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Joanna Jast
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went to medschool and survived7y
How do top medical students study?
Originally Answered: How do top medical students study?
Yep, been there, done that.
Consistency and diligence - yes, but that's often not enough.
With consistence and diligence and v hard work and long hours I was getting C or B- at the most.
What really made a difference for me and lifted my performance from Cs to As while I reduced the number of hours spent on studying was:
1. Learning for understanding and making connections plus spaced repetition for whatever I could.
Medical sciences are all connected: pre- and clinical subjects; and they are also logical. Grasping the foundations of biosciences is really really helpful, because if you've mastered physiology, anatomy, etc then, later on during your clinicals, even if you don;t know symptoms or treatments, you can figure it out
Here is a summary of my method of learning using connections with prior knowledge,
Fast and forever - an unauthorised guide to quickly learning and remembering anything anywhere
For re-learning (revisions) - did it from my notes, doing sample problems, and practice problems
*spaced repetition and engaging emotions helps:
4 essential elements of effective learning
- I did a lot of 'teaching to the wall'
2. Using my own mnemonics for anything that required memorisation (e.g. latin names, proper nouns, some stupid nerves topography, or drug doses) -
- there is lots of medical mnemonics
- you can learn memory palace method
For Memory Improvement & Language Learning
- or develop your own (I wrote songs or tried to rhyme/use rhythm or body movements, but that's my preference)
3. Practicing on old exams
Always. get hold of old exams, ask those you have already passed theirs; practice in exam-like environment (timing yourself, drawing questions from the hat etc.)
4. Learning how to speak with confidence and structure
This gave me a big advantage in oral exams. Just being able to structure my answer before I delivered it, weaving a story into it, connecting with the examiner, showing that I have sound understanding of the fundamentals as well as specialised topics, that I have a grasp on how it all fits together.
To the point that I would get an A even if I answered incorrectly one out of 4 questions.
5. Developing my own study routine
Hack your habits the smart way - conquer powerful habits overnight without agonising over your motivation
How to implement a study routine
Plus on top of that, the usual advice
- get enough sleep
- get exercise
- eat healthily
- take breaks
*having said that, I did not really do any of those when I was in med school
I hope it helps
Joanna
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Brian Bender
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PhD Biomedical Engineer and Certified Nutritionist5y
How do I make myself stick to the habit of early rising, exercising, and healthier eating?
The Nobel Prize in Economics, just the other day, was awarded to Dr. Thaler. His concept of “nudging” applies well here, as he and others have shown it is tough to stick to long-term plans but small changes, over time, can build and make change. BJ Fogg, out of Stanford, also does much work on this concept he has called Tiny Habits.
Different techniques work for different people, but these ideas may be worth a shot.
In a nutshell, try starting really small. So small, it might not even feel like you did much of anything. For example, Fogg suggests starting with one pushup a day. But importantly, he said to tie it to a habit you already have in your day. The idea is to turn this into a habit so you don’t have to think about it. Or even take a step back if that’s too much. After some trigger (your favorite show ends on tv, for example) you lace up your running shoes. You don’t even have to go outside, just lace them up. His studies have shown that accomplishing these mini goals, and making them stick as a habit, will gradually increase over time. Often, many will say, well, my shoes are on, I guess I’ll take a walk around the block.
And try to alter the environment to allow you to make changes without you needing to think about. For example, Thaler’s work was shown to increase sales of healthy foods simply by placing them higher on the grocery store shelves. Simply putting them in your eye-line made more people choose them. The same has been used in children’s cafeteria lines in school. Some people have found that they eat more healthily buy having a bowl of healthy foods on a table they pass by frequently in the house or office. You may just start naturally snacking on healthy foods simply by having them available and in your line of sight.
And these techniques can work towards sleep, I imagine, as well. Personally, simply going to bed earlier was useful for me. But again, BJ Fogg highlights the importance of a trigger. A call to action. This one is straightforward…an alarm clock! Smartphone apps also exist for sounding an alarm that tells you you should be going to bed. Try setting them to your current schedule, and making supper tiny shifts over time. 5 minutes earlier to bed, and 5 minutes earlier to rise. Try that for a couple weeks. Then 5 more, and so on. Whatever schedule works. The speed to new habits is not as important as making them long-lasting. These techniques are not quick fixes, but they can work over time for some people.
Anyways, good luck!
What things should I not waste my time on in my early 20’s?
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME worrying about the future. Before you jump all over that answer, I am not saying not to PLAN for the future, just to stop worrying about it. Come to think of it, this is probably good advice to anyone regardless of their age.
Worrying, in and of itself, does NOT cause you to be better prepared for the future - it just makes the future seem scarier to you. Worrying can make you sick. It will definitely raise your stress levels and in some people that can cause increased risk of stress-related illness. When a person worries, s/he almost always create scenarios in his/her head that end up being worse than the reality that eventually comes, so it’s just not a productive use of your time.
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME (or at least too much of it) watching television and playing video games. There will be time to binge-watch the “classics” when you’re older and more tired. Life is not meant to be a spectator sport and we are not meant to substitute other people’s vision for our own (reading is okay because you are formulating scenes and characters in your own mind, thereby increasing your ability to imagine and create).
You should become involved in what’s going on around you. Volunteer for a local charity. Go outside and play a game with your friends - even silly “kid’s” games. One of my favorite memories is playing flashlight croquet with a bunch of my friends on my 30th birthday (I know, a little older than the time frame for which you’re asking but the sentiment would have been the same).
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME focusing too much on studying and learning in college. Part of the experience of your college years should be helping to prepare you for “adult” life. If you spend all of your time with your nose in textbooks, you will miss out on a lot of the opportunities to learn precious social skills that will help you much more after you’ve graduated than having read every word in Chapter 7 of your Econ 101 textbook.
Learning happens differently for every person and that doesn’t change when we enter our 20′s. Your mind should still be absorbing from among the new experiences you are having so that you can adapt the lessons you are gaining to the “you” that you are so busy becoming.
And, finally, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME stuck in one place. Travel, even if it is just to the next town over. Go somewhere you’ve never been before every year (you should actually try to make this a plan for the remainder of your life). You may not have a lot of money to spend on traveling but do it anyway.
The world is a huge place with all kinds of amazing opportunities to see new things and get to know new people. As you age, you will have more and more responsibilities that will keep you rooted to one specific location. Take advantage of your youth and experience as much as you can of what this world has to offer.
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Joshua Alexander
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Middle and High School TeacherUpdated 5y
What are some hard truths teachers never tell students about after school life?
We tell kids that without college, they will have a terrible life. We tell this to them from the day they drop off their Dora the Explorer backpack to the day they walk across the stage.
It’s a lie.
The truth is that most well paying careers don’t require a college education. Am I saying the best? No, but you can lead a fine life without one. It’s nice to have, but unless you go to a university with a career in mind that absolutely requires a degree, such as Engineering or Medicine, then you’re probably paying for an education and losing four years of your life that will absolutely not help you get a job. For more than a decade, employers have reported that recent college graduates do not have the skills to rate the salaries they are asking for, which itself is only demanded so that these new entrants into the job market can pay off the student loans… for the college that didn’t give them skills to get a job.
There’s also the fact that they could spend a quarter of the time of getting their “education” and become a plumber. Because these jobs require doing “icky” things that we’ve taught children is beneath them, the demand for plumbers is so high they can demand outrageous prices to do average work. It’s the same with electricians, roofers, or virtually any manual labor position. For many of these fields where someone can enter without a degree, a person who works can retire wealthier than the college graduate. This is completely not an insult to those people who work these manual labor jobs. Growing up taught me that they are the only smart people in the room as they fix the light switch I am helpless to get to work.
Simply having a degree is a waste of four years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars of future earnings you’ll be paying interest on regardless of whether or not you are lucky enough to actually get a job. That’s why I tell kids that maybe 10% of them really need a degree, but they don’t know which ones they are… because they aren’t going to figure out what they want to do until they get to college, and then they are pretty much on track to be just another person with a really expensive and really worthless sheet of paper on the wall. As for those 10%, they are probably screwed too, because they didn’t figure out what they wanted to be until they already got to the school they were going to… which may have a terrible reputation in that field. Then what are you going to do, get on the Dean’s List at Stupid Lawyer University? Good luck with that life track.
Why do teachers still carry on this untruth? Because we are part of the problem.
We’re academics. We have faith in the institution because it validates us. We’re also biased because we have degrees and we want to think that that gives us some moral superiority. I guess that explains why teachers can make half of what plumbers make. We’re also naive because many of us joined the profession not because we have a profound understanding of the world we wish to impart to future generations. That’s a lie we tell ourselves. The truth is that many teachers just don’t like Math. Sorry, but that’s a major motivator for many teachers when they make that choice in college… avoiding advanced college level Math classes. Let that sink in.
Also, throwing that “college” word around is good intimidation to manipulate kids into listening to us. If the little darlings are terrified of living a crappy life, and if you make the solution to that listening to your crappy course of education, then they listen to boring information they won’t find meaningful at any point in life. Simply, when they ask, “When are we ever going to use this?” it’s much easier to just say, “Because you’ll need it get into a good college,” than to provide a rational explanation for why 100% of kids in the world need to understand that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
And a last reason we tell kids this? Because we have to. Many states are incentivized with scorecards for schools that includes qualifiers like how many kids went to college after graduation. Sometimes this affects funding and other times can create some bogus “report card” for the school that artificially inflates either success or failure as a learning institution.
Case in point? If a kid joins the military (such as yours truly) and gains real world experience that was a far more rewarding period of my life than college, then they only count that as “Didn’t go to college”. This is true even for cases like mine, where after my four years in the Marines, I graduated Cum Laude from a major university. According to every record for my graduating high school the year after I left, I was a disappointment according to their metrics. How stupid is a system that acts like that? Even worse, that guy who became an electrician and is supporting a secure family with honorable labor years before that college graduate is still living in their parent’s house — “Didn’t go to college” — now his school goes from a B- to a C+, because electricians don’t count as people. Explain to me how those examples should validate parents being afraid to send to their kids to this school or that the school should rate less funding because it is “failing”.
Look, I know that a lot of people will want to defend the Higher Education Complex, but the simple fact is that not 100% of kids need college. If we are being honest, in our society, half don’t. Perpetuating this myth is hurting those middle and high school kids who know that they are not wired for, nor do they have any interest, in going to college. They know that better than we do, and we shouldn’t stigmatize them, but offer them life paths that isn’t one degree fits all. Now, they get the message that because they don’t want the one solution offered, then they will be a failure later on life. So what do they become in school? Failures. If there wasn’t some stigma around becoming an A/C mechanic, as if that wasn’t the option people must settle on, then they would be better motivated.
But instead we continue to push kids who don’t want college into it, where they bloat the system with artificially inflated tuition rates… to get worthless degrees brought about by ever declining standards… in a job market that doesn’t appreciate them… because they have no skills. And the kids who failed in school? They fail in life and we end up paying for them in prison when they could have relieved the artificially high price of refrigeration repair. There’s a win/win if anyone would bother to learn Economics.
Look, you’re fine arguing for the merits of college. It is an incredibly important institution; one of the bedrocks of our society. But it isn’t for everyone. If we are being honest, it may be truly necessary for maybe 10% of the population, and useful for perhaps 30%, but a niche to have for everyone else.
But saying that 100% of kids in school will have a horrible life if they don’t have a college degree? That’s a flat out lie.
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Naveen Sivakumaran
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Books, my first love. And last. I'm a book hoarder too.5y
What is the key to reading a lot of books?
First of all, congrats on setting a goal to read many books. It is a decision you will not regret.
I’m a book hoarder - for every book I’m reading, I buy a couple more, and pile ’em up (or let them sit in my Kindle device). Reading fast (while maintaining comprehension levels is something I’ve been aiming for too.
Here’s what has worked for me thus far (helping me smash at least a book a week):
Audio books - As Corey Forsyth suggested, audio books are a big time saver. You can easily find at least an hour a day where you are involved in some sort of mindless activity where your thoughts are a drift. E.g. commuting to and from class or work, exercising (cardio workouts such as walking or jogging), cleaning, folding clothes etc. You can even fall asleep to them (but your comprehension will suffer)!
Read 2–3 books simultaneously - It may seem counter-intuitive, but I’ve found it to work miracles. The key is to pick books that are completely unrelated to each other. E.g. fiction, business and autobiography. Whenever one book tends to get a boring, you can always pick another. However, be careful of not neglecting the book you kept aside.
I read a work of non-fiction from which I learn (e.g business or self-development) during my morning commute, when my mind is fresh and alert. This way I’m able to sustain most of what I read. I read to learn as soon as I wake up as well, for about 30 minutes.
Then, on the commute home, I’m kind of exhausted. Thus, I crack open a novel or biography. (Yes, I always carry two books in my backpack, or I read off he Kindle).
While in the toilet and before bed, it is always fiction.
This way you consume a wide range of books, and also get the best out of all of them.
Don’t be afraid to drop a book - Sometimes, we opt to read a book based on reviews from friends or websites such as Amazon, Good Reads or other blogs. But, this book may not be for you. It may not resonate with you, or you might find the author to be too much of a drag. E.g. While Malcolm Gladwell is a brilliant writer and thought leader, his work just doesn’t work for me. When this happens, do not feel obligated to finish the book. Just drop it, and move on to the next. There are way too many books in the world for you to be wasting your time on books that you don’t like.
