https://danielpelnar.com/book-summary-mind-for-numbers-barbara-oakley/

My score for this book: (6/6)

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For details and reviews, go to the Amazon page.

My list of books which I read and reviewed.

You’ll benefit from reading this book if (at least one of the following):

This book is based on one of the most popular free online courses on Coursera. I remember doing that course last summer and hands down, it has single-handedly been the best course on learning how to learn I’ve ever taken since.

As I said, this book was written based on this popular course and now when I’ve read it, I can tell that all the content is there. Only the practical exercises are missing so you have to be self-accountable and do them yourself. The advantage of reading this book compared to doing the online course is that the content is better organized, and it’s less time-consuming.

Why did I enjoy the book? To be frank, I like to learn new things and the more efficient I am doing so, the more things I can learn. This book teaches how to learn based on studies, research and personal experience of Barbara Oakley. In a way, it summaries all the academic papers written on how to learn, and make them accessible and easy-to-understand for everyone.

If you are used to studying and learning new things, you will find that some of the techniques described in this book are familiar at least on the subconscious level. Even though some of them will be familiar, it is useful to know how to use them consciously and categories the techniques that work and the ones that don’t.

For me, it was the concept of focused and diffused modes of thinking and how to effectively switch between them. Further, the Pomodoro Technique is something I am really grateful for knowing. It’s helped me to get my work done. And I wouldn’t know about it if it wasn’t for the book.

I usually study during the semester and then I study from the morning to the evening 3-6 days before the exam. This method is not that bad and I still do it when I don’t have much time during the semester. However, if I do have time during the semester, I use Pomodoro to study more effectively. I found this technique especially useful if I have a task that can’t be done all at once. A bachelor thesis (dissertation) is a great example. In total, you might spend more than 400 hours on it which is a dreadful perspective and an easy argument for putting it off until the last minute. What I do is four 25 min Pomodoro sessions each day. That is 100 mins a day of deliberate focus and concentration. Then I allow the diffused mode of thinking to work on it in the background of my subconscious. It tends to happen that the other day, I have a new idea of a paper I want to read or a new econometric/statistical method I would like to try.

Second thing, I liked about the book was that it briefly mentioned the importance of aerobic exercise on memory and learning. There is only one chapter in this book dedicated to this but if you’d like to know more, then definitely read Spark.

If you are serious about learning and studying, read the book. I am positive you’ll find it empowering.

At last, I would like to stress out that in spite of this book’s name, the tips are applicable to any kind of learning – not only to math and science.

My notes:

Best rules of studying: