It is important to understand how to get the best out of studying. In order to do this we must appreciate when we are at our best to absorb information and knowledge.
The human mind operates in four main modes:
- Wide awake
- Day dreaming
- Light sleep
- Deep sleep
The mode for solving problems and absorbing information and knowledge is that of day dreaming.
Many of the world's great thinkers used this to their advantage.
Albert Einstein told that when he was faced with a problem to solve, he would go out to a meadow, sit or lie down and watch the clouds moving across the sky. As he gradually drifted into the day dream mode he would concentrate on his problem and suddenly he would have the answer.
Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, tells a similar story of lying on a couch holding ball bearings in his hand and with a metal tray on the floor. As he drifted into the day dream mode he would concentrate on what he was trying to achieve, the ball bearings would drop from his hand on to the tray and he would become wide awake with new thoughts and in most cases a solution.
It has been suggested that the best results in studying are achieved when we follow a certain pattern. For example:
- Read only a limited portion of notes at a time. Then lie back and in the quietness of your mind, reflect upon them and also, what you have been told by your tutor and what you already know about the subject. In this way you reinforce the original thoughts that were placed in your mind during the course.
- About a week later, read the same notes again and perform the same reflection on the subject. This time you will further force the subject matter into your subconscious mind.
- Then, after about a month carry out the same actions. The subject will then be embedded in your mind forever.
While reflecting, it is important to quieten your mind into the day dream mode. This can often be helped by:
Listening to:
- Soft music
- Waves lapping on to a beach
- Running water
- Birds singing
Looking at:
- Shadow formations
- A flickering flame
- Cloud formations
This method of studying is also the secret of successful management. To find answers to business problems requires quiet moments to reflect, and by doing so you will find the best solutions.
"A busy mind is a sick mind. A quiet mind is a healthy mind. A still mind is divine mind."
- Chinese Proverb
