We believe you’ll realise you need to get it so you stop wasting countless hours studying for nothing when you could learn HOW to learn while taking the bus or walking to school.

There is no faster, easier way to learn these study tips. The MP3 files are compatible with your iPod, iMac, iPhone, iTunes, iPad and Windows Media Player.

Get it now and start improving your grades while you walk, drive or take the bus to and from school or work. It’s the easiest, effortless way to improve your grades!

As you know by now, I am not into promoting lazy student habits, but I have to admit listening to audio books is the laziest, easiest and most effective way to use your ‘downtime’ that is otherwise just lost and wasted.

Did You Know?

Using your commuting time to listen to educational audio programs is the equivalent of a full credit college or university course!

Did You Know?

Listening to an audio book or program on the same subject as a book you’ve read can double your memory retention and increase your ability to recall information?

Did You Know?

That whilst reading a book triggers your visual learning style, an audio book or recording stimulates your auditory and kinaesthetic learning styles?

CLICK ON THE HYPERLINK ->  OR ON THE AUDIO BOOK IMAGE TO GET YOURS NOW!

Renee’s comments are italicised…

Your tip for writing long papers is brilliant. You find a piece of info that you know will be important in your writing even though you haven’t formulated the entire approach in your mind. However, you know you will have to introduce this info, explain it and give it’s relevance to your point, which to me is grunt work that I hate to do when I am “on a roll” of writing the main part of my thought. It’s like a forced stop that kills my catharsis and motivation.

Writer’s block is the single hardest thing to overcome – by capturing these anecdotes, statistics, facts or references – it creates SOMETHING on the page that you can easily edit and embellish. A blank page is so scary!

I only take breaks at the end of a section, as a reward, during which I usually am thinking of how to begin the next section, or I break in the middle of writing something I am enjoying, because I continue to compose in my head while on break and can’t wait to get back to it to get it on paper, (an out-dated expression. I guess we should say get it on computer).

If I were to stop writing now when at a point of introducing and writing a referenced item or data, I would want to avoid writing it, walking away with a negative feeling.  Every time I would try to return to writing, I knew, the first thing I would  be faced with that negative starting point and more avoidance behaviors kick in.

This is a common problem – what I suggest gets rid of that – especially when you read the next suggestion below about using FOOTNOTES and ENDNOTES in Microsoft Word!

I would even suggest going one step further and numbering these references pre-written paragraphs, save them in a separate file and print them out. Keep them next to you as you write and just put the # in the spot you want it to be when you are in your flow of writing. At the end of a section or the end of your paper, open both files, and copy, paste the reference paragraph into it’s numbered spot, tweaking any info needed to make it flow with the main writing.

Microsoft Word allows you to automatically number your references – look into it. That means as you MOVE the references around, all the numbers are re-ordered automatically! That means you don’t have to constantly update them! You can use a split screen to have the footnotes/endnotes at the bottom of the page for inspiration and quick access! Check our your help menu in Microsoft Word for more details.

When I wrote my Ph.D. thesis – I had HUNDREDS of references – there is no way I could have managed to do this manually.

Gosh, I wish I had thought of that when I was in college. Of course, it wouldn’t have worked for me, because there were no computers. Just manual, not even electric typewriters. I remember using index cards in a similar way. I would make notes of reference info on separate cards and then put the cards in the order of when I wanted them to appear in the paper.  Then as I was writing, I kept them next to me. I would glance at the top card frequently to remind me of where I was heading in my writing and to introduce the thought that would lead to that reference, and also to remind me to not forget to put it in. Once written, I flipped it over and my next reference goal was visible on top. Maybe if you print out the references, cut and sort them in this manner, number them at that point, stack them next to you, you could avoid, hunting through pages of text of references, while on a writing spree, each time you want to find the one you
needed.

Exam Stress Got You Down?

The best way to achieve mastery is to practice, but you need to practice within the right context and environment.

Spending 1 to 2 hours on a problem the week before an exam that only allows you 20 to 30 minutes to solve it won’t help your exam related stress – in fact it will most probably INCREASE IT!

I know it’s hard to do, but you need to START your preparation much sooner than you think. What I suggest is that within a week of starting a course, you determine the exam content. I’m totally serious.

With the full content of the final exam (you can ask for copies of previous exams – usually available at the library or online), you will know what you know and what you need to learn.

One thing is for sure – you’ll be a lot less stressed if you do this than if you don’t.

