What to look for when choosing a how-to book

When you start your search for how to do something you will find there are many resources out there. You have a choice of online courses, seminars and even one-on-one training but sometimes the best way to learn is the old-fashioned way. This way is reading a book.

The marketplace abounds with how-to books on subjects from making money to planting roses and many people new to a subject find them the best way to learn. Books allow people to re-read passages that have a lot of information like math or science as many times as they need to fully grasp the concepts. You can see why a book has an advantage if you imagine asking the speaker at a large seminar to repeat themselves.

The question is, which how-to book should you read? Most any field you choose has its share of pretenders and fakes, so be wary of any book that makes outrageous claims in its title. If you see statements on the cover like ‘Be a pro in an hour!’ or ‘Make millions while you sleep!’ be cautious. If a how-to book promises something that’s too good to be true, it probably is. Be realistic and if the book downplays or neglects inherent risk, you should skip it.

What you want in a how-to book instead is calm, reasonable, practical advice. Flashy language suggests the writer is trying to pull a fast one. If at anytime you wonder ‘If it’s SO EASY to make millions of dollars doing something, why is this guy writing books about it instead of doing it?’ think is this a good source for information. Restrained, logical language suggests the writer knows what their talking about and is simply explaining what they have learned.

Take note also of the book’s presentation. You want a book that’s likely to be reliable and up-front about the pros and cons. Don’t be afraid to question a book riddled with grammar and spelling errors. It is better to trust a book that appears to have been written and edited by professionals, and presented in a straightforward manner.

As a final point, whenever considering any how-to book, it’s worth a few minutes to Google the author’s name and find out the results. Look for reviews beyond those found on the author’s website. See if the author has been mentioned in any news stories. Pay attention to his or her background to see if he or she has any real-world experience, or do they just write books. Remember, you can find a book about almost any subject just choose substance over hype.

10 Tips For Efficient Learning

Learning is a lifelong skill. From birth and throughout life, a person goes on a journey of acquiring knowledge. How this knowledge is gained varies from one individual to another because each one is created unique. There are some people who make little or no effort to learn and yet they do well in school. Others spend endless hours over their books but do not excel at all. Genes may have something to do with this, but more than the hereditary factor, it is the attitude towards learning that increases one’s ability to perform well. How one efficiently studies makes a capable learner. Here are a few tips to make the most out of learning:
1. Take care of your health
People, like machines, also need downtimes. Stress and fatigue due to studying for long periods of time render the brain less effective to absorb data. Hence, adequate rest should be taken. A healthy mind needs a healthy body - see to it that proper nutrition and regular exercise is always maintained.
2. Develop a passion for learning
One should have a thirst for knowledge in order for learning to take place. Attending classes every day, reading and studying for hours, and accomplishing assignments do not guarantee positive results if you do not have that craving or focus to learn. Self-esteem somehow triggers this passion. The higher your self-confidence is, the more challenged you will become to learn faster.
3. Find a study environment that is conducive
Elements in the environment play an important role in one’s quest for learning. A specific study area with ample lighting, privacy, and complete supplies and reference materials are but some essentials for a smooth and stress-free study time. A set routine should also be imposed. Assign a specific time during the day for study. Don’t just "fit it in" your schedule or else you’ll have no time at all.
4. Set goals and targets
In order for each learning experience to be realistic, it is wise to set goals for yourself - goals that are measurable, achievable, time-bound, and flexible. Prepare weekly schedules, taking note of deadlines. For example, to get high grades, extra effort must be taken in studying and preparing for exams.
5. Take breaks in between study sessions
The brain needs to be recharged once in a while as this is when it absorbs all data obtained from studying. Overexertion causes it to repel information and makes studying futile. Do not go on a study marathon. Instead, study in short but frequent sessions and take breathers in between.
6. Engage in study groups
Two heads are better than one – so goes the cliché. Learning with a group is synergetic. You get to share your opinions, ideas, and views, and at the same time it is a venue for clarifying mind-boggling matters. It is also more interesting and challenging because you gain different perspectives or outlooks.
7. Understand concepts instead of memorizing details
Most of the time, students pass exams and quizzes with flying colors. But after a while, their knowledge of the subject matter would already slip their minds. This is mainly due to a wrong approach to learning – that of memorization. Memorization is only short-term "disguised learning". If one develops the habit of understanding concepts rather than focusing on details, the learning process will flow smoothly and will have a long-term impact.
8. Use shortcuts
Applying shortcuts to your study habits maximize your learning skills. You accomplish more when you abbreviate in note-taking, when you focus your notes around ideas instead of taking them down verbatim, and when you put everything straight into your computer. In this day and age, we need to pack a lot of information into a very limited timeframe.
9. Manage your time wisely
Learning is an ongoing skill. Hand in hand with your goal-setting is allotting and managing your time for things to be done – projects to work on, homework to finish, and term papers and theses to submit. Time properly managed is time well spent. Even your time for socializing should be taken into consideration. Remember – all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!
10. Reward yourself
It is important to make the learning experience enjoyable whenever possible. Try out things that may spark that craving within you to learn – listening to music, perhaps, or engaging in a delightful snack – whatever may inspire you. Continuous hours of studying will not only make you weary but also make you lose interest. The above tips show that devoting long hours to study does not necessarily yield productive results. Studying efficiently and effectively are the key factors to learning better. ------------------------------------------------ This is an excerpt from Mark Patterson's award-winning book "Secrets of LazySmart Students" - every student's guide to getting better marks by working smarter instead of harder. Mark's book will give you incredible tips for time management, self-motivation, will teach you how to kick the procrastination habit and doing great in any exam or written assignment. For more detailed information on what you have read, check out his book now at: https://paydotcom.com/r/9770/BTS50/1062923/

