Prepare Your Mind for Learning Before You Begin
August 24th, 2007
Call it what you will. Prayer, meditation, centering down, moment of silence - done correctly, any of these can make you a better student.
I’ve always been one who shows up early to class. Perhaps the fact that I was raised by a pair of teachers had something to do with it. In any case, five minutes early (at least in college) was the norm for me. It wasn’t until recently though that I realized why I was wasting my time in those five minutes. At best, I used those precious minutes socializing with the professor or other students who showed up early for class. At worst, it was just me - I’d sit there and think about nothing.
Had I known that I could prepare myself for greater retention in those few minutes, I would have gladly spent the time doing so. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn of this pre-study preparation technique until about a year ago, when I began studying for a large and important standardized test. How I learned this technique is the topic for an entirely different post, so I’ll share the technique with you now and save my life’s history for later.
Before each study or classroom session, improve your ability to concentrate and thereby retain what you hear, see, and read, by closing your eyes, breathing deeply and repeating a variation of the following statement for about two minutes:
I am the picture of focus and concentration. Everything I see, hear, and read becomes a part of who I am. It enters my brain and changes my entire being. I can recall any or all of it at will with clarity and ease. I am the picture of focus and concentration.
If it all sounds a bit “new-agey” for you, change it around to make it fit your beliefs - because that’s what it’s really about. These two minutes will help you to clear your head and prepare your mind and your body for learning.
I’d recommend practicing this in a private setting first, just so you don’t get discouraged and write it off as hooey from the beginning. Spend some time at home or in the library and utilize this technique before studying. With a bit of practice, you’ll see that it really does work and you’ll be ready to swallow your pride and do this before class in the midst of friends. If you never get to that point, just find a quiet place to spend two minutes before you ever enter the classroom. Your GPA will thank you for it.
As you might expect, your ability to retain and recall information improves as you practice this technique over and over again. Look for ways to get your fix by using this technique to help remember things like your grocery list, a favorite poem or quote, or even the lyrics to a song.
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