Exam stress is mostly due to uncertainty – the “not knowing” what’s going to be on the exam rather than the difficulty associated with the questions.

Once you’ve figured that out, you can easily deal with it.

Otherwise you’ll continue to be best friends with DREAD and that’s no fun is it?

In a recent Scientific American article, they explain why walking through a doorway makes you forget.

As a student preparing for an important exam or test, you can use this to either NOT forget or TO forget… Let me explain.

Study Tip #1: Interrupt your pattern when you’re stuck on something

If you are struggling with a topic, problem or even writing your term paper or essay, you might want to get up and walk out the door and come back in – to interrupt your pattern and use the encoding specificity principle to trigger the needed interruption and re-setting of your memory.

Study Tip #2: Stay seated until you’re finished studying or writing your essay

There is a lot to be said about full immersion and concentration of focus. The Scientific American article explains in detail why, when you’re “in the zone” – you should say put (seated) and NOT get up and walk through a doorway – literally.

Even though this may sound superstitious, it’s not.

I know anecdotally these study tips work. I would study, compile research, read and write for hours and when I wrote my MBA and Ph.D. theses without interruption. Often, I would be at my desk for several hours without getting up – BECAUSE I had momentum, focus and total concentration.

If you want to get better grades with the least amount of effort – you want to use these study tips and make them work FOR you rather than AGAINST you.

Try them out and let us know how they work for you!

By the way, the Scientific American article was sent to me by Bree Robbins of Paddington Pups – Queensland’s #1 Doggy Day Care and Grooming Facility.

Thanks Bree for sharing, I won’t forget it!

CLICK ON BUTTON ON THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER
OF THE SCREEN (NEXT TO THE ?) FOR FULL SCREEN MODE.

College Study Tips

Click on the hypelink to get your hands on
How To Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort

I used it as a student to collect and gather all my study notes before important tests and exams.

I now use it in business for all my strategic planning and as a visual tool for personal goal setting and journaling.

I teamed up with a fabulous artist – Paul Telling – to create a How To MindMap To get Better Grades Program. You can more about it by clicking on the hyperlink.

If you feel a little intimidated about drawing by hand, you can use a Digital Mindmapping Software that does it all for you – it works on Macs and PCs.

Believe it or not, Digital MindMapping Software can help you write essays and term papers faster than ever before by helping you capture more data, notes and information in one place. With one single view of everything you want to say in your essay or term paper, you can get down to writing with fewer edits.

After all, time is precious when you’re a student – so many deadlines and never enough time!

This is one study tool you simply can’t do without if you want to get a lot more done in less time.

Simply put, the larger the base, the higher the pyramid.

In other words, if you want to acquire wisdom, the more data and information you can process, the better.

The faster you can read, the more you can read.

The more you can read, the better.

To learn Speed Reading, click on the hyperlink.

If you want to learn the ultimate in note taking skills – try MindMapping!

Doodling Can Help You Get Better Grades!

C students think they get graded based on effort.”

- Dr Marc Dussault

Chances are, you dread exams because you’re not prepared – or more likely you don’t “feel” like you’re sufficiently or adequately prepared.

We’ve all been there at some point – taking an exam knowing we didn’t study enough. We’ve also all been sitting there thinking “I am going to ace this exam!”

The challenge we all have as students is to be able to gauge how much preparation is enough. In my study book – Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort, I explain several tips on how to learn HOW you learn.

When you acquire that skill, you can quickly and easily apply it to exam preparation and then exam execution.

Preparing for an exam is NOT the same as taking an exam. In my study book, I highlight exam taking strategies that can relieve a lot of the anxiety and stress you might have.

Since it can’t hurt, if you feel stressed about school or upcoming exams or tests, I’d like to suggest that you give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

You just never know where the next breakthrough will come from. Since I’m not stressed, I can’t really be an objective test subject.

This would be ideal if you’re under severe stress or have anxiety about tests and exams. From what is described, it takes time for it to “work”, so start now and see if it prevents the next anxiety attack.

Try it and let me know by placing a comment below!

The Cortices Technique Video Demonstration

According to Dr. John Veltheim who demonstrates why and how to do the technique in the video above, the brain is the core of the human body it controls the way the body communicates with all it’s various parts. This in turn controls our amazing healing abilities. When the brains function is compromised the Body cannot properly heal.

The Cortices Technique allows for increased brain function and connectivity between all the parts of the Body. Since the body communicates using electricity and quantum energy this technique has an amazing effect on the body by allowing the body to reconnect broken or overloaded circuits.

