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Contents:Articles
SeealsoSuperMemodecaloginthefollowing
languages:

LearningDecalog

Eficacia(Spanish)
Desatero(Czech)
Die10GebotedesLernens(German)
DeclogodaAprendizagem(Portuguese)

SuperMemohelpsyouorganizelearningandminimizetimeneededforrepetitions.However,itisnotthe
ultimateformulaforsuccessinlearning.Themerepersonalityofthestudentcanoftenrender
SuperMemounusable.Themainqualityneededtosucceedisperseverance.Onlystronglymotivated
individualsareabletopersistinrepetitions.Forothers,shorttermexpendituresseemtoovershadow
longtermbenefits.Therearemanymoresnagsawaitinganunpreparedstudent.Themostimportantones
arediscussedinthefollowingsections:
1. Regularrepetitions
2. Selectionofmaterial
3. Moderation
4. Simplicity
5. Univocality
6. Concentration
7. Awarenessofthementalstagespassedbyatypicalstudent
8. Pleasure
9. Health
10. MnemonicDecalog
Regularrepetitionsarecriticalforyoursuccess
ThemostfrequentreasonforthelackofsuccesswithSuperMemoislackofregularityandperseverance.
Infact,irregularrepetitionsfalloutofthedefinitionoftheSuperMemomethod.Nowonderthenthatfor
thosewholackregularitysuccessisnotforthcoming.RegularsessionswithSuperMemoareamongthe
mostdemandingfactorsandrequirelotsofwillpoweranddetermination.Indeed,SuperMemoisnot
onlyagoodtherapyforpoormemory,butitalsohelpstodevelopironwill.Theimportanceofregularity
comesfromthefactthatSuperMemocomputesoptimalintervalsthatshouldseparaterepetitions.You
needtorepeatwhenSuperMemodemandsit.Itshouldnotbeinterpretedasashortcomingofthemethod,
butasaninherentpropertyofmemory.Everydayofdelay,notonlyincreasestheproportionofforgotten
items,butalsoresultsinaninevitableaccumulationofworkthathastobedoneinthedaystocome.This
imposesadditionalstressonthestudentwho,witheachpassingday,islessinclinedtoreturnto
repetitions.InSuperMemo,thebestresultsareobtainedwhenthestudentusesthemethodeverydayfor
thesameperiodoftime.Workingeverysecondday,althoughlesseffective,ismuchbetterthanworking
everysecondweek,etc.SystematicworkwithSuperMemoisasinequanonofsuccess,andthosewho
donotintendtoworkregularlyshouldnothopetheprogramwillmakeupfortheirlackofpersistence.
Treatyourrepetitionslikeyoutreatyourdailyreligiousorphysiologicalrituals.Likebrushingyour
teeth.Toparaphraseawellknownadage,youmightsaythatSuperMemoislikesex:youcannotleave
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ittoothers.Youcannotbuyknowledge,youhavetoregularlymakeitflowintoyourmemory.
InSuperMemoforWindows,yourrepetitionsshouldproceeddailyuntilthefollowingequivalent
conditionsaremet(ifoneoftheseconditionsismet,soaretheothers):
youseethemessage:Nomoreitems
Outstandingequalsto0+0inthestatisticswindow
thesecondfieldofthestatusbardisplays(0+0)/x,forexample:(0+0)/23
theprogressbaronthestatusbarbecomesblue
Selectionofmaterial:youcannotlearnallthingsyouwouldwantto
AsSuperMemomakeslearningeasy,youmaybetemptedtolearnmorethanyoureallyneed.Onlywith
timewillyoudiscoverthetrueextentofknowledgethatyouneedandareabletomaster.Although
SuperMemoisextremelyeffective,itisnotomnipotent!Immoderationwillsoonerorlaterresultinyour
beingoverwhelmedwiththenumberofrepetitions
WorkingwithSuperMemoimposesastrictlimitationontheamountofnewknowledgethatcanbelearnt
inunittime,andrequiresanaccurateselectionofmaterial.Inchoosingfactsandrulestoremember,you
shouldprimarilyusethecriterionofapplicability.Lotsofitemsmayseemworthknowing,butbecause
ofthelimitedcapacityofmemory,onlyasmallfractionofthemmayactuallyberemembered,andthe
choiceshouldfavoritemsofthehighestapplicabilityindaytodaysituations.Youwillnotwastemuch
timeifyouincludeitemsthatyouwouldrememberanywayjustbecauseoftheirregularuse.Therefore,
youbetteralwayserronthesafesideandincludeallimportantitemsyouarenotsureyouwould
remember.Concerningtheselectionofthematerialtolearn,anothergeneralprincipleisthatyoushould
