in the real world. The childrens learning becomes overly systematized and sterile, lacking unanticipated interruptions or unexpected scenarios.Education should never be boring and sterile. The brain doesnt like boring. Flow and boring arent generally correlated. Interestingly, boredom is getting a lot of attention as a key to creativity, which is totally ridiculous. Boredom is not good for the brain - novelty, challenge, and excitement are fantastic for the brain.The reason boredom is getting so much hype is because people are addicted to technology, and thus have become bad at focus. Its not boredom you want, its excited focus.The third group tested the best of the three.Why?Because throughout their practice, their brain learned to adjust itself to the different serves. The people in Group 3 would often practice serve one for a bit then serve three then serve one then two then one then three, etc. Constant adjusting and switching, which is so good for adaptability and transfer of learning.When you learn in a highly routine and repetitious way, your brain isnt forced to continually adjust itself. Instead, you quickly advance but then your brain stops making deep connections. You quickly get bored and the learning is less fun and less intense.Alfruchtwein the opposite of what weve been taught about learning is reflective of the science on how the brain learns.The following are the key reasons the random practice group performed better in the test.Continually shifting environments is key to being able to perform in all environmentsInterruptions are actually good for learning, because when you come back your brain has to work extra hard to remember what you were doingScrambling your focus disrupts the melancholy and monotony of routine - the brain thrives on novelty and challengeWhat about deep work?This doesnt mean that deep work and deep focus arent essential. Instead, this science challenges us to take a deeper look at what focus, practice, learning, and performance even mean.For example, Cal Newport, the person who wrote the book Deep Work isnt just focused on one thing. He is a university professor who does a lot of research. He is also a blogger and author, which although similar is a totally different skill. Hes also married and has three kids.He doesnt just have ONE THING.He is constantly switching from one role to another. He interrupts one project and dives into another. And while working on one project, his subconscious mind is actually mulling over and working out the problems of his other projects. Often, stepping away and taking a break from one thing i s the most productive thing you can do.When you interrupt what youre doing and work on something else, your brain becomes more adaptive and flexible.When you come back to a project after an interruption, your brain is forced to go deeper into the memory well to retrieve what you were doing. This intensified memory retrieval actually deepens the memory, making it deeper learned and ingrained.Hence, although the badminton players who were constantly adjusting took longer for their learning to develop, their long-term learning and high stakes performance were much higher.They were not only more fluid in different environments, but they actually had deeper learning with each of the individual serves. Thus, not only was the expertise higher, but they were more adaptive.Game over.The problem with habit formation as a goalA good shock often helps the brain that has been atrophied by habit. - Napoleon HillHabits in and of themselves arent good for you. Yes, some habits are better than othe rs. But all habits, even the best ones, can lead to atrophy and must eventually be disrupted.What got you here wont get you there.The same workout routine, no matter how good, will eventually stop pushing your brain and body. The moment your goal becomes to maintain where you are, the world has nothing to do with you but throw you away. Its obvious when someone is going through the motions, no matter how refined that process has become.The best habit you can have is actually to continually be shattering your habits in an upward fashion. The real world isnt an academic science lab with no interruptions. The real world is filled with uncertainty and changing at an exponential rate.Hence, the words of Charles Darwin are actually truer now than ever It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.Applying these science-based ideas to reading listening to booksThe scientific term for randomized learning scenarios is interleaving, and means to proactively mix up how and what you learn.You want to create interruptions in what youre doing to not only become more fluid in your learning, but to deepen your memory every time you return.I decided to apply these concepts to listening to audio books. I usually listen to 12 full audio books per week. But my approach has always been to listen to one audio book at a time.Once one book was finished, Id start the next one. Then the next.Sometimes, if I really liked a book, Id listen to it 23 times in a row. Often, I go back to books I listened to 15 years ago. Every time I go back, its a different book.But lately Ive been trying something different. I proactively interrupt each book and switch to a different book. Even mid chapter and even when Im totally engaged and loving what Im hearing.Rather than listening to one book at a time, Im now listening to 3 or 4. Every 3060 minutes, I intentionally interrupt one book and switch to another . This has had an interesting and profound effect on my learning and creativity.Heres whyWhen you switch books constantly, your brain doesnt bet bored or even slow downEach new book gives the brain an intense dose of novelty - which keeps it engaged and excitedThe books begin to blend into each other - thus I have 4 micro concepts and then one over-arching meta concept that emerges (see Chess example down below)Creativity is all about making connections - and by listening to multiple books at once, the ideas from each book begin to cross-pollinate and blend into each other, thus becoming a web of unique connections (idea heaven)Each time I shift back to a particular book, my brain is forced to remember what the book was about, and the specific concepts being conveyed- which deepens my memory and the impact of each individual bookI listen to these books in diverse environments and apply the ideas in different ways - from books Im writing to conversations with my kidsIf I particu larly like a book, or didnt full grasp it once finished, then it stays in the loop of continually shifting books. Thus repetition can still happen, but in a fluid and adaptive environment. And the mixture of ideas continues to change because the combination and diversity of books is always in flux.To be absolutely clear - this is not about consuming more content. It is simply a different learning strategy - the interleaving method - for consuming the content you were already going to consume anyways. You should still be highly selective about the books and information you read. The question this article takes up is - is there a more impactful way than the typical approach, based on the latest science of the brain and learning?So, Is this shallow or deep work?This may seem shallow, but its not. Its incredibly good for the brain, and can be done in a focused and intentional manner. Youre not interrupting yourself with Facebook out of addiction, youre interrupting one thing with an other - both of which are done intentionally. Social Media is rarely done intentionally, but in actuality, is set up to get you scrolling and landing on pages reactively.Master chess players often play multiple boards at once - simultaneous exhibition - where they walk from one board to the next to the next. Josh Waitzkin, who was a former chess master describes the experience of playing multiple boards at once as all the boards blending together. Each game is interrupted by next and the memory is forced deeper and deeper down to remember the specifics of each individual board. Yet, holistically, the whole experience of all the boards takes on a form of its own. The individual parts become a new whole - and the whole evolves beyond the sum of the parts.Interestingly, during the few moments the chess wizard is looking at a single board, their brain is firing potentially 100 or 1,000X more intensely than the single person sitting on the other side of the board. Thus, even though sw itching continuously, the focus in each individual moment is maximized.Furthermore, each time they return to a particular board, they get a fresh eyes effect - being able to see things they potentially couldnt see before. Conversely, when you stare at the same thing for a long enough period of time, you can miss obvious details. Mindfulness requires a continuous and intentional shift in and awareness of context.The goal is to become the best thinker possible, and to become creative, imaginative, and innovative. If youre not becoming more fluid and adaptive, then youre becoming increasingly irrelevant. The challenges and changes in the world will cripple you.I fear for the man whose life is so routinized that he cant handle all of the shifts happening around him. I fear for the man who has become so specialized that he cant adapt.When you learn how to learn, you can specialize in multiple things at once while becoming increasingly adaptive to the world around you.Your ability to tra nsfer your skills from one environment to another is what will separate you in todays global market-place.Finally, its important to notenzeichen that no strategy - no matter how scientifically-based - is ironclad. This strategy is no different. Use it, but dont over-adapt to it. In a month or two (or 10), going back to one book straight through may feel electric and new.Ready toupgrade?Ive created a cheat sheet for putting yourself into a PEAK-STATE, immediately. You follow this daily, your life will change very quickly.Get the cheat sheet hereThisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.

