Power Up Your Mind: Learn faster, work smarter

 difficult meetings, when I rehearse different answers to possible

reactions


 speeches or presentations, when I concentrate on the first few min-

utes of my talk and picture the audience in front of me, imagining

different possible reactions


 any written assignment, when I imagine the story of my argument

and then often scribble it down as a flowchart or mind map.

The second approach involves taking the idea of talking yourself

through the experience one stage further. You put your memory to

the test by teaching what you have learned to someone else.

Anyone who has tried to do this knows that it is a very effective

measure of how much you have retained yourself. Not only is this

a good method of reinforcing your memory, it also sends out very

positive signals about you as a manager and coach, taking time to

value and share what you have learned. Obviously, this idea extends

way beyond learning new computer skills.

Making regular deposits in your memory bank

Whether you remember something depends not only on the power

of the initial experience, but also on how you review what you have

learned. A good rule of thumb is to try to remind yourself of impor-

tant things that you want to remember:

an hour later

a day later

a week later

a month later

three months later.

It may be that you only spend five or ten minutes reviewing what

you learned, perhaps using your notes or some kind of visual aid to

help you. But, if you do this you will be able to improve your recall

by at least a factor of four.

It is helpful to think of your memory as a bank that has lent

you money for a significant purchase like a house or a car and

130 Power Up Your Mind