general stuff

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hirdly:

If studying philosophy is compulsory, then you must beware of believing in any of its falsehoods or admiring its people. You should strive hard to acquire shar’i knowledge, especially that which has to do with ‘aqeedah (belief), so that you will develop immunity and resistance to specious arguments.

We ask Allaah to help and guide you.

And Allaah knows best.

never get disturbed/angry by that....you probably have a bad concentration.

Try to focus more on the recitation then the people around you.

Intend that you are praying to Allah swt and only for His sake.

The clearer you are in your intention, the better will your attention and concentration be.

R.J. focused on visceralization and the 5-year old method:

"The 5-Year old method, helped me out a lot. Each night I would stand up in my room and pretend I was lecturing a group of complete novices sitting on the couch.

"For example, if I was learning how to calculate effective tax rates, I would do the equation on a Whiteboard while talking out loud and explaining why I was doing what I was doing to my imaginary friends. Just as if I was their teacher."

The 5-year old method, explaining to yourself your subject how you would explain it to a kindergarten student, is a great holistic method since it combines many skills.

First, it forces you to break down complex ideas into simpler components. Simplifying, and explaining to yourself, is an essential part of learning. Kalid Azad, founder of BetterExplained.com, states ideas, "start hard and finish easy." Complex subjects eventually become automatic, this is the job of the 5-year old method.

The second element worth noting in R.J.'s success is his incorporation of many different elements, allowing him to succeed. Not only was he reading the material, he was drawing it out on a whiteboard and speaking. This combines many different senses together which makes every fact more memorable.

Think of it like a computer backup. If you learned something through text, and you've forgotten it, you're done. But if you also learned it through speaking or auditory channels, you also have a backup in case the original is lost. Multiple methods of input make it harder to forget ideas.

As R.J. explains: "My advice to someone who is attempting to learn in a completely different way is to try using all your senses. Never just read and reread material until it's memorized. Not to mention, this method is as fun as watching paint dry. "I know this sounds really corny, but learning actually became fun once I opened myself up to new ways to learn. My mind was always in a flow state now when I was learning, instead of looking at the clock and falling asleep." Even for tasks that are normally just rote memorization you can use your senses to make the subject more vivid and reduce the strain. As R.J. shares with his exam preparations:

"A lot of the test was memorization. Therefore, I decided to order flashcards to help prepare for the exam.

"I started off reading to myself 100 flashcards each day. This quickly got very boring, so I decided to read the flashcards out loud to myself. Next, as I learned to incorporate more senses into my learning, I decided to rewrite by hand what was on each flashcard. Last, I tried rewriting the flashcards in my own words."

Even something as traditional and repetitive as flashcards can become more interesting when you take the right perspective. What were R.J.'s results? "[The financial planning certification exam] has about a 50% pass rate and I have known some very smart people who have had to take it twice. It's one of the biggest accomplishments in my career has been passing the exam."

Despite that, R.J. claims, "I also studied a month less then what is typically recommended." [emphasis mine] R.J. ends by sharing his advice for anyone also taking self-study or certification exams: "- Don't be afraid to try new learning techniques. If you have a full time job and taking a self-study course, you're going to need to learn how to become a better learner.

- Study at the same times each day and mark those times in your calendar. Don't allow yourself to miss a study session. - Take the majority of Sunday off. Your brain needs a break. - Ask everyone you can who has passed the test for study tips." ---

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