Read the short version - Subscribe to a service like Blinkist: Serving curious minds. Although I’ve not tried the service, I’ve heard good things about it. Sometimes, non-fiction books carry a lot of value but there is a lot of unnecessary stories that the authors use to complement the content. You’ll waste a lot of time dragging yourself through those. you can skip the headache and get to the crux of the book with a service like Blinkist, which summarizes books to bite-sized 15-minute chunks. Sounds appealing doesn’t it?
Trust the above helps you in smashing a good number of books this year.
Good luck. :)
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Edventurer
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Knows SpanishUpdated 2y
What are the best and fast ways to lose weight?
Here’s my story of how I lost 85lb (38kg) in a span of 4 months.
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The most overweight I have ever been, and will ever be:
March 2013
Age 17
Weight: 225 lbs (102 kg)
Height: 5′9 (175 cm)
Waist: 40 inch (100 cm)
Shirt: Size XL - XXL
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The skinniest I have ever been:
July 2013
Age 18 (my birthday is in June)
Weight: 140 lbs (63 kg)
Body Fat: 9%-10%
Height: 5′10 (178 cm)
Waist: 28 inch (71 cm)
Shirt: Size XS
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Here I am today (well, technically yesterday):
Age 22
Weight: 160 lb (72 kg)
Body Fat: 12–14% Body Fat
Height: 5′10 (178 cm)
Waist: 30 inch (76 cm)
Shirt: Size S
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In order to start losing weight, you must first analyze yourself. Ask yourself these oblique, presumptuous questions:
Why am I at this undesirable weight?
What is the rationale behind your body figure at the very moment?
Having been brought up in Southern California of the United States, there were many aspects that contributed to obesity:
Unhealthy food: sugary, deep fried, processed, GMO, etc.
The amount of food available in the country.
A wise gentleman once riddled me:
“What is the hardest thing to do in this society? To starve to death.”
The humongous portion of food and soda.
The lack of walking.
I’ve witnessed people getting into their cars, then park towards a store within a few steps away… in the same plaza complex.
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Why do I want to lose weight?
Set a goal for yourself. What will motivate you to transform? To get more dates, to be healthy, to fit in your clothes, to be the envy of your peers, whatever it shall be.
For me, I wanted to change myself when I turned 18 (adulthood).
To see what I was missing out on in life.
At age 17 —
I hated walking, don’t get me started on running.
I’ve never had a girlfriend.
I didn’t have the stamina to play any sports.
I’ve never finished a “mile run” (1.7 km) under 15 minutes during P.E.
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“Besides good grades and close friends, life was so limited”
“If I’m fat when I’m a kid, it’s my parents’ fault. If I’m fat when I become an adult, it will be my own fault”
Those were some of the trending thoughts that lingered.
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Short answer: Change.
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Once you have established that — here is my story.
The first enlightenment to my preadolescence mind about losing weight was that — we as humans, technically do not need to eat for a long period of time, while hydration still remains utterly crucial.
Human beings, on average, can withstand 30 days of starvation. 7 days without water.
That knowledge, unfortunately, stemmed from a documentary I had watched in World History Class where they did experiments during the Holocaust. Nonetheless, it still holds legitimacy.
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When the dieting process began, I have already taken the initiative and Google’d everything there is to know about nutrition and how it can be beneficial to my process.
Some nifty facts that I grasped:
Carbohydrate will turn to sugar (energy). Sugar then turns to fat when your body does not utilize it (through exercising).
Your body fuels on fat before it fuels on muscle.
When you are “hungry”, oftentimes you are just “thirsty”.
Protein is only substantial to muscle growth and reparation, not your well-being.
Healthy fats makes you healthy, but it will still make you fat.
3500 calories = 1 lb (7000 calories = 1 kg)
Your body burns 2000 calories everyday (on average)
Among some other things.
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So what did I do?
I read the Nutrition Table of every thing I consumed. I memorized the fat, carbohydrates (sugar, fiber), and calories of just about anything.
I downloaded an application on my phone to track my calories. I input EVERYTHING I consumed, the second I finish it, down to each individual carrot at the school cafeteria.
I cut off all forms of fat and carbohydrates. Even the healthy ones. My diet then predominantly consisted of vegetables, water, and tea.
Whenever I was hungry, I drank water.
