Dumb Little Man - tips for life: “How to Study Effectively (Not Just for Students!)” plus 1 more

How to Study Effectively (Not Just for Students!)

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 10:05 PM PST

Most of us don't stop learning after school's out. We may study for a professional qualification, in the hopes of a promotion, to make our working lives easier, or simply for the joy of learning.

If you didn't learn how to study effectively when you were young, though, you're probably wasting a lot of time.

Here's how to make the most of your studying time, so that you remember and understand what you're trying to learn – rather than just staring at the book in front of you.

Don't Just Read
The biggest mistake people make when studying is to read the textbook, or their notes, over and over again. Sure, some of it will eventually stick – but this really isn't an effective way to learn.

If you've ever "read" a whole page only to realize you didn't take in a word of it, you'll know how easy it is for your eyes to keep moving when your brain's switched off. And if you've ever nodded along, feeling like you've "got it" – only to fail a test – then you know that simply reading isn't enough to lodge information in your head.

Engage With the Material
When you're studying, you need to engage with whatever it is that you're learning. Ideally, you want to do that in some practical way. So:

Instead of reading a manual about PHP code, try using what you've learned as part of a website.

Instead of studying the science of cooking, bake something – and experiment with different additions.

Instead of reciting capital cities, get a blank map and plot them onto it.

Instead of listening to or reading French, try writing or speaking.

The way in which you engage will depend on what you're learning and on your own learning styles. You might prefer to write about what you've learned, draw a diagram, or do something practical.

Memorize Thoroughly
When you're trying to memorize something – perhaps a scientific formula, or a quotation from literature – it's often helpful to write it out. The more times you do this, the more likely it is to stick! To ensure that you're not just getting it into your short term memory, try writing it out at different times during the day, without looking it up beforehand.

There are plenty of tricks you can use to help you remember things. You might try mnemonics (here in the UK, schoolchildren are taught "Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain" for the colors of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). You could make up a poem or even set words to music – it's often easier to remember something which rhymes (like "Thirty days hath September...").

Take a Quiz
Until you test yourself, you won't know whether you've done enough studying. If you're working towards a particular qualification which has exams, get a hold of copies of previous test papers and try them out.

If you aren't going to be sitting an exam, look for a quiz on your subject, or ask a friend or family member to test you using your notes.

If you're studying for your own purposes – perhaps to learn a language – then you could test yourself out by attempting to write something in that language without referring to your books or notes.

When you're studying, it's easy to unconsciously skip over tricky bits – a quiz helps highlight these! Plus, you'll often find that material which you could only just remember gets more firmly lodged in your mind.

Do you have any great studying tips to add? Share them with us in the comments!

Written on 1/27/2011 by Ali Luke. Ali writes a blog, Aliventures, about leading a productive and purposeful life (get the RSS feed here). As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing.

Photo Credit: MC Quinn

What Is Your Body Capable Of?

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 06:15 AM PST

Is your body out of shape? Do you want to become fit? No matter how unfit you are right now, it's not too late to get your body back into shape. All you need to do is to establish and maintain an exercise routine.

In this post, I'll share with you what has worked for me.

At the beginning of last year, I resolved to get back into regular exercise after a six-year break due to problems with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now, twelve months later, I'm training in the martial arts again. I've turned into a runner, and I'm more fit than I was seven years ago. But I couldn't have done it all on my own.

In order to find support, I started an 8-week Fitness Challenge on my blog Goodlife ZEN in October of last year. Over one hundred people joined (including Leo Babauta). It was so successful that I've now kicked off the Great Fitness Challenge 2011 with over 300 participants. Anyone is welcome - no matter how fit or unfit. What unites us all is the aspiration to improve fitness and lift overall well-being.

I've found exercise to be a miracle medicine. It improves your mood, combats chronic disease, helps you manage your weight, boosts your energy level, and promotes better sleep.

Can you get fit at any age?
The story of Bob Hayes, a farmer from Montana, is inspiring. Bob took up running at age 60 when his son encouraged him to take part in a 5km charity run. Bob struggled to complete the race. Afterward he said, "I wasn't feeling as fit as I would have liked to. Perhaps age is catching up on me?" Yeah, well – Bob was about to find out.

After his first run, Bob decided to join a local running club. Some months later, Bob took part in a half-marathon. Then he found that running long distances was what he enjoyed the most. Fast forward 20 years: Bob has turned into a celebrated ultra-marathon runner.

Last year Bob, now 83, completed his 12th LeGrizz 50-mile ultra-marathon (his first was at age 70). His time of 10 hours 47 minutes was 17 minutes faster than three years earlier when he was 80.

At age 83, Bob's body is in a state many people in their twenties would envy. He says: "I'm in the best shape of my life!"

Can anyone get super fit?
Yes, you can build up your fitness and strength at any age. You might not become a star athlete, but good fitness is achievable for everyone. The key is to start with a routine that's 'too easy'. Being fit makes you feel great. It also makes you feel younger.

