 
            
              Dr. Tom Heaton
            
            @2striveseekfind
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              Doctor | Writer | Educator I teach evidence-based mastery and performance. Learn how to learn faster, retain more, and excel under pressure.
              
              UK
            
            
              
              Joined December 2012
            
            
           Flashcards NOT working? You're probably making these mistakes! Stop wasting time on flashcards that don't stick. My FREE guide reveals the 6 rules to make them your secret weapon for medical school. Get instant access 👇  https://t.co/v4vBLTlRrj 
          
          
                
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             Tired of procrastination? Get my FREE "Procrastination Breakthrough" guide! Learn why you delay & how to stop. Check it out here:  https://t.co/fit2Ou9Ct1 
          
          
                
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             Difficulty isn't a problem for our learning —it's something we should actively look for. But we need to get the right amount. In this week's newsletter, I look at the principle of Desirable Difficulty and its key role in all of our learning. 
          
                
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             Just like muscles, your brain physically changes with training. It grows, adjusts, and optimises itself. And, just like in the gym, the quality of your training affects the outcome. Focus on the skill of learning. 
          
                
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             Human achievement has skyrocketed. What was "world-class" 50 years ago is often common today. There probably are limits to what humans can do, but we keep redefining these. What are the boundaries that you have set for yourself? 
          
                
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             Stop waiting for "talent" to strike! The truth about expertise isn't about innate gifts, but deliberate practice. Your potential is far greater than you imagine. What skill are you poised to unlock through focused effort? 
          
                
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             Learning is a skill. A skill that we can all get better at. Because of this, there really isn't a limit to what we can achieve with our minds. 
          
                
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             Flashcards NOT working? You're probably making these mistakes! Stop wasting time on flashcards that don't stick. My FREE guide reveals the 6 rules to make them your secret weapon for medical school. Get instant access 👇  https://t.co/v4vBLTlRrj 
          
          
                
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             Medical Mastery Tip #1 Make your learning active! Learning activities need to activate your brain to cause the changes that are learning. Examples: Difficultly Interesting Emotive Difficulty (challenge) is one of the most controllable when planning your learning. Testing 
          
                
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             Understanding what "learning" actually is can hugely help us do it better. Ultimately, it has 4 core components: 1. Developing KNOWLEDGE or SKILL 2. That is STABLE over time 3. Which is INTERNALISED 4. For FUTURE problem solving Is your approach to learning including all these 
          
                
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             A major way that we can improve our learning is to make it ACTIVE. Most of our "learning" is far to passive to actually be retained. How can we do this? Make it challenging. Make it interesting. Make it memorable. 
          
                
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             Spacing is one of the ignored techniques of effective learning. We want results NOW, and we think we can force learning in by repetition alone. But no. We hugely benefit from leaving gaps in our encounters with learning. Learn more here:  https://t.co/Biz1UiUPrr 
          
          
                
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             True learning is "acquiring knowledge and skills so that they are easily accessible for future problem solving and opportunities" When we understand the components of this, we can better assess and adjust our approach. 
          
                
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             The "Medical Mastery" course builds up the understanding of how we learn, starting with broad concepts and moving on to focused strategies and specific techniques. Read more about the course here:  https://t.co/8SRaTQV6uI 
          
          
                
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             We may think we know what we know, but this is often not the case. Instead, we have a habit of deceiving ourselves about the quality of our knowledge. This “Illusion of Knowledge” is one of the most insidious learning challenges that we can face. But there are some easy 
          
                
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             Your brain is more plastic than you think. While genetics play a starting role, your ability to learn and grow is largely within your control. Learning literally changes your brain's structure. 
          
                
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             Stop waiting for "talent" to strike! The truth about expertise isn't about innate gifts, but deliberate practice. Your potential is far greater than you imagine. You just need to know how to do it. 
          
                
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             We want our learning to be difficult. Not too easy (we don't learn) but not too hard (we can't do it). We want it to challenge us. 
          
                
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