Survey finds parents think extracurriculars will help kids earn more money

Survey finds parents think extracurriculars will help kids earn mora moneySurvey finds parents think extracurriculars will help kids earn mora moneyA new report from CompareCards.com revealed that 81% of parents believe there is a beneficial correlation between the amount of money they spend on extracurricular activities for their children, and the degree it will pay off later. Forty-six percent of parents spend more than a grand a year on their kids nonscholastic activity, and 27% spend more than $2,000.Ninety-percent of the parents that reported spending at least $4,000 a year on these kinds of programs professed that their kid will earn money from it one day. Ninety-four percent of these optimistic parents are currently in debt due to this investment, and two-thirds admitted that maintaining these expenses causes them emotional stress.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe most popular mode of this strategy is sports. Thirty percent of parents reported dumping money into the various costs that accompany joining a sports team, with music following at 16%. Check out the complete list belowSports (30%)Music (16%)Dance (15%)Gymnastics (12%)Cheerleading (9%)Martial arts (8%)Beauty pageants (3%)Debate team (3%)It pays to be well-roundedOf the 62% of parents that are currently in debt, one in 10 owes more than $5,000.The study noted two interestingtrends the more parents spent, the more likely they were to believe theirchildrens income would benefit from these expenses, in addition to being more likely to be stressed. Seventy-six of respondents that reported spending more than $4,000 said they were burdened to some degree because of it.Plastic is the most popular mode of paying for these activities by a pretty significant margin (42%).The authors of the study, encourage parents to handle theirchildrens aspirations with care, however extravagant but duallywarned a bout the harsh realities of the likelihood associated with many of the occupations mentioned above.Despite what 81% of our respondents say, most kids are never going to earn a dime from the activity thats their passion. Some may eventually make a little bit of money on the side, like a musician playing gigs around town for some side cash or a former athlete refereeing recreational league games for a few extra bucks.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from jngste im bunde Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Sally Kane - The Balance

