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The Smarter Brain: How to Predict the Future in an Uncertain World, How to Remember More of What You Read, Using Your Body to Control Your Mind

The Smarter Brain: How to Predict the Future in an Uncertain World, How to Remember More of What You Read, Using Your Body to Control Your Mind

Mario Peshev
October 30, 2021

Free Edition

Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins

Quote Worth Thinking About On...

Living

“It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.”

— Bertrand Russell, Mathematician

Ideas Worth Exploring

How to Remember More of What You Read

“[W]hen we read digital text, as opposed to words on paper, we tend to default to skimming over more careful reading...this kind of distracted skimming has become the new norm of reading...It also explains why so many people struggle to remember what they’ve read even a few moments afterward.”

“If you want to remember more of what you read, do your best to eliminate distractions before turning to your reading material.”

“Active reading — taking notes, sketching, and talking with a friend about the text — can also help forge mental connections between the information you’re taking in and what you already know, increasing your retention.”

Big idea: Retention comes with careful and thoughtful reading. “The ultimate goal of reading shouldn’t just be memorization, but reflection and insight.”

Source: Emily Underwood, Medium (5 min read)  2

How to Predict the Future in an Uncertain World

Humans have a terrible track record of predicting what is going to change. But we can almost accurately predict what is not going to change.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos focuses on knowing what is not going to change in the years ahead, rather than fixating on what the next big thing will be.

“[T]hese things are fundamentally unpredictable.” What Bezos does know is that “customers are still going to want a better product tomorrow, that they are going to want faster deliveries tomorrow, and this consistent and repeatable pattern of behavior in the customer is something they can build a business around, and make decisions around.”

Big idea: It is futile to try to predict what is going to change. But it is beneficial to be aware of what is here to stay. These things are important to your customers.

Source: Zat Rana, ZatRana.com (6 min read)  3

Using Your Body to Control Your Mind (Podcast)

Neuroscientist and Stanford professor Andrew Huberman suggests that “[w]hen your mind isn't where you want it to be,” you can “use your body to control your mind.”

“We should all view sunlight for 2-10 minutes every morning upon waking. You want to get bright light into your eyes in the morning” to activate “the timed release of a healthy amount of cortisol into your system which acts as a wake up signal and helps with your ability to focus throughout the day.”

Big idea: “[O]ur brain and its connections with the organs of our body” control “our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health.”

Source: Tim Ferris, The Tim Ferris Show (2h 47m listen)

What I'm Thinking About: It's easier to change yourself than to change the world. And, the best way to change the world is to change yourself.

Today I Learned: On Mars, sunsets are blue. (Source)

Hope you have a productive week ahead,

Mayo, Founding Editor

The Smarter Brain: How to Predict the Future in an Uncertain World, How to Remember More of What You Read, Using Your Body to Control Your Mind

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