The Key is Concentration

A skill that will be used for the rest of your life is learning to concentrate. It is a skill you use while studying and can be applied to any kind of work. The key to concentration is focusing on the task at hand to eliminate any possible distractions. It is common to read through material and discover you have no idea what you have just read or, attend presentations and have difficulty paying attention to what is being said. To help you stay focused here are some suggestions.

When scheduling, try to stick to a consistent and efficient routine. If possible avoid studying at different times. Studying one day late at night and the next day in the afternoon is counter-productive. Once decided, avoid conflicts, by marking down these times in a scheduler or on a calendar.

Where you study needs to be quiet. Find a designated study spot free of distractions. This is so necessary that if you live in a noisy house or dormitory you may even have to go to a study room like the library outside your residence.

You need to remember to take study breaks. Take about a 10 minute break for every hour. Make it anything different in a different location. Get up and walk into another room and listen to music, grab a snack, or play a game. This brief rest is needed to refresh the mind so it does not wander.

Day dreaming can easily become a struggle while studying. Thinking about plans for the night or tomorrow’s events is not uncommon. Avoid daydreaming by asking yourself questions about the material as you study it. This will keep your mind focused.

A separate but related subject is presentations. If you have trouble focusing during presentations look over the notes of any related talks. Also read the material pertaining to the presentation beforehand so you can anticipate the main ideas that will be covered. Make yourself show outward interest. Having an attentive expression and posture will self-motivate internal interest. Just as it is important to resist distractions with study it is equally important during presentations. By sitting in front of the room you are away from disruptive occurrences and people. This move will allow you to focus on the presenter.

You will find that by learning this skill you have increased the control you have over some of the factors that govern your life. Only a few minor adjustments in your studying habits can go a long way in improving your concentration.

Develop The Skill of Skimming

Remember the last time you looked something up in the phone book. You looked for the name and didn’t read any more than was necessary. You might even have used your finger to guide your eyes. We call this type of reading scanning. We do it everyday with book indexes, dictionaries, etc. Another type of reading is skimming. It uses the same type of skill mechanically as scanning but a different skill mentally. The difference is with scanning you know what you are looking for and, with skimming you don’t.

Because of everything we have to read, learning to skim material is getting more important all the time. There always seems to be a never ending supply of material like manuals, proposals, and news stories but less and less time to read them.

Since you don’t know exactly what you are looking for, first read the title, source, author, and look at any pictures.
Then ask yourself four questions.
1) Who is this piece likely to be focused on?
2) What is this piece likely to be focused on?
3) When is this piece likely to have taken place?
4) Where is this piece likely to have taken place?
Next; with these questions in mind, direct your eyes down the column of print. Clues to who and what can be found by looking for names of people, places, things, ideas, numbers. Clues to how and why are gotten from words like therefore, whenever, until, because, and instead.

When you first learn skimming you may only pay attention to the words in bold type, italics, digits, or capitalized words. This is natural but, you will soon come to see new or unusual vocabulary, so that as you become an efficient skimmer your span of perception will develop and your ability to make connections will increase.

Make skimming a step you always take before you read any article of factual or practical material. Skim everything you intend to read before you make a final decision whether to read, discard, or study the material. You will soon be able to detect the most important facts, strange vocabulary, and words that are clues to important relationships.

It's a good idea to skim everything in mass media. This keeps your skimming ability sharp and also keeps the necessary skills from deteriorating. Aside from practice, you may even find after going over the title and first paragraph, you have gotten all the information you need or want.

Finally, develop a read-skim pattern to use for rapid review. Reviewing frequently and rapidly is the best way to remember information from notes or long text materials. Skimming is a very useful tool for studying, so learn it and use it!