firstmasterthemostfundamentalaspectsofthelearnedsubjectandgetintodetailsatlaterstages.
Meticulousdismemberingoftextbookspagebypageisboundtoproduceexcessofdetailsatthecostof
principalknowledge.Animportantpsychologicalaspectofthegeneraltospecializedapproachisthat
youcansoondiscovergreatprofitscomingfromtheperfectknowledgeofthemostfundamentalfacts.
Withamazement,youwillnoticehownewfactsandrulesexcellentlyslotininwhatyouhavealready
learned.
Goodfoundationsmakeiteasiertoslotinnewknowledge,provideadditionalencouragementtowork,
andfreeyoufromtheunhealthyimpressionthatyouareacquiringknowledgefortheknowledge'ssake.
Foranextensivediscussionofknowledgeselectionandprioritizingsee:Flowofknowledgein
SuperMemo
Moderation
ItisafrequentcasethataSuperMemobeginner,amazedwithresultsobtainedbyafriendwhousedthe
method,embarksonanexceedinglyambitiousprogramofgainingnewknowledge.Thething(s)he
usuallyoverestimatesishisorherownlearningabilityandperseverance.SuperMemodoesnotguarantee
animmediatesuccess.Itrequiressomeskillsandstrategythatdevelopoveralongerperiodoftime.The
factthatastudentcanmemorizeamyriadofitemsinashorttimedoesnotnecessarilymeanthatthe
samestudentwillhaveenoughperseverancetocontinuerepetitionsofthenewlymemorizedmaterial.
Nordoesitindicatethatthelearneditemsareproperlystructuredandwillbekeptinmemoryaseasilyas
theyhavebeenmemorized.
Twofactorscontributetothedangersofimmoderation:
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1. Youslowdowninthebeginning:Thespeedoflearningdecreasessubstantially
duringthefirstfewmonthsoflearningasaresultofapileupofrepetitions(the
declineismostvisibleinthefirstfewweeks)
2. Badlyformulateditemsshowupwithtime:Learningnewmaterialismucheasier
thanretainingtheacquiredknowledgeinmemory.Badlystructureditemsusually
revealtheirintractabilityonlyafterseveralrepetitions!(see:20rulesofformulating
knowledgeinSuperMemo)
Beforestartinganyextensiveprocessofexpandingyourcollection,youmustexamineyourabilityto:
1. formulatesimpleandclearitems(withhardlyanyexception,beginnersareboundto
formagreatdealofillstructureditems!)
2. workcontinuallyforalongertimewithSuperMemo(onlythemostpersistent
individualscansustainmemorathonslastingmorethan1hour!)
Moderationandacoolestimationofone'sneedsandabilitiesareimportantfactorsofsuccesswith
SuperMemo.TherecommendedtimeofworkingwithSuperMemois520minutesperdayforbeginners,
andnomorethan6090minutesperdayforadvancedstudents!
Simplicity
Itisafrequentbeginning:anenthusiasticSuperMemostudentwasteslotsoftimeonlearningcomplex
andwordyitemsthatbynomeanswanttosticktohisorhermemory
ImaginethatyouwanttorememberallEuropeancountriesbycrammingalonglistoftheirnames.The
typicalsituationisthatyouremembermostofthenamesonthelist,butusuallyfailtomentiononeor
two.Thenetresultisthattheitemisconsideredforgottenagainandagain,andthatyoucannotseeany
progressinlearning.Usingmnemonictechniques,youcouldlearntoproducethewholelistinagiven
order,butthisisunlikelytoaccuratelyreflectknowledgewhichyouactuallywanttolearn.Avast
majorityofeducatedpeopleareunabletolistallcountriesinEurope(10%ofcollegeseniorsintheUS
cannotevenpointtoasinglecountryinAfrica!).Atotalrecallispossibleifyouusethetrickof
systematicscanningoftheEuropeanmapinyourimagination.Youhavetoknowthemapfirstthough.
AgoodSuperMemostudentwillnotattemptstoringthewholelistinoneitem.Hewilluseoneofthe
knowledgestructuringtricks,andsplitthelistintomanyitems.Dependingonwhatsortofknowledge
mightbeuseful,thestudentwillusetrickssuchas:
groupingitemsbygeographicallocationsofparticularcountries,
groupingthembytheiraffiliation(e.g.,EuropeanUnion,EEA,EFTA,Eastern
Europe,Scandinavia,NATO),
groupingthembynaturallanguagefamily,etc.
Thesetrickswillcertainlyintroduceredundancy,butacleverstudentwillcertainlyusetheredundancyto
hisorheradