At TSM we provide you with all the content you need for passing the EPPP. But having the content is only one part of the picture. We recognize that to achieve success on the EPPP you also need to be attentive to creating a lifestyle of success. The skills that it takes to pass the EPPP are the same skills that it takes to succeed in life: diligence, time-management, goal-setting, positive life-style, etc. Because of this, we regularly monitor what others are saying about these topics and pass them onto you. Here are some resources we’ve recently come across that are a must-read for anyone wanting to create a lifestyle of success.
Protect Your Time and Prioritize
Tom Searcy has written a helpful article for Inc.com titled ‘Productivity Trick: Pick Your Best 2 Hours.‘ He gives 5 secrets to why some people succeed and others don’t. It boils down to being able to prioritize what’s important and to protect your time, especially the time when you are most productive. Although directed to those in business, the principles also apply to those studying to pass their EPPP. Searcy ends with the following observation:
“The only way to get the most out of your time is diligence. You have to track how you are spending your time on regular basis (I recommend weekly). Then you need to check it against your goals of value. Finally, you have to be diligent in protecting your time from the insidious virus of bureaucratic creep.”
Unlock Your Inner Memory-Champion
In an article for the BBC titled ‘How to Learn Like a Memory Champion‘, David Robson shares how Grand Master of Memory, Ed Cooke, has taken ancient techniques of memory and learning to create high-tech apps that assist people in the memory and learning process, mainly in learning foreign languages. What interested us is that their method utilizes many of the techniques embedded in the TSM system such as spaced learning and elaborative encoding.
Those wanting to read more about Ed Cooke’s memory and learning techniques should read Olivia Solon article in Wired, which summarizes his insights on using technology to improve memory.
Ways to Keep Positive
As you prepare for your EPPP exam, you may find it helpful to read the study techniques recommended by the Oxford Royale Academy in their resource ‘8 Ways to Keep a Positive Mindset During Exams.’ For anyone who finds test preparation boring, this resource offers all sorts of interesting ways to trick your brain into finding the learning process more enjoyable and memorable.
Dealing With Distractions
Within the context of the workplace, much work is being done in the ongoing battle against distractions. The same skills that work in the office can also help you when preparing for the EPPP. In Brian Dumaine’s article ‘The Kings of Concentration‘, Dumaine gives an array of helpful feedback on concentration. He writes that
Science shows that there’s only one near-universal strategy to improve focus–practice doing it.
Michael Merzenich, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, explains: The more you focus, the more your brain releases a chemical called noradrenaline, which helps you concentrate on the task at hand….
Dumaine goes on to explain what different corporations are doing to increase focus among their workers.