I ran every single day. 15 minutes the first few days, 30 minutes the first few weeks, then eventually an hour. Some days even 2 hours.
I did not have a “rest day” throughout the whole process.
On average:
I drank 2 L to 5 L of water.
I consumed 0 to 500 calories.
I burned -500 to -1500 calories at the gym.
Every. Single. Day.
In the ultimate sense, I burned about half a pound (1/4 kg) every day.
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The diet strive became an addiction.
Not once in my life would it occur to me that anorexia, would evidently manifest as a threat.
There was a period where I started experimented on myself. I was starving myself to see what would occur, out of curiosity. In case I was stranded on a deserted island of some sort, ya know, radical teenager ideas
I made it through 7 days consecutively, consuming only water, tea, black coffee, and oxygen.
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I arrived at 140 lbs and I did not know how to proceed. For the very first time, it became too laborious for me to lose weight.
So I shifted my goal, to build muscles instead.
To do so, I needed more protein. So I started adding seafood to my diet.
Fish, squid, octopus, shrimp, and the likes. Most of which were high in protein, low in calories, and very little to no fat.
Let’s have a comparison between a Cod fish fillet with a Steak, with roughly the same serving size.
Sure, meat has a lot of protein, but look at how much Fat it has!
You need the protein for muscle. But with that much fat included in the ratio, it’s extremely counter-productive.
Anyways, so that’s what I stuck with for 3 consecutive years.
Seafood and vegetables.
Then eventually carbohydrates (with high fiber) and fruits, since lifting weights became too weary.
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To this day, eating unhealthy food is no longer a treat once-in-awhile, it becomes a burden.
My body has developed an intolerance to unhealthy food.
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My peers would say:
People: "Come on man, just have some of these chips."
Me: "But I don't even like them anymore"
People: "Are you on a diet? Are you watching your figure? It must suck to be on a diet, you can't eat what you want to eat anymore" *stuffs their face with a Big Mac"
Me: "Not even the slightest. I'm as content as your love for that cardio-arrest-on-a-sesame-seed-bun."
I was less attracted by the smell and taste of food, and more engaged in the overall response it brought to my body. How it made me feel preceding digestion. How it boosted my performances in demanding activities. Light yet vigorous, energetic yet tranquil. To me, food has become a life necessity, not a self-indulged pleasure anymore.
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My dieting journey might sound a tad extreme to some of you, and I agree completely. I actually do not recommend this diet at all.
Was it difficult?
Yes, but only the first primary weeks, it made me feel light-headed throughout the day.
But once my body has acclimatized to the work-out demand and my stomach shriveled up to the crumb-sized supply that I provided it for daily consumption; I felt lively, like never before. The dieting process was no longer a struggle, it became a lifestyle.
Was it dangerous?
I don’t know.
I fainted once when I was sitting on the toilet. It was 4 months after the diet, when I started to eat more to build muscles. I passed out for half an hour. My stomach was probably too overwhelmed with the newfound portion of food.
Were there any side effects?
Just a heap load of excess skins and stretch marks. Right beneath my abdomen, arms, back, legs, practically everywhere. It’s been 4 years and it has not gone away yet.
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Paraphrasing up my anecdote to be easily absorbed — these are the fastest, safest, and most efficient ways to lose weight:
Have a goal set in your mind.
Especially if that goal is for yourself, not for other people. Let’s say for example — You’re pursuing to get with someone… well if that person ends up being with somebody else, the likelihood of you surrendering is basically guaranteed.
Don’t take “cheat days”.
You will feel less inclined and less committed to pursue your itinerary goal.
Having a clear and strong mindset is the key. Do not succumb to temptation.
Turn your diet into a lifestyle choice, instead of a brief torture.
Learn to read the nutrition label. Get used to understanding everything that you are consuming. Learn how to cook as well, to accommodate your progress.
Stray away from food with saturated oil, processed sugar, and fiber-less carbohydrates.
It might be a struggle initially, not being able to eat what you “like to eat”. But eventually your mind will evolve overtime to adapt to a new preference.
Drink lots of water and/or unsweetened tea, at least 2 L every day.
Sometimes when you feel hungry, you’re actually just dehydrated.
Do cardio at least half an hour every day. Don’t bother with lifting weights until you have at least a small amount of muscle mass.
When you lift weights with more than 40%+ body fat, the muscle won’t be visible anyway. You will end up looking even more overweight.
Scale yourself every morning when you wake up.