Sally Kane - The BalanceSally Kane - The Balance

Learn How to Stop Being Miserable at Work

Learn How to Stop Being Miserable at WorkLearn How to Stop Being Miserable at WorkAre you miserable at work? Do you feel awful about getting up and heading to the office every Monday? Do you feel unchallenged, unhappy, or out of control? Is your boss the worst? Do your coworkers engage in unjustifiable complaining all day long? Is no contribution ever good enough? If you continue to wallow in these attitudes and situations, you only ensure that you will continue to hate your job and hating your job is a recipe for a miserable life. Why go there? You have the power to change your attitude and/or remove yourself from toxic situations. Read on for tips on handling unpleasant situations and changing your career mood from miserable to fulfilled. Toxic Work Situations and What You Can Do Situation Your coworkers are always finding fault with the company, management, customers, employees, and just about everything else about the job. You find yourself hanging out with these people and worse, participating in the griping. Solution Legitimate concerns that are actually addressed aside, if you wallow in misery and listen to unhappy, difficult people, it cant help but bring you down as well. Unhappiness and criticism are contagious. Move on and stay away from these people to avoid catching the bug. Situation You stay in a job that is unchallenging, boring, and unrewarding. Day after day, year after year, you are numbing your mind and heart with work that doesnt fulfill you. Solution Understand that you have options. See a career counselor at your local community college, technical school, or adult education program. Or, find out if your company has opportunities for growth or other positions that interest you. Seek out other job opportunities find ways to use your current skill set differently, and take tests and talk with a mentor to identify work you might find more exciting. If you are a college grad, keep in mind that your college career services office may be ab le to help you, regardless of when you graduated. Situation Youre not developing in your career and no one is giving you feedback. Solution You must take responsibility for your own life and career development. You can wait forever for a non-communicative boss to give you feedback about areas to improve and your personal and professional growth. In fact, in some organizations, you can wait years for a wertzuwachs appraisal or performance feedback. Why wait for someone else? No one will ever care as much about your personal and career development as you do. And no one else has as much to gain as you do from your continued growth. Situation You hate your boss he or she is just a bad boss. But you continue to work there. Solution Bad bosses, whether abdicators of responsibilityor just plain nasty people, rarely change without some life-transforming event occurring. The event may happen, but how long are you willing to wait around complaining about how unhappy you are at work? Even with feedback, bad bosses rarely change. Cut your losses, transfer and/or move on to something better.Situation You work for a company that has business practices you dont respect. They lie to customers and make promises to employees that are never kept. Solution Bail as quickly as you can. The culture that enables those practices is a tough one to change- if any of the leaders even want to change the culture. Since executives and company founders largely drive the culture, dont hold your breath. There are better, more ethical, companies where you can seek employment. Situation Your company is constantly in danger of going under and you live in fear about getting fired or laid off. Solution Many good companies experience temporary woes. But a company that is constantly operating near bankruptcy can wear out your optimism and enthusiasm. This is especially true if you are not in a position to have a big impact on the companys budgeting, spending, or financial performance. It may be time to move on.Situation You are staying in a job in which you feel stuck. There are many reasons why you may feel stuck. Your company may be small, and there is nowhere for you to go. Perhaps youve been passed over for promotion because of a lack of education, experience, or mentoring opportunities. Solution If youve sought additional responsibilities and an expanded job, but havent had any success, or if youve talked with your boss and the problems appear to be insurmountable, its time to go. Its OK to be ambitious and seek to expand your knowledge and career- so go do it. Situation You try to make contributions and come up with ideas to improve the work or work environment, but your ideas are never implemented. Worse, they go into a dark hole, and you never hear a response to your suggestions at all. Solution Staying in a work environment that fails to respond to employee suggestions will eventually make you question the value of your suggestions. Any environment that promotes you qu estioning your value or your contribution is toxic to your self-esteem and self-confidence. Find a more supportive work environment. Situation You are tired of living paycheck to paycheck. Your current job is never going to pay you more than minimum wage and you dont want to wait years to make a decent living. Solution Find the facts. Learn about comparable positions and what they pay. Make a decision For how much money and how long are you willing to work? You have options. Explore a better-paying future. You want to live your life as if the glass is half full, not half empty, so consider each of these described situations carefully. Are you settling for less than you can have or be? If so, you may want to consider other options. A happier life is worth it

