Mind Performance Hacks

Hack #15. Speak Your Brain's Language

To absorb new information and to assimilate it quickly and effectively, use learning-style theories to understand your brain and what makes it function best.

If you have to drive somewhere new, how do you figure out how to get there? Perhaps you like to consult a web site and get a step-by-step list of driving directions that details each turn and street name. Maybe your dad prefers looking at a map and tracing out his route there. If you asked your friend, she'd tell you she likes to call someone and ask for directions, including landmarks and possible pitfalls she might encounter on the way. Maybe you've even had arguments about this, with each side claiming the only "good" way to be sure you get there, and secretly thinking that the other ways are for idiots.

This argument happens because each person has a different learning style. A learning style is a way of taking in and assimilating information, and different people's brains do this in different ways. So, each method of finding out how to get where you're going might be right for the person who favors it, and for him it might really be idiotic for that person to use a method that's less effective.

If you can tune in to the best way for your brain to learn, you can apply that knowledge intelligently to learn faster and retain more of what you learn. Knowing a little about learning styles will help you "speak your brain's language" so that it works better for you.

Learning Style Theories

There ...