This is not to see how much you weigh, but to see your progress. Witnessing your progress will boost your self-esteem instantaneously, and motivates you to advance. The reason for doing it in the morning is to subtract your water weight— pee first though.
Keep track of your calorie intakes.
This serves two purposes:
1. To know the content of what you are eating.
2. To keep track of what you are eating throughout the day.
Chew your food thoroughly. If you swallow your food too fast, you will eat more. Try chewing gums often as well, to mimic the brain stimulation of eating.
“Masticating” - Jake Harper
Keep your mind sober and conscious.
I noticed that I tend to overeat, more than usual, when I’m lacking sleep or drink alcohol. It’s probably my mind trying to keep itself alive but not knowing how, so my brain unconsciously send signals to tell me to eat.
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Nela Canovic
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Growth mindset hacker, writer, Silicon Valley entrepreneurUpdated 3y
What is a simple daily habit that I can make to improve myself?
Here are 7 habits I’ve practiced over the past several years.
My favorite? #2. It sharpens your focus in seconds!
Daily habit #1. Feed your brain with a nutritious breakfast.
When you feed your brain right, you can optimize your cognitive performance, boost memory, and increase concentration in everything you do during the day. Try a simple oatmeal breakfast. Mix one cup with 1 tablespoon flaxseeds (an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid which is a healthy fat that boosts cerebral cortex function), 1 teaspoon peanut butter, a sliced banana or other fresh fruit such as berries, papaya, and mango. Sprinkle some walnuts or almonds on top for more brain-boosting benefits.
Daily habit #2. Improve your focus each morning with one question: What is the ONE thing I am committed to learning today?
This habit keeps things simple, helps your brain focus better, makes you prioritize your goals, and streamlines your work so you don’t feel overwhelmed by a thousand things you “have” to do. Write it in big bold letters on a sheet of paper and hang it on your bedroom or bathroom wall. Read it out loud and come up with an answer on the spot as you’re brushing your teeth or getting dressed. Then, keep it top of mind as you go about your day, as a reminder of what you’ve committed to do.
Daily habit #3. Do “deep work” early.
Deep work can be any kind of analytical thinking that requires the most concentration such as reading, writing, analyzing or problem solving. It requires a different kind of focus from other more tactical things we do on a regular basis, from washing dishes to setting our alarm clock in the evening before going to sleep. Dedicate the first 2-4 hours after you wake up to maximize your brain’s peak performance time. If for example you wake up at 7, your peak times are between 9 and 11 a.m.
Daily habit #4. Do a short 20–30 minute cardio workout.
Being physically active improves both your physical and mental well-being, plus you get the boost of endorphins (happy hormones) when you break a sweat. But instead of aiming too high (“I have to spend two hours at the gym!”), start with a super simple workout session, either in the morning before you start your daily commute or when you’re done with work or school. Pick a shorter activity that requires your body to move, such as a 15 minute bootcamp session, a set of lunges and squats, a power walk, bike ride, or quick run through the neighborhood. Looking for a challenge? Try building this 30-day plank pose habit!
Daily habit #5. Calm your busy thoughts with meditation.
If you find yourself often feeling overwhelmed and stressed, you can quiet your mind from all those busy thoughts with a simple 10-minute meditation practice. Download the Headspace app, which makes it super simple for beginners. Practice 10 minutes consistently for 10 days. Experiment to find out which time works better for you, mornings after you wake up or right before going to sleep. After that you can opt to increase the time to 15 and later 20 minutes, or you can keep it to 10 if that amount of time works for you.
Daily habit #6. Create your fiction book-reading ritual.
If you haven’t given reading fiction a try, here are some benefits for you to consider. Did you know that reading fiction improves brain function and boosts connectivity in the brain? It’s not my personal opinion — science backs it up. Neuroscientists from Emory University published a study called Short and Long Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain explaining the benefits in detail. To make reading a daily practice, get a library membership, download the Goodreads app to help you find topics and writers, and read up on Quora’s novel recommendations to get started on your reading journey.
Daily habit #7. Practice a growth mindset.
If you think that a mindset is something you’re just born with, think again. Unlike having a fixed mindset (where you believe you’re born with a set of skills and abilities that are in your “nature”), cultivating a growth mindset means you push yourself outside your comfort zone, challenge beliefs on what you can and cannot (or “should not”) do, and re-program your mind so you can develop your core qualities and skills through continuous efforts. I created an online course that’s great for beginners and that shows you how to implement a growth mindset way of thinking in your everyday life. Click here for more details if you’d like to enroll.
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