Bob Hayes says:

"When I'm out there in a race I never think how old I am, I think I'm the same age as the people running around me, so if they're 25 I think I'm 25 and if they're 55 I think I'm 55 so it keeps you young."

How to build up your fitness
Here are four tips on how to develop an exercise routine:

Tip #1: Do what you enjoy
If exercise isn't pleasurable, it turns into a grind. If you enjoy dancing, try something like Zumba classes. If you enjoy a challenge, try martial arts. Or try tennis, rowing, running, hiking, swimming or one of the many other forms of physical exercise.

Tip #2 Use 'micro exercise'
Maybe your life is very busy and adding a fitness routine seems just too much. In that case, try 'micro exercises'. These are exercises you can do at odd moments. Let me give you a few examples:
- While you wait for dinner to cook: do some incline pushups on the kitchen counter (place your feet 2 feet away from the edge, place your hands shoulder-width on the counter, keep a straight back and do push-ups. If it's too hard, step closer. If it's too easy, step back.
- While you wait at the check-out in a store: strengthen your ankles and legs by rocking up onto your toes and down again.
- While you sit at your desk: lift your feet off the ground and hold them there for 10 seconds or longer. This will strengthen your abs.
- While you take a break at the office: do some squats (stand close to your chair, arch your back, and do squats, just touching your backside to the chair each time.
- While you're watching TV, do some stretches.
These simple exercises don't take up extra time. It's a simple way to utilize stray moments for fitness.

Tip #3: Use functional exercise
One of the secrets of getting fit is to change ordinary tasks into exercise routines. Here are some examples:
- Stop using your car for short errands. Instead, walk, run, or cycle.
- Play with your kids.
- Hang out the washing with squats. Leave the basket with washing on the ground and squat down each time you pick up a piece of clothing to peg it to the line. (Make sure your back is straight or hollowed when you do this.)
- Use a staircase instead of the elevator. Get out one or two floors below the floor you need to go to and walk the rest.
- Run up escalators. Make a habit of running up each time you're on an escalator (if there's enough room).
Tip #4: Start running. Here's how:
I started running about four months ago after some previous attempts that came to nothing. This time I was determined to establish a habit of running in order to see how my body would cope with it. Now I love it and have started going on trail runs in the mountains.

This is what helped me to start running:
- Run slowly. It's important is that your body gets used to the action of running.
- Run uphill. It's a great way to strengthen your cardio-vascular fitness. And it's easy on the joints because the ground rises up to meet you.
- Alternate walking and running. If you are unfit but would like to take up running, start with very short runs. Maybe run just for 30 seconds, and then walk for 5 minutes or so. Repeat the pattern. As you get more confident, run for a little longer until you are able to run at a stretch without walking.

Unfit? Use easy everyday exercises
No matter how unfit you are, you can improve your fitness. A participant of the Goodlife ZEN Fitness Challenge 2011 wrote:

"I'm in horrible shape – I have actually gotten winded walking around my office. How to get your body back into shape if you are really unfit."

Whatever condition you are in, you can improve your fitness. If you are way out of shape, you need to take your journey of fitness very slowly. At the same time, it's important to go to your edge regularly - wherever that may be. The edge of your fitness shows up when you get out of breath and you can feel your heart beating strongly.

There are some simple exercises you can do in order to start on your journey of fitness:

Set a chair back about a foot from a table or desk. Now lean on the top and stand up. Repeat this until you are out of breath.

Use one-gallon or half-gallon bottles with a handle (2 to 5 litres) as improvised weights. Sit on a chair with a weight in each hand, arms hanging down. Lift the weights chest-high and touch them together. Then bring them apart and return your arms to a hanging position. Repeat.

If you are very overweight or have joint problems, try swimming or aquarobics. This will improve your cardio-vascular fitness without stressing your joints.

Start walking. Even a short 5-minute walk will get your heart-rate up and speed up your metabolism.

Exercise with others
The best way to establish a long-term habit of exercise is to join others. It's fun, and it makes you more accountable. Find others who practice the exercise you enjoy. Join a yoga class, train in martial arts, try Yumba, walk or run with friends - there are many ways to exercise with others.

You can also join the Great Fitness Challenge on Goodlife ZEN (it's free). We've set up a forum for the Challenge and participants can check in each day and report how they're doing. It's inspiring to read how other people are going. Some of the participants (like Leo Babauta) are very experienced and offer great tips for exercising. It's great to have a community with which to connect.

Make today the start of your journey to fitness.

Written on 1/26/2011 by Mary Jaksch. Enjoy more posts by Mary at Goodlife ZEN, and rev up your body in the Great Fitness Challenge. Or, team up with Mary Jaksch and Leo Babauta in the A-List Blogger Club, the acclaimed training program for bloggers.

Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon