Learning is a continuous process even if you are not a student. However, it is mandatory for students so even if they are not up to it, they have to study. Dr. Josh Davis of the NeuroLeadership Institute gives four pointers how to study effectively and get the most out of it without draining so much of your time and effort.
NeuroLeadership Institute is an organization that uses science to advance leadership potential. Through years of careful research, they were able to develop a model that outlines the four key conditions that make learning effective. They call it AGES for Attention, Generation, Emotion, and Spacing.
Attention can greatly affect how you learn if you are able to maintain an undivided attention when studying. Generation, on the other hand, is how you use the information you have learned. According to Dr. Davis, applying what you learn in real life makes the information you have more meaningful. In terms of emotions, he said that strong emotions make you remember something stronger. Thus, creating an emotional connection to what you're learning makes you retain it more. Finally spacing your study time will make you more effective.
Aside from this model, Dr. Davis also mentioned that having insight is a key to learning effectively. Insight is a new way of how you process information together. However, insight has to fight with other things that hold our conscious awareness. Therefore, we need to fight and free our minds to get rid of the unimportant things that will block insight from coming.
Dr. Davis mentioned four conditions that we need to have for insight to come. First of all, the mind should be quiet. The mind should not have a lot of competition in your conscious awareness. Second, go inward and reflect internally. This allows visual gating where you block out competition created by external sensations. Third, is to be in a positive mood because it makes the connection happen much faster making you learn more. Lastly, don't think of the problem actively. When these conditions are met, insight and learning happens.
