In A Mind for Numbers, Dr. Barbara discusses the science of how your brain functions and provides several strategies to improve your learning process. This article will provide a summary of the key ideas of this book.
Focused vs Diffused Thinking
One of the main ideas of this book that stuck with me was the concept of the focus mode and diffuse mode. Essentially, you are in focus mode when you concentrate your attention on solving a problem, reading a report, or doing anything that requires focusing your mental efforts.
On the other hand, your brain disengages and enters the diffuse mode when you take a break and let your mind wander.
You must have heard the phrase “sleep on it” when you had to spend too much time thinking about something without achieving what you wanted. Interestingly enough, it turns out that your brain can work on problems while you are asleep.
Have you ever woken up and the solution suddenly became apparent? If yes, this is thanks to the diffuse-mode thinking.
While in diffuse mode, your brain relaxes and allows different areas to engage. This will increase the chances of returning valuable information and can improve your ability to learn.
When you are too focused and find that you are hitting a wall every single time, this is called the Einstellung effect. I recommend reading more about this effect because it will help you reduce frustrations.
The key idea here is that letting your diffuse mode engage will help you see the big picture of whatever you are trying to learn. Next time you run into a wall, let your mind relax and wander – try to not push too hard.
How to Shift from Focus-Mode to Diffuse-Mode Thinking
You can shift from focus mode to diffuse mode by distracting yourself with something other than what you are focusing on. Below are a few ways you can distract yourself and let your mind wander:
- Make coffee
- Go to the gym
- Take a nap
- Go for a walk
- Go for a fun drive
Dr. Barbara explains that the important thing here is to do something different until you are consciously free of any thought pertinent to what you were focused on.
Once your brain is distracted, it starts to access several areas of itself to figure out the big picture and a way to find a solution. Going back to the saying “sleep on it,” Dr. Barbara mentions that sleeping is probably the most effective way to allow your diffuse mode to work.
…the longer you spend in focused mode, the more mental resources you use. It’s like a concentrated, extended set of mental weight lifting. That’s why brief interludes that involve movement or talking to friends, where you don’t have to concentrate intently, can be so refreshing.
Barbara Oakley, A Mind for Numbers
Most of the time, it is better to take short breaks between focus sessions to help sort your thoughts. If you are having trouble timing your shifts between focus and diffuse modes, try the Pomodoro technique – where you set focus time followed by timed breaks.
Chunking
To develop a mind for numbers, you may want to chunk information. Chunking occurs when you study the material and allow your brain to build connections and relations between the different ideas.
This is very beneficial because it allows you to free up space to take in more information. Dr. Barbara explains the concepts of working memory and permanent storage.
Working memory is similar to RAM in your computer. It can process information and keep it for short periods of time to enable quick access. If you don’t store this information in your permanent memory, you will inevitably forget it shortly.
With chunking, you are moving key ideas from working memory to permanent storage for later access. This helps free up your brain to focus on other things.
You can chunk information by:
- Firstly, focusing your attention on the information
- Secondly, understanding the basic idea of what you are learning
- Thirdly, gaining the context of what you are learning and when to use it
A very effective way of improving your chunking is by trying to retrieve the information out of memory instead of passively rereading the material several times. The more effort you exert in trying to retrieve the information from memory, the deeper the information gets embedded in memory.
Developing chunks of information in your brain will help improve your intuition and problem-solving skills. One way to help develop chunks is by spaced repetition – this strengthens your learning pattern after reading the material. Otherwise, the patterns you established by the initial reading will most likely fade away quickly.
Preventing Procrastination
Dr. Barbara mentions that to prevent procrastination, we need to avoid concentrating on the product and instead focus on the process. Building the processes, or habits, will help you do the unpleasant tasks and allow you to relax into the flow of work.
Procrastination in itself is a habit. Habits have four parts: the cue, the routine, the reward, and the belief. By changing your response to the cue, you can change the habit.
Mental contrasting is a powerful technique – think about the worst aspects of your present or past experiences and contract these with the upbeat vision of your future.
Barbara Oakley, A Mind for Numbers
One of the main things is to avoid multitasking. When you multitask, you are not able to make rich connections in your thinking. This is because the part of the brain that helps make these connections is being pulled away by multitasking.
On the other hand, spending too much time in the zone can send you towards burnout. Dr. Barbara mentions that people who complete their work in binges are generally much less productive than those who do their work in reasonable, limited periods. It is good to schedule free time to revive the diffuse mode.
Thoughts on A Mind for Numbers
A Mind for Numbers is a recommended read for students and professionals alike. The book covers a wide range of topics that you will find helpful as you go through your college years or professional career. I wish I had known about some of the tips and tricks Dr. Barbara discussed in the book.
Check out my reading list.
