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Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

(Even if You Flunked Algebra)
by Barbara Oakley

Chapter Two: Easy Does It
Prime Your Mental Pump: Take a picture walk through the chapter before you
read, glancing through graphics, diagrams, photos, section headings, summary, and
questions at the end of the chapter. You will be creating neural hooks to hang your
thinking on, making it easier to grasp the concepts. Reading through practice
quizzes/sample problems before engaging with the material can have the same
effect.
Be prepared to be stumped and confused by new concepts and problems.
Learning math and science requires both focused mode thinking and diffuse
mode thinking. Focused mode is direct, rational, sequential, and analytical. Diffuse
mode is associated with big picture perspectives, and happens when you relax
and let your mind wander. If you are trying to understand or figure out something
new, turn off your focused thinking and turn on your diffuse mode. Try to toggle
back and forth between modes, especially if you find yourself stuck.
When you procrastinate, you are leaving yourself only enough time to do
superficial focused learning. You are also increasing your stress level. The
resulting neural patterns will be faint and fragmented, and will quickly disappear.
Cramming at the last minute will not leave you enough time for learning, and will
prevent you from synthesizing the connections.
o If you find yourself procrastinating, insulate yourself from interruptions
(e.g. turn off your phone) and set a time for 25 minutes. Focus on a work
task any task. Do not worry about finishing it; just worry about focusing
for 25 minutes. When 25 minutes is up, reward yourself.
o Imagine that at the end of the day, you are reflecting on the one most
important task you accomplished that day. What would it be? Write it
down. Then work on it. Try to complete at least three 25-minute sessions
that day, on whatever task you think is most important. At the end of the
day, reflect on what you accomplished, and think about what you will
accomplish the next day. The early preparation will help your diffuse mode
begin to think about how you will get tasks done the next day.

Chapter Three: Learning is Creating:
Keep work sessions short to use diffuse mode after focused mode sessions.
Some diffuse mode activities are more recommended than others:
o Recommended: Exercise, take a drive, draw or paint, take a bath or shower,
listen to music without words, play songs you know well on a musical
instrument, meditate or pray, sleep
o Use briefly/sporadically: Video games, surf the web, talk to friends, help
another with a simple task, read a relaxing book, text friends, go to a movie
or play, watch television
Blink or close your eyes for a few second to refresh and renew consciousness and
perspective

When you find yourself becoming frustrated at something or someone, take a

mental step back and observe your reaction. Frustration is a sign that you need to
take a break.
When you are stuck on a problem or having a difficult time learning a concept, try
the following:
o Ask for a different perspective. Talk to classmates, TAs, or the instructor,
and ask them if they can rephrase the information in a different way.
o Work on the problem or study the concept for a few minutes. Then move on
to another problem or concept. Return to the first problem later.
o Take a power nap. Set your alarm for 20 minutes. Darken the room, focus
on slowing down your breathing, and repeat a short phrase (e.g. time for
sleep) in your head.
! If you go over material right before taking a nap or going to sleep for
the night, you have an increased chance of dreaming about it.
Deciding that you want to dream about it seems to improve your
chances even further. Dreaming about the material can help
consolidate your memories into easily grasped chunks.
To help aid in long-term memory, engage in spaced repetition repeat what you
are trying to retain over a number of days.
If you are tired, it is often best to go to sleep and get up earlier the next day.
When you take a short break after studying, try to recall the main ideas of what you
just learned while moving around.
Make sure to develop an action plan for reviewing new concepts within 2-3 days of
learning them so that you do not let too many days pass without review.

Chapter Four: Chunking and Avoiding Illusions of Competence
Creating conceptual chunks: mental leaps that unite separate bits of information
through meaning
Attempt to recall the material you are trying to learn, rather than just rereading.
Rereading and recognizing gives you illusions of competence. The only time
rereading text seems to be effective is if you let time pass between rereadings so
that you are engaging in spaced repetitions.
Try to recall the material when you are outside your usual place of study to help
you strengthen your grasp of the material by viewing it from a different
perspective.
Practice interleaving: doing a mixture of different kinds of problems requiring
different strategies. Once you feel that you know a concept, try to recall or practice
it in different ways, not just in the way you learned it. At the very least, try to
practice/recall material in a different order every time.
Avoid long study sessions in favor of multiple, shorter sessions. If you prefer long
study sessions, do not devote too much time to any one skill or concept make sure
to mix it up.
When possible, write out ideas by hand, rather than typing.
When checking answers, do not simply move on if you got the answer correct. Ask
yourself how you would know how to do this problem if it were mixed with other

content on an exam? How would you know the answer if the question were
phrased in a different way?
Try to explain what you are learning to someone not taking your course/not
familiar with the material. Simplifying material so others can learn it will be
helpful in cementing your own understanding.

