I am grateful to TSM for inviting me to contribute the next article in their series on study myths.
This ongoing series has aimed to debunk some of the myths about memory and learning that pervade so many people’s understanding of the study process. While this series has been focused on students preparing to pass their psychology licensure exam, the research has applications for anyone trying to master material or develop new skills.
The holiday season is officially here. Whether you are party planning, Christmas shopping, or preparing to entertain that extended family you forgot you had, the holidays are meant to be a time of relaxation and joy. But the holidays can also be a time of significant stress – especially if you are preparing for the EPPP.
Last year we posted a three part series, How to Continue EPPP Study over the Holidays, where we touched on how to maintain balance, stay productive and enjoy the holidays. We posed the question; is it possible to stay productive in your EPPP studies and enjoy time with family during the busy holiday season?
The answer to this question is yes. However, in order to make the most of the holiday season and continue progressing with your EPPP studies, it is important to beware of the five most common pitfalls to holiday studying.
Many people have repeated the phrase “practice makes perfect” so much that they end up neglecting the how and the what of practice. This leaves them trudging on with unstructured practicing while reassuring themselves that “practice makes perfect.”
Does practice make perfect? Perhaps it is more accurate to say that practice makes permanent.
Because of a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity, when we practice an action or skill repeatedly in a way focused towards improvement, this leads to habituation. Through practice, our brains become conditioned to perform an action more adequately, and success becomes habitual.
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.
In our last post, ‘How to prepare for the EPPP when You’re Not Feeling Motivated’, we gave you some tips to conquer tiredness, distractions, and lack of confidence. We also touched on the importance of resting your mind and body in the midst tackling your day of study.
Now that you’re feeling motivated to study, everything revolves around your EPPP study schedule. Studying is at the top of your to-do list. Perhaps it’s the only thing on your to-do list. Forget laundry, forget dishes, skip the shower, skip the gym, you need to use every ounce of your time in preparation for passing the EPPP, right?
Wrong.
Studying for a test like the EPPP takes time management. And when our schedules get full, the things that are less important to us get put lower on the priority list. You have probably heard yourself say many times “I don’t have time for that.” For many people who decide to stringently prioritize, the first routine to get sacrificed is exercise.
At TSM we provide you with the tools and training materials to literally guarantee (yes, that’s right) a passing EPPP score. But having the right tools for success is only one part of the picture. You also have to put in enormous effort. It’s at that point – the effort part – that many people flounder because they lack sufficient motivation. Unmotivated students are the most likely to fall into the trap of EPPP procrastination.
Of course, it is possible to prepare for the EPPP exam even when you’re not feeling particularly motivated, by simply doing what you need to do. Many tasks in life are like that – they are things we don’t particularly enjoy, but we have to grit our teeth and do it anyway. However, it is much harder to achieve success, and much harder to overcome the obstacles that stand between you and your goal, if you’re feeling consistently unmotivated. That’s why I want to share how you can create motivation to give your studies a sense of purpose and flow.
Online distractions are costing the United States millions of dollars a year in lost productivity, according to some estimates. That’s why corporations are now hiring experts to help train office workers how to stay focused.
Google is among the numerous organizations hiring experts to train offer seminars in attention.
Chade-Meng Tan, a Google engineer who began teaching employees about focus in 2007, helps workers learn self-mastery over unhelpful mental habits. (See the video ‘Meng on Mindfulness.’) For example, when they find their mind wandering while reading, they are encouraged to practice mindfulness in bringing their attention back.
“I just can’t focus on my EPPP studies!”
“I’ve been trying to prepare for the EPPP, but every time I start I become distracted.”
Perhaps the above statements describe exactly how you’ve been feeling as you struggle to achieve focus in your studies. If so, you are not alone.
Among average would-be psychologists, the common experience is that when you sit down to focus on your EPPP studies, the last thing that actually occurs is focus. Instead, the mind is constantly bombarded with numerous distractions. By contrast, only a minority of successful students are able to achieve focus.