Gaia is the word for "unity-of-life-processes". The experiment here is to unify the various threads of voice and sense of self together into an undivided unity. Spirituality, economics, politics, science and ordinary life interleaved.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

10 Ideas for Studying Better at University Business Degrees.

1. It’s not personal. Accept that the best university business courses are run like business. The systems are not personal, but simply to improve non-personal outcomes.

2. It’s not about entrepreneurship. Accept that your fellow students will have nothing in common with you; most business students want corporate jobs. If you want to meet other business people, you will have to join professional groups such as Toastmasters or Business Network International.

3. Select your study buddies carefully. Most of the students will be children. Eighteen years of age is not what it used to be: most of your fellows will have little to no grasp of the subjects.

4. Knowledge asymmetry. Accept that you will automatically know a lot about some subjects, but know nothing about many others. Just because you are being patronised by subjects you already know a lot about, doesn’t mean you can’t learn life-changing information at the exact same time.

5. Treat it like a job. Reading, writing, and attending lectures and tutorials are subsets of thinking. The primary work is thinking. If you do not input good material, you won’t be able to think good thoughts. Take care of your inputs 80% of the time. This gives rise to a further tip:

6. Don’t worry about understanding. Just do the work.

7. Nobody has any interest in your understanding the work. They only have an interest in teaching the materials. Take responsibility for your own understanding after business hours.

8. Establish a schedule and stick to it based on general promises to yourself. For example “I will spend four hours studying today” does not specify when or how you will study, but establishes a basic structure by which to spend time that will allow flexibility as well as letting you keep your promise to yourself.

9. Deeply feel the body every single day. Instead of spinning the mind around endlessly and resorting to caffeine to stimulate it, rest the mind in the body by pursuing tactics like sports, yoga, dancing, or deep relaxation.

10. Nurture your motivation and your social life. These two areas can impinge on your learning process unless you keep them carefully in check. So balance your ego drives and social connections carefully.


Those are ten ideas for improving your business studies. Hopefully this helps you with your learning process, and helps you enjoy your studies more.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

How to Read Textbooks

Here are the best and briefest tips for reading textbooks fast:

  • Mindset is important. "The hardest part about learning from a textbook isn't grasping the material; it's staying motivated."
  • Mindset. Generate the feeling that you really want to master the subject, from a personal interest. Put out of mind that you are preparing for a test. Some textbooks are friends, and some are foes. Be determined to get what you want out of it.
  • Prepare. Do the reading before the lecture and tutorial. It won't make sense without it. Treat college like a job and have set reading hours in the library.
  • Vocabulary. Learning the vocabulary - don't skip an undefined word.
  • Understanding. Ask yourself, if uncertain, what does it really mean?
  • Google for resources to fortify your understanding
  • Read out loud anything you don't immediately grasp fully.
  • Motivation. Do it every day.
  • Motivation. Incentivize progress: plan something fun at the end of each chapter.
  • Control your pacing. 
  • Take notes only in a manner that will be organized for future reference, and don't take too many notes. Consider taking notes at the end of each section or chapter.
  • Keep your breaks short. A good rule of thumb is 43 minutes study and 17 minutes rest and play.
  • Notes. Nail concepts down by doing a few homework problems.
  • Only write notes after finishing the section and then going back to write it all down.
  • Re-read and review. After the lecture, go over the material and write a short summary and key questions. Check and confirm your understanding.
  • Contemplate. Think about the concepts as you walk around and allow them to reveal themselves to you. 




5QRH - http://www.saddleback.edu/uploads/la/rl/powerpoints/revised%20sq5r%20version2.pdf
3QHR - http://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm
Rubber duck debugging - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging

 
follow me on Twitter