Power Up Your Mind: Learn faster, work smarter

Looking at the connection between challenge and competence can

also be helpful:

These two diagrams will help you to work out the probability of

being successfully motivated in your learning.

10 ways to boost your motivation

However good you are at motivating yourself, there will always be

times when your motivation flags. Here are some other ways in

which you can revive it and the reasons these are likely to work:

1 Give yourself a reward. This will make you feel good, confirming your

achievements so far and making you want to continue.

2 Stop what you are doing and take some physical exercise. Your brain needs

lots of oxygenated blood to work well. Just standing up releases an

extra 20 percent. Taking some exercise will help you to stop fretting

about things and relax. You may even find that you solve your prob-

lem while you are exercising.

3 Take a break. Unless you are completely “in the flow,” most people

find that a few minutes’ break every 20 or 30 minutes refreshes the

mind without losing your engagement in the activity. A change of

environment often helps you to see things differently.

4 Check that you have got the big picture. Your brain is continually trying

to make connections, so giving the big picture in advance gives it time

to make sense of things and “gather” all it knows about the subject.

66 Power Up Your Mind

Low skills High skills

High

challenge

Low

challenge

Feel

anxious

Feel

bored

Feel safe and

unstimulated

Feel

stimulated