Help For Network Marketers Overwhelmed With Information…
If you have a pile of books, information products, or courses gathering dust on your shelves. If you have a few books you never even cracked open because there’s too much to learn and so little time to do it… well then this post is for you…
Because I’m gonna show you how to learn almost anything without struggling and do it fast. Even if you can’t remember where you left your keys… these little memory “tricks” will help you absorb everything you study. So keep reading.
We’ll Take It Step-By-Step…
Because it doesn’t matter what you’re trying to learn… internet marketing or widgets… it can all be very intimidating. In fact, I remember how scary the word “autoresponder” was to me at first. I got over it fast, but I know how it feels…
So, the first thing I’d like to share with you is my number one secret weapon for learning anything…
I want you to imagine that whatever you’re trying to learn is frozen inside of a block of ice. Like it fell in a bath of liquid nitrogen or something… and it’s frozen rock-solid and incredibly fragile.
Now, I want you to imagine you have a big sledge hammer right there in your hands. It has a wooden handle and a fifteen pound reinforced steel head on it. And you’re gonna smash that block of ice… your topic… into SMITHEREENS.
You aren’t gonna panick. It doesn’t matter how big the topic is… it will break down into nice little chunks. And that’s the first step.
Break Everything Down Into Bite-Sized Pieces…
And take notes…
When all is said and done you might very well have a book full of notes. And well, you should. But you’re gonna have to sift through those and only keep the ones that really matter to you.
Then we’ll use the oldest tool in the memory toolbox to lock it in your brain. Yeah sure, I could talk about fancy memory techniques… and yes they work… but here’s the easiest one to learn… the most important… and the hardest one to master…
Perhaps the only memory “trick” you’ll ever need…
Structured Repetition
Studies have shown that recall predictably fades after 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 week, 1 Month, And every 3-6 months thereafter. So the easiest way to memorize anything at all is to use structured repetition and review your notes at those intervals… or as close to those interviews as you possibly can.
This Will Save You Dozens (Maybe Even Hundreds) Of Hours
This seems like a lot of work but it really isn’t. Most people who don’t use a system like this spend hours studying… you’ll only have to spend minutes in any given session and you’ll find that your recall will far exceed theirs.
So let’s say you just got off a seminar with Todd Falcone or Mike Dillard…
• You’re excited.
• You took loads of notes.
• You broke them into chunks.
Well – take a break!
• Go out for a walk or something.
• Exercise for 30 minutes
• Then sit down and review your notes
The first 30 minute review is absolutely crucial.
See if you can close your eyes and remember your notes. If you can’t… it’s okay… read them again. Don’t study for more than 15-20 minutes at most. You’re done. That’s all there is to it.
Put everything down and write and appointment with yourself for the next review.
Review at structured intervals…
• 30 Min.
• 1 Hour
• 1 Day
• 1 Week
• 1 Month
• 3 Months
You’ll find that every review will reinforce what you already know. You also note that your recall is near perfect after a couple of reviews and you never spent more than a few minutes studying anything at all…
But don’t get discouraged if you forget something.
The average person forgets most of what they read or study but…
Your recall will stay between 80%-100% of what you review
… a huge improvement over the average person.
And something funny will happen over time.
People will accuse you of having a photographic memory… even when you can’t remember where you left those gosh darned keys… or that phone number or name…
So again…
1. Break It Down Into Chunks
2. Take loads of notes.
3. Review at scheduled intervals.
And that’s really all you NEED to know about memory to memorize just about anything at all.
Yeah, I know these are basic memory tips… but if you’re looking for magic pills you’ll have to go somewhere else.
Even if you master more complicated memory systems like the “Dominic System,” the “Roman Room Method,” “Story Method,” or the “Alphabet Peg System” you’ll keep on coming back to the basics. Because that’s what it’s all about.
Share Your Memory Tips Today…
There’s so many ways to study all those books and products you’ve bought. But what do YOU do to study them?
• Do you find yourself listening to audio in the car?
• Filling pads of paper with scribbles and doodles?
• Or maybe reviewing it all with a friend?
I would like to know… and I’m sure other people would too.
Please leave a comment today. 
Talk soon,
Jason The “Better Networker”
The Jason Better Blog
P.S. Hey Buddy! If you enjoyed this post then feel free to share it with your Twitter buddies. I’m sure they’d love it too. If you didn’t enjoy this post then feel free to leave a comment telling me how rotten it was…
18 Comments
Mitchell Dillman on December 15th, 2009
Hello Jason,
Had some issues yesterday responding. Got 404′d by your auto-responder 
Listen, this looks like a great tip for remembering all the information I continue to Pack into my brain. Wished I would’ve known about this years back in College. I will put this tip into use NOW!
YOU are the training MANual…
As always, thank you so much for everything YOU do!
Mitchell Dillman
[Reply]
December 15th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Yeah, I have no idea why that post
refuses to take comments… lol.
Talk about awkward.
[Reply]
jessica Jablonski on December 15th, 2009
I was just talking with my husband about this topic. There is so much information available it’s hard to know if your getting anywhere. I guess you just keep learning and putting little pieces together. Right now I am trying to figure out if it is better to be on 10-20 different networking sites or is it best to take 4 or 5 and really utilize them. I keep adding info to my blog, social media sites, etc. But how do you know when it’s enough and you should leave it alone??? Well not necessarily alone – but what you know what I mean.
[Reply]
December 15th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Hey Jessica
Thanks for dropping in.
