Brain rules;

Remembering things isn’t my strongest trait so when a lecturer mentioned I need to practice and time myself for an upcoming test, I made some wall notes. I’m the kind of person that has a photographic memory to the point where it’s a little freaky sometimes. Tell me to do something, I will most likely forget but ask me where I left a book/shoe, I could recall exactly where in an instant.

Good thing I realised I had a photographic memory long before I started university because it’s really helped with remembering things for exams using diagrams, tables & drawn up brainstorms (also known as mind maps).

Now, all those words in the picture above, to the right hand side may look like a long list but I’ve somehow taught myself to remember lists….only problem is, they have to be in that order! (brains, huh?)

So if you have trouble with your short term or long term memory, here’s a great tip I picked up from reading, “Brain Rules” back in June this year. If it’s short term memory that’s a problem, repeat to remember. In my case, I have to do it daily or once every second day for it to stick. Last minute cramming will only get me so far!

If it’s long term memory, remember to repeat. This is a great one for uni semesters, where you go over course material weekly or fortnightly, jogging your memory.

I hope those two tips can help someone as much as they’ve helped me! Now back to memorising that list…

Brain Rules;

It was one of those classic situations. I was out looking for a book to buy a friend and went home with two for myself (and none for my friend!) One was the ‘Eat right for your (blood) type‘ by Peter D’Adamo and the other one was ‘Brain Rules‘ by John Medina as shown above.

I finished the first book months ago (when I first visited a naturopath in November as posted about here) but it wasn’t until this weekend that I finished the second. ‘Brain Rules’ is made up of 12 chapters so I wanted to have time to read each chapter, one at a time and have the time to absorb it aswell.

These are the 12 chapters outlined in the book:

– Exercise: Exercise boosts brain power

– Survival: The human brain evolved, too

– Wiring: Every brain is wired differently

– Attention: We don’t pay attention to boring things

– Short-term memory: Repeat to remember

– Long-term memory: Remember to repeat

– Sleep: Sleep well, think well

– Stress: Stressed brains don’t learn the same way

– Sensory integration: Stimulate more of the senses

– Vision: Vision trumps all other senses

– Gender: Male and female brains are different

– Exploration: We are powerful and natural explorers

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If there’s any book that I would highly recommend- it’s this one. Yeah, the first principle is a fairly obvious one about how exercise stimulates brain activity but it’s also one that isn’t taken into consideration in work or study environments. How often are you under the pump & exercise is the last thing on your mind? I sure am guilty of this one but have made it one of my biggest efforts to include a walk here & there and the results are HUGE.

I was quite devastated however, to learn that although a number of people in the science and medicine field know that female and male brains are different and every brain is wired differently, this isn’t applied to the way we learn.

Take it upon yourself to read this book & understand the way brains work that is described in a simplified way.