How to Continue EPPP Study over the Holidays (part 1)

Posted on in EPPP Study Tips by Graham TaylorLeave a Comment

The holidays can be a wonderful time to reconnect with family, friends and to focus on the things that mean the most to you. But holidays can also be times of significant stress.

One of the things that can add to holiday stress is the type of intense study familiar to anyone preparing for their EPPP. Questions such as the following are common:

  • “Should I just skip my holiday this year and focus on my EPPP prep instead?”
  • “I want to be able to enjoy spending time with my loved ones during this holiday season, but I can’t stop thinking about all the EPPP studying I’m supposed to be doing! Is their a solution?”
  • “How can I possibly enjoy this holiday season with the licensure exam hanging over my head?”

If any of these questions sound familiar, I have good news for you. Keeping to an EPPP course of study does not need to ruin your holiday. Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, summer camping or a family reunion, it is possible to pursue a productive course of EPPP study and still enjoy a relaxing, fun-filled holiday season.

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Why You’re Always Late to Your EPPP Study Session

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Despite your best efforts, you can never manage to make it out the door on time to get studying for the EPPP. Or maybe you’re constantly waiting on a friend who, though well-intended, is always late.

Chronic lateness has simple solutions in theory: set an alarm, pick out your clothes the night before, or pack your lunch a day early. Yet, in practice, solving chronic lateness may seem impossible to overcome. Continue reading →

How to Discuss Politics Without Alienating Your Friends in 5 Steps

Posted on in Psychology News by Robin PhillipsLeave a Comment

There’s an American maxim which says you shouldn’t discuss religion or politics in polite society. It’s hard not to have some sympathy with this advice, especially during the election cycle. After all, just look at how our political debates have become an emblem of all that is degenerate in our political discourse.

Even among friends, conversations about who should be our next president can quickly become divisive and alienating, while frank discussion of political disagreements rarely proves constructive and edifying.

Well, I’m here to suggest the impossible: political disagreements, when handled right, can actually be constructive and relationship-building.

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Frustration Can Boost Your EPPP Success

Posted on in EPPP Preparation Materials by Graham TaylorLeave a Comment

Frustration can be enough to make someone give up on their goal of EPPP success. There’s a stigma attached to frustration that says “you’re not smart enough.” We explored this stigma in a previous post, Why Struggle and Frustration Are Good (Study Myths Part 4), by contrasting the American school system with that of the Japanese. “[…] what people in one culture [American] think of as failing, people in other cultures [Japanese] think of as learning.”

Further exploring the idea of frustration leading to success is Tim Harford in his Ted Talk called “How Frustration Can Make Us More Creative.”

Harford touches on the way in which frustration can be discouraging when caused by unideal circumstances but when the unideal circumstance is explored, creativity – and success – flourishes.

Take a look:

Mindfulness for Busy People

Posted on in Brain and memory, Mindfulness by Graham TaylorLeave a Comment

In our earlier post ‘Your Smart-Phone May be Harming Your Brain Without You Realizing‘, we shared some research on electronic distractions from Time Magazine’s Special Edition on Mindfulness. However, digital distractions were just one of the many topics covered in this issue. Time also brought together a team of reporters to share research on ways that mindfulness techniques (breathing, meditating, taking control of our hectic brains, etc) can increase our focus, effectiveness and physical health.

Here are a few more nuggets from the Time issue:

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Caffeine, Cognitive Function, and the EPPP

Posted on in Brain and memory by Graham TaylorLeave a Comment

If you pair your morning EPPP study session with a cup of coffee, you could be protecting your brain from future harm depending on how much you consume.

Avid coffee and tea drinkers may be familiar with the immediate effects of caffeine such as increased focus and retention, increased alertness, and enhanced mood. Though caffeine should in no way be used as a tool to solve problems that can be fixed by sufficient amounts of sleep and exercise, when used appropriately, caffeine’s short term effects can have a positive impact on your EPPP studies. Despite other opinion on the benefits of decreased coffee consumption altogether, the coffee habit you may have developed could potentially be beneficial for your cognitive function long term.  Continue reading →

Your Smart-Phone May be Harming Your Brain Without You Realizing

Posted on in Brain and memory, EPPP Study Tips, Mindfulness by Graham TaylorLeave a Comment

Ever since cell phones first came out, people have been debating whether or not they’re bad for the brain. In a recent Special Edition of Time Magazine devoted to Mindfulness, journalist Markham Heid summarizes a body of research which suggests that the neurological toll exerted by hand-held electronic devices may be even worse than originally supposed.

In fact, electronic devices negatively effect the very areas of our brain needed for effective work, study, thought and memory.

Heid’s article, ‘Are My Devices Messing With My Brain?’ is available to read on Time Magazine’s website, and points out that:

  • “switch cost” (the loss of focus when we’re pulled away from a task, even if only for a split second to glance at a message) has an effect on the brain’s ability to focus that lasts up to 15 or 20 minutes.
  • Research suggests that the types of multi-tasking we do when we are working or studying in the presence of hand-held electronic devices is associated with a decline in gray matter in the part of the brain involved with thought and emotional control.
  • Studies show that hand-held electronic devices bombard the brain’s prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in willpower and decision-making.
  • “…there’s evidence that as your brain becomes accustomed to checking a device every few minutes, it will struggle to stay on task even at those times when it’s not interrupted by digital alerts.”

Heid’s observations were echoed by Mandy Oaklander, who also contributed an article to the Special Edition of Time. Oaklander points out that, “Even if you’re not using it, simply being able to see a cellphone hinders your ability to focus on tough tasks, a pair of 2014 studies found.”

Bottom line: when you need to concentrate on something important, whether its studying for the EPPP or performing a task at work, make sure your smart-phone is in another room and your email is turned off.

Leveraging the Changing Leaves Towards Productivity in your EPPP Study Schedule

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Labor Day weekend, a time that marks the end of summer for many, can mean a shift in your daily routine and EPPP study schedule, though fall doesn’t officially begin until September 22nd.

As autumn approaches perhaps new commitments arise that demand a change in your current schedule or perhaps you need a routine altogether after a summer of rest. Whether you are in need of a routine or your current one needs adjusting, autumn approaching can be as good a reason as any to evaluate what’s working, and what’s not, in your daily EPPP study schedule. The changing leaves can mark a fresh start to gear you up for EPPP success. Continue reading →