I would recommend sticking to 2-3
sites… even one to start. And building
a presence there.
I even knew a guy who built his reputation
with only a blog and Twitter. So It’s not
always how many… as it is how well you
do things…
Break it down and in no time you’ll be ready
to try the next site.
[Reply]
Calvin Mah on December 15th, 2009
Jason,
Those are great tips. I usually take notes but I don’t do the systematic review. I’ll give that a go. It definitely makes sense.
Another way to aid retention is to teach what you just learned. That’ll cement it into your brain.
Cheers! Calvin
[Reply]
December 15th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Hey Calvin!
Sweet tip. You know, that’s
why I think everyone should blog
a little… you learn so much by sharing
what you know… even if someone else
has shared similar tips before.
[Reply]
Twila Jacobs on December 15th, 2009
Gee, where were you when I was in school? Chemistry almost killed me!
Excellent tips as always.
As per your fried that was laid off from her job, maybe it’s not that she doesn’t want our dreams, but is the type that is very “comfortable” in a traditional work setting. Some people have a difficult time time thinking outside the box and stick with the norm. They feel safe there even though it’s a minumm wage job. I on the other hand, as a former Flight Attendant, cringe, scream, and run at the thought of being trapped in a M-F 8-5 J-O-B!
Make it a Great Day!
Twila Jacobs
[Reply]
December 15th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Hah Twila
Yeah, I run at the thought of
conventional jobs too. In business
you grow… every day… and I think it’s
a great practice for even people with J.O.B.’s
to see themselves as self-employed.
Chemistry was never my forte either… for
some reason I did well in English… now I butcher
it regulary. lol
[Reply]
Emanuel on December 15th, 2009
After you take notes and you’ve read them, read your notes backwards. Not literally, but start from the end and read your notes to the beginning. This helps to prevent forgetting what you learned at the beginning by reading it again at the end. Works great for folks with ADD like myself.
[Reply]
December 15th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Hey Emanuel,
Nice. I remember a friend
telling me he edits his copy by reading
it backwards too.
And I think even those of us without ADD
have trouble these days… more power to you.
[Reply]
Derek Alvarez on December 15th, 2009
@Calvin, Yes, I definitely find that teaching what you learn helps! Because, in order to teach it effectively, you have to break it down into simple bite-size chunks (like Jason says) and relay that on to your students. Talk about repetition!
I think a major problem people seem to have, though, is that they wait till they “know everything” before they are willing to teach. Well, I was talking to a Korean teacher the other day, and she says a teacher only needs to be one step ahead of her students. I love that line!
@Jason, another thing that seems to help me is ACTUALLY DOING IT. I learn it, then I go do it. It’s not perfect, but it works like a charm. Another one of my favorite sayings is from Joe Schroeder, “You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going.”
[Reply]
December 15th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Love it Derek.
Especially your quote:
“I was talking to a Korean teacher the other day,
and she says a teacher only needs to be one step
ahead of her students.”
Nice.
Yeah, and you can’t beat hands on experience. I
couldn’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve been
learning from you guys.
[Reply]
Cindy Ferricks on December 15th, 2009
Yeah your article hit home with the OMG to the information overload. When I first started Internet marketing and am still very much a newbie,I needed a system to follow step by step. This is the best wat to learn especially when you don’t have a lot of computer savvy as well. I take notes on things that are new to me and before I go to bed I read through the notes and visualize myself doing them. Affim: I can do that. If I need more information- I Google it.
[Reply]
December 16th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Hey Cindy,
Glad you dropped in.
I only wish everyone was
as self-reliant as you are… so many
people fret over details that Google
can answer in two-seconds flat.
And visualization is one of the most
powerful tools we have at our disposal. A
good book on that is “Psycho Cybernetics” by
Maxwell Maltz if you haven’t read it yet.
One of the old personal development classics.
[Reply]
John Rothstein on March 19th, 2010
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the re-issue of this post. I will put this method into operation. I am a big note taker and I have numerous composition notebooks full of great information. The problem for me is I rarely go over the notes. So putting this system in place with be a great benefit. Thanks.
John Rothstein
[Reply]
March 19th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Same here John.
I actually have notepads and index cards all over the place.
[Reply]
Those are some good tips J…
I think we’re all information junkies. It’s probably the primary reason why the information marketing industry is always booming, especially now in the information age. I never found learning this much fun.. EVER!
Funny side-note* ..when I’m talking to a relative about internet marketing I catch myself saying “you don’t wanna learn this stuff?? WHY?!?”
..anyways, I love legal pads. I have 3 or 4 no further than 2 feet away from me right now. They help me get my ideas from my head (where nothing happens) down on paper (where I can take action on them).
I know I can just open up Notepad of my computer, but it’s just not the same, it doesn’t feel right… maybe its just me.
After a training, I put all my pads away and walk away. I don’t necessarily leave the house, but grabbing a bite to eat, or watching T.V gets my mind to relax. Then I come back and ready for action.
Works for me..
Fail Fast, Succeed Faster
Hector Cuevas
New MLM Masters
[Reply]
December 15th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Hey Hector,
I dig your ideas.
“Funny side-note* ..when I’m talking to a relative about
internet marketing I catch myself saying “you don’t wanna
learn this stuff?? WHY?!?”
I know how you feel! Man, I have a friend who
was recently layed off… and she’ll probably end
up working some min wage job… but she’d rather
do that than pick up a book and study.
No idea why people are like this… but I think we
have to accept that not everyone wants our dreams.
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