Your brain is like a sponge in three ways…
- It will absorb what you immerse it in.
- It can only absorb so much so fast.
- Once it is saturated, it can absorb no more.
Implications for Students and Teachers
- You better be careful to immerse your brain in the right things.
- If you want to learn something, you must pay attention to it long enough to make an impression on your brain. In short: No impression, no learning.
- The road to mastery is paved by the steady accumulation of these sometimes faint but extremely precious impressions.
- If you want to learn X, you need to slow down and focus your attention on X and maintain your focus on X until you feel something “click” or “seep in”.
- If you are a student, don’t give up on something after just one second. We are not talking about hours or even minutes. We are talking about paying attention just a small handful of seconds more. Try another two or three seconds and see how it goes.
- Iif you are a teacher, give your students just a few more seconds to pay attention to something new or to think about the answers to your questions. You both will be glad you did.
- Once you feel “full” or tired, your brain is saturated. Studying beyond that point will not produce much fruit. In fact, sometimes it can interfere with and displace what you have just learned.