Chapters Five and Six: Preventing Procrastination
Think of procrastination as a bad habit that you can change. Do not think of
yourself as a procrastinator
Procrastination offers temporary relief from things that make us feel
uncomfortable. However, the more you practice a content area, the less
uncomfortable you will feel.
Recognize what launches you into procrastination mode. Cues often include:
location, time, how you feel, reactions to other people, or something that just
happened.
o Start to develop a routine that protects you from being vulnerable to
immediate cues to procrastinate. For example, studying at particular set
times, shutting off your cell phone, closing tabs that are not directly related
to what you are studying.
o Think of your most troublesome cue and practice reacting differently to just
that one cue.
Develop a ritual to precede studying, such as getting your favorite drink and sitting
in a particular chair.
Figure out why you are procrastinating and see if you can substitute something else
that will provide that same feeling for you.
Use mental contrasting: think about where you are now and contrast it with what
you want to achieve. When you want to procrastinate, draw upon images that
remind you of where you want to be, and picture yourself emerging from where
you are now to where you want to be.
If you really want to check your email or Facebook, set a timer for 10 minutes. If
you can get 10 minutes of focused work done, reward yourself by doing what you
want to do.
Make a list of specific actions you can take to curb habits of procrastination.
Use the Pomodoro technique: Set a timer for 25 minutes and work without
interruption, no matter what. Use this technique to train yourself to ignore
distractions. Focus on process (best effort for a short period), rather than product
(end result).
When it comes to multitasking, remember that constant shifting of your attention
means that new ideas do not have time to take root and flourish. Each tiny shift
back and forth siphons off energy.
The next time you feel an urge to check social media (or any other kind of
distraction), pause and examine the feeling. Acknowledge it, then ignore it.
If you are feeling fuzzy as you are trying to look away and recall a key idea, or you
find yourself rereading the same paragraphs over and over again, try doing a few
jumping jacks or pushups, and then try to recall again.


Chapter Eight: Tools, Tips, and Tricks
Have a saying to get started, such as, Quit wasting time and just get on with it.
Once you get going, youll feel better.
Three step positive approach to procrastination: 1) No computer time during
procrastination it is too engrossing. 2) Before procrastinating, identify the easiest
task you need to do. 3) Copy the information needed to work on this task onto a
small piece of paper and carry it around until you are ready to get back to work.
Think of working on procrastination as self-experimentation: keep notes on when
you dont complete what you intended to, what your cues are, and what your
reactions to these cues are.
Write a list of key tasks you can reasonably work on or accomplish the evening
before, which helps your subconscious figure out how to accomplish them while
you sleep. Keep your list to 5-10 items, and do not add to the daily list unless
something urgent arises. Do the most important and most disliked jobs first.
Plan your quitting time, as well as your working time. If you find yourself
consistently working beyond your quitting time, it is a sign you need to reassess
your items, schedule, and/or procrastination.
Transform distant deadlines into daily ones by translating large tasks into very
small ones that show up on your daily to-do lists.

Chapters Ten & Eleven: Enhancing Your Memory
Use your natural visuospatial memorization abilities to build more neural hooks for
the information. Create images to help you remember concepts and link these
images to smells, feelings, tastes, and sounds whenever you can.
Use the memory palace technique: Call to mind a familiar place, such as the layout
of your home, and use it as a visual notepad where you can deposit concept-images
that you want to remember. Walk through your memory palace and deposit your
images.
Make up lyrics set to the music your favorite songs to help you remember lists.
Using motions along with the songs can help cement the ideas in your memory.
Pretend you are the concept you are trying to remember. Imagine your pathway
and what it feels like to take that pathway.
Write out concepts you are trying to remember by hand, which will help you more
deeply encode what you are trying to learn. If you are struggling to remember
information that you are typing, try switching to writing out the information by
hand to see if it helps.
Briefly repeat what you want to remember for a few minutes every day for several
days. Gradually extend the time between practicing repetitions.
Create stories with the information where there is a plot, characters, and overall
purpose.
Research has shown that regular exercise will boost your memory.
Think like an actor: Actors tend to memorize scripts by understanding characters
needs and motivations, rather than starting by memorizing lines verbatim. Try to
understand the concepts before you try rote memorization.


Chapter Seventeen: Test Taking
When you get a test, start first with the hardest problem. Steel yourself to pull
away within the first minute or two if you get stuck or get a sense that you might
not be on the right track. Turn to an easy problem, and then go back to a harder
problem. You will often find that when you return to harder problems, the next
steps will seem easier to you. This hard-start-jump-to-easy process allows
different parts of the brain to work simultaneously on different thoughts. Make
sure you have the self-discipline to pull yourself off of a problem once you find
yourself stuck for a minute or two.
Interpret symptoms such as a racing heart or a knot in the pit of your stomach as
this test has gotten me excited to do my best! rather than this test has made me
afraid.
When experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety, try to momentarily turn your
attention to your breathing. Relax your stomach, place your hand on it, and slowly
draw a deep breath. Practice this breathing technique as part of your studying.
When checking answers, try to think from a different perspective or process to
avoid making the same mistake the second time around. Even checking answers
out of order can help give you brain a fresh framework.
Briefly writing about thoughts and feelings about an upcoming test immediately
before you take the test can lesson the negative impact of pressure on performance.
Writing helps release the thoughts so they do not pop up and distract you in the
heat of the moment (Sian Beilock, author of Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain
Reveal about Getting It Right When You Have To). Other suggestions from Beilock
include:
o Test yourself in a stress-induced manner as you learn the material
o Practice combating negative thoughts as they arise by cutting them off midsentence
o Learn to pause for a few seconds before jumping in to solving a problem to
really think about what the question is asking
o Understand that a little stress help you perform at your best when it matters
most.



Book Notes is a series compiled by Lisa Medoff, PhD, Stanford School of Medicines
Learning Specialist. These handouts are intended to provide at-a-glance suggestions and
strategies relevant to the needs of medical students. If you find the handouts helpful, I
encourage you to read the original books, as they will offer much more detailed
information on the topic of interest.
Please contact [email protected] if you have a suggestion for a book that
should be added to the series and/or if you are a student at the School of Medicine who
would like to discuss in person how to implement any of the suggestions listed above.