The technique is has been demonstrated by EMS Response teams to bring trauma patients out of shock when at the scene of accidents. The basic idea is to hold the point of injury and to preform the technique on the patient. This has the effect of allowing the body to address the injury and to do what is necessary. In the case of a trauma victim they could be bleeding to death and the brain is so overloaded that it doesn’t send the healing instructions to clot the blood. The victim then dies due to the fact that the body can’t respond. By preforming the Cortices Technique on the patient the Brain is able to address the problem and allow the body to re-engage in the healing crisis and to clot the blood. If you ask any EMS worker they will tell you that the first thing they need to do is to address shock in a patient. You can use this Technique in any situation mental or physical.

Dr. Veltheim recommends that in the day and age where we have so much electromagnetic radiation. That this technique can be preformed twice a day for 2 or 3 months as a general maintenance routine. The person preforming the technique will notice many changes in their body due the increased ability of the brain to deal with the daily stresses of student life.

I’m sure it will make you smile regardless of what type of student you are. I love it when students use their creative energy and spirit in positive ways like this. Enjoy and please share it with your friends and family!

Hi Dr. Marc,
I just bumped into  your website because we are having our thesis and our topic is about memory enhancers but when I see your blog posts I see that studying can be easy each in our own ways…. My problem is I love reading books and I can read a book of 128 pages within 2 hrs without distraction. How can I be interested in other subjects that are not related to reading?

Because I have difficulty studying math and memorizing.

Maureen M.

First of all, problem-solving subjects like Math, Chemistry and Physics require DOING more than READING. It might help you to read about mathematicians to get immersed in the beauty, elegance and the wonder of science, but you can’t avoid DOING math, chemistry or physics by solving problems.

The best advice is in my study book so you can assess HOW you learn so that you can apply that to math as well as your other subjects.

One way to get better grades in math and other problem-solving subjects is to study in groups with each member working on a different type or format of a problem and sharing the problem-solving process with the group.

That way you can learn more quickly. Ideally, you create a Study MasterMind Group.

That being said, antimimeticisomorphism is about doing out-of-the-ordinary things to get extra-ordinary results – like Duolingo.com – a web service that allows you to learn a new language for free in exchange for your lessons and exercises in translating the Internet’s content. It’s a win-win proposition.

Have a look at this short video and you’ll be amazed how you can learn a new language quickly – for free!

Here is your first question, the foreman said. “Without using numbers, represent the number 9.”

“Without numbers?” The Irishman says? “Dat is easy.” And proceeds to draw three trees.

“What’s this?” the boss asks.

“Have you ain’t got no brain? Tree and tree plus tree makes 9″ says the Irishman.

“Fair enough,” says the boss. “Here’s your second question. Use the same rules, but this time the number is 99.”

The Irishman stares into space for a while, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree… “Ere you go.”

The boss scratches his head and says, “How on earth do you get that to represent 99?”

“Each of da trees is dirty now. So, it’s dirty tree, and dirty tree, plus dirty tree. Dat makes 99.”

The boss is getting worried that he’s going to actually have to hire this Irishman, so he says, “All right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100.”

The Irishman stares into space some more, then he picks up the picture again and makes a little mark at the base of each tree and says, “Ere you go. One hundred.”

The boss looks at the attempt. “You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!”

The Irishman leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree and whispers, “A little dog come along and poop by each tree.
So now you got dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, which makes ONE HUNDRED!”

Now that’s what you call creative thinking!

Seriously, if there are trees out there, it might just help.

According to Attention Restoration Theory (ART) people can concentrate better after spending time in nature, or even looking at scenes of nature. Natural environments abound with “soft fascinations” which a person can reflect upon in “effortless attention”, such as clouds moving across the sky, leaves rustling in a breeze or water bubbling over rocks in a stream. The theory was developed by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan in the 1980s in their book The experience of nature: A psychological perspective and has since been found by others to hold true in medical outcomes as well as intellectual task attention.

If you don’t have direct access to nature, researchers seem to agree that WATCHING VIDEOS might be the next best thing.

I did a quick YouTube search and found this video – I am sure some of you can find a better one that we can share… Please post the YouTube URL as a comment and I’ll publish the best ones!

The key is to envelop your visual sense in the experience…

You only need a few minutes of involuntary ‘effortless’ attention to then return to your task and have full concentration and focus.