7 Resume Words You Should Never Use

7 Resume Words You Should Never Use7 Resume Words You Should Never UseIn case you are confused, let me tell you that resume words do make a significant difference in your chances of getting selected. Ever heard of the saying First impression is the last impression. Then, you definitely dont want to create a negative first impression of you on the recruiters. For that you better avoid the following resume words.Personal PronounsUse of words like I, me or my in your resume make you look extremely unprofessional. Rather than starting the sentences with I or my, it is always a better idea to omit them from all of your sentences. Otherwise, this may hinder your chances of getting an interview.Negative WordsWe know that using negative words, anywhere it may be, leaves a bad impression of you on others. The same can be said for a resume. Writing negative sentences doesnt help you at all, rather sometimes it may reduce your chances in getting the job.PunctualIt is one of the fundamental crit eria that you should fulfill no matter what kind of job you are applying for. Or at least the company counts it as a necessity. That is why, there is no need for you to mention this explicitly in your resume. The company may think you are using this because you have nothing else to say about yourself.Hard workerAnother one of the words that the company doesnt want you to write explicitly. They expect you to work hard if you are getting a job. Writing this resume word will only make your resume look long and boring.AmbitiousYou may have written this word to emphasize that you are not lazy, but this resume word can act as a double-edged sword. The company may think that your ambitious behavior will make you quit their company for a better one. As such, you can never become a loyal employee. For your own good, it is best to avoid it.MS geschftszimmerA resume should only include only the relevant skills for the job you are applying for. Writing anything else is basically a waste of time and space. And including MS Office as a skill of yours is definitely inappropriate. Because, it is not a skill that makes you stand out, but a necessity that every company wants.References available by requestIncluding this resume word is pretty much useless. Because it is a given, that if they are interested, they will ask for references. And you will provide them with all that. So there is no need for you to state the obvious.

The Number One Article on Current Resume Trends

The Number One Article on Current Resume Trends The Fight Against Current Resume Trends The use ofresume 2018 isnt far to be the ideal option to reach the goal to acquire our dream Job. Best of 2018, clean and professional Resume Templates are best for practically any opportunity and assist you to receive your fantasy job. Its cool that youre searching for a job to have some money, but you need some issues with resume. If you would like to receive a new job then youll need to make certain that your resume does two things. Simply because youve got zero experience or its your very first job. When youre working at your present job youre not stressed, seems like everything goes smooth and with no troubles. Tons of job seekers even dont understand where to begin. Furthermore, you can find out more about IT careers on Monster. Add any achievements which you feel can help you receive the job. You are able to choose the aid of resume vorlages offered for different job positions. Facts, Fiction and Current Resume Trends Easy and Clean Resume cv template that will help you land that excellent job. The absolute most hard step here is to choose which resume format is appropriate for you. The very first template on the list features an elegant black and white modern resume design that may be used for any job in any business. Double check to ensure that everything on the last version of the resume is about you. All you need to do is simply edit the document to include your private details. The chronological format is the most widely used by jobseekers. There are more than only a couple of pointers which you have to remember and fully adhere to when designing a resume even when youre employing a readymade template. You wish to select a resume template which will help you make a terrific first impression, even before people start reading. AD Resume templates or CV templates are available anywhere on the world wide web, such as job websites. Resume template is a very best guide available to aid you in forming a perfect resume. Resume templates are typically made by experts. The CV template isnt just simple to edit, but nonetheless, it also comes in two color variations and can be utilized in both landscape and portrait orientation. Again, you would like to make sure that your resume is readable. Additionally, a resume that isnt ATS-compliant is not likely to ever be selected as a match, no matter the candidates actual qualifications for a job. When youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to learn how to vary using action verbs and receive a feel for what makes an effective accomplishment statement. Its possible for you to say thats quite opposite of functional resumes that are very traditional. Your company wont have interest in your skill other than that which the provider requirements. The instructors approach is to teach a six-step method which will help you define and establish the form of career youll delight in pursuing. On the flip side, hard skills are a little trickier to build. Its very vital to comprehend the type of resumes preferred by the establishment that you wish to work for. Each level focuses on unique abilities and experience, placing the most essential front and center. While you might want to get a master copy on hand, it is necessary to customize your resume and cover letter every time you apply to get a job. Just make sure, whichever format you decide on, which youre targeting it for the job which youre applying to. If you get a specific skillset youre potenzial candidate to fit desired position.

