The Most Successful Techniques for Rising Early
‘The proper response to life is applause.’ ~William Carlos Williams By Leo Babauta Waking early is one of my favorite things in the world. Waking early can give you an hour or three of extra time for focus and creativity. I haven’t written about waking early for awhile, mostly because my waking time is in constant flux. I’ve learned a thing or two about how to change your wake-up time with joy, and today I’ll share the most successful techniques in my many experimentations. The Gradual Method The best method for changing the time you wake up is to do it gradually — 10-15 minutes earlier for 2-4 days, until you feel used to it, and then repeat. That might seem too slow to most people, and you’re free to disregard this advice. Sudden changes of an hour earlier or more in your waking time are difficult, and not likely to last. Sleeping patterns are difficult to change, and so the gradual method works much better. 3 Steps to Actually Get Up Here’s how to beat that in 3 steps: Get excited.
Scientific Speed Reading: How to Read 300% Faster in 20 Minutes
(Photo: Dustin Diaz) How much more could you get done if you completed all of your required reading in 1/3 or 1/5 the time? Increasing reading speed is a process of controlling fine motor movement—period. This post is a condensed overview of principles I taught to undergraduates at Princeton University in 1998 at a seminar called the “PX Project.” The below was written several years ago, so it’s worded like Ivy Leaguer pompous-ass prose, but the results are substantial. I have never seen the method fail. The PX Project The PX Project, a single 3-hour cognitive experiment, produced an average increase in reading speed of 386%. It was tested with speakers of five languages, and even dyslexics were conditioned to read technical material at more than 3,000 words-per-minute (wpm), or 10 pages per minute. If you understand several basic principles of the human visual system, you can eliminate inefficiencies and increase speed while improving retention. The Protocol First – Determining Baseline
The Miracle and Mystery of Sleep: 12 Remarkable Psychological Studies
“Sleeping is no mean art: for its sake one must stay awake all day.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche What beautiful rewards sleep delivers– if you can get enough of it. Sleep has profound effects on our memories, desires, self-control, learning, relationships and more. Here are twelve studies which demonstrate some of the psychological benefits of sleep and a few of the dangers of not getting enough. 1. Sleep is slippery beast, not least in how it’s susceptible to our perceptions of its quality. If we think we’ve had a wonderful sleep last night, we feel and perform better, even if our sleep was actually the same as usual. This is what Draganich and Erdal (2014) found in a study which had participants hooked up to sensors which they were told were measuring the quality of their sleep. Actually the sensors weren’t measuring anything. When they were given a cognitive test the next day, those who’d been told they slept the best also did the best in the test. The researchers dubbed this ‘placebo sleep’. 2.
Walking helps keep body and brain young
Get Better Sleep: 5 Powerful New Tips From Research
Ever have trouble getting to sleep? Or staying asleep? Or you get plenty of shut-eye but you’re not refreshed? And feeling tired the next day isn’t the half of it. Via Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School: Take an A student used to scoring in the top 10 percent of virtually anything she does. And losing “beauty sleep” really does make you less attractive. Want to be miserable? Via NurtureShock: The result is that sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories, yet recall gloomy memories just fine. And if that’s not enough, lack of sleep could contribute to an early death. Via Night School: The results, published in 2007, revealed that participants who obtained two hours less sleep a night than they required nearly doubled their risk of death. We need answers before sundown. On his YouTube channel he has a number of great videos including this one on sleep tips. If you’re not too tired to keep reading, let’s get to it… No booze. Sum Up Tags:
Why we screw up when the heat is on - life - 11 July 2011
Read full article Continue reading page |1|2 Psychologist Sian Beilock has investigated what happens in the brain when our performance crumbles under pressure. She talked to Tiffany O'Callaghan about what it takes to stay on form under stress, and why being smarter can be more hindrance than help What made you want to research what you've called "the science of why people screw up"? This phenomenon is known as "choking": what does this mean exactly? What is going on when we are under pressure? You say people with more cognitive horsepower may be more likely to fail. We had people do mathematics problems that could be solved by working through a complicated algorithm, or by using a shortcut. Those with more cognitive horsepower are also folks who tend to over-think and analyse. How can you avoid worry? A mathematical problem presented horizontally - "32 - 17 = ??" How did you find out that paying less attention can improve performance? New Scientist Not just a website! More From New Scientist
The Incredible Importance of Sleep for Habits & Motivation
By Leo Babauta For a long time, I underestimated the importance of sleep. Sure, I know that sleep is important for health and happiness and all of that … but it wasn’t until I learned two things that sleep took on a new importance for me: If you don’t get enough sleep, you will fail at changing habits; andIf you have a lack of sleep, your motivation will drop tremendously. For years I focused on waking early so that I’d be more productive and be able to focus on my morning habits. I could cite a bunch of studies and numbers, but here’s the honest truth: based on my own self-experiments, and working with thousands of people on habits, sleep is one of the most important but least valued factors when it comes to creating habits. And in my own life, I’ve noticed that when sleep levels drop, my productivity drops. Here’s what happens: This pattern continues until I get enough sleep. How to Get Better Sleep I’m not an expert on sleep, but here’s what I find to work for me: Go to bed earlier.
The Pomodoro Technique®
What is The Pomodoro Technique? EASY for anyone to use! Improves productivity IMMEDIATELY! FUN to do! Why Pomodoro? The Pomodoro Technique isn’t like any other time-management method on the market today. For many people, time is an enemy. Essential to the Pomodoro Technique is the notion that taking short, scheduled breaks while working eliminates the “running on fumes” feeling you get when you’ve pushed yourself too hard. Whether it’s a call, a Facebook message, or suddenly realizing you need to change the oil in your car, many distracting thoughts and events come up when you’re at work. Most of us are intimately acquainted with the guilt that comes from procrastinating. Who does the technique work for? These are all ways real folks use the Pomodoro Technique: Motivate yourself to write.Limit distractions.Keep track of how long you’re spending brainstorming / writing / revising.Reduce back and neck pain by walking around during Pomodoro breaks.Draft a book in three weeks. How It works