Does Your Corporate Culture Spark Career Passion

Does Your Corporate Culture Spark Career PassionMost recruiters and hiring managers understand the importance of a top-notch corporate culture. After all, implementing a culture with great corporate values will make your company mora attractive to the kind of job seekers you need to walk through your companys front doors. These perks can range from nap rooms and unlimited vacations to free lunches.While great perks might nab you more applicants for your open jobs, will these benefits also nab you long-lasting talent? Employee turnover can be very, very expensive. In fact, a recent long-range study found the cost of employee turnover tended to be about 21 percent of the employees annual salary.This is certainly a lot of money to be flying out of your company due to employee turnover. It doesnt even take into account how this turnover can play havoc with your companys internal schedule and put other employees under additional stress.While you want to create a corporate culture that wil l attract the kind of job seekers your company needs, you also want this corporate culture to motivate sincere career passion. This means your job seekers arent just looking for a job at your company because of great perks and smart benefits, instead theyre looking for a career. These job seekers are looking toward the future and imagining climbing the career ladder at your organization.So how do you create a corporate culture to spark career passion? Here are a few ways to get the long-lasting employees you need and avoid the expenses of employee turnoverExplain how to climb the career ladder early in the processYour career site should tell interested job seekers a story about how they can excel before they even get started recording their video resume. Make it abundantly clear your company takes career success very seriously. You might even want to include how a talented employee can climb the rugs on your corporate career ladder and attain a better job title directly in the job d escription.If applicants can see a future for themselves at the company before they even submit their video resume, theyll be more likely to stick around once they get the job. Instead of focusing on the greener grass elsewhere, theyll be focused on climbing the career ladder and adding value to your organization.Focus on professional developmentGreat candidates arent just looking for a 9-to-5 job theyre looking for a career they can imbue with their passion and enthusiasm. These smart workers want to learn on the job and take on additional responsibilities. Therefore, professional development will be an attractive perk to keep these ever-learning applicants interested.On your career site and in your job descriptions, highlight the potential for real professional development in your organization. Perhaps your company is willing to train smart candidates in new technology or send these employees to classes to learn new skills. Professional development can also occur by networking at events where large groups of industry professionals gather.Remember, the same employees who will be interested in climbing your career ladder and sticking around for the long haul will be interested in adding new tools to their arsenal with some top-quality professional development. As a bonus, youll gain even more effective workers.Develop a mentorship programA great way to help employees gain new knowledge and skills, while developing strong ties to your corporate culture, is to implement a mentorship program. By fostering mentorship between new hires and more knowledgeable workers, youre helping new workers learn the ropes while also learning new skills.Mentorship can also help these employees feel more at home in your corporate culture and develop ties to their coworkers. A good mentorship program will get everyone from high level employees to brand new hires involved in cultivating the next generation of talent.Cutting down on employee turnover is important for companies lookin g to reduce the amount of money and talent fleeing their company. Focus on these simple ways to improve your company culture so it will spark career passion in your applicantsWhat are some ways you spark career passion in your applicants and employees? Share in the commentsIMAGE Courtesy of Flickr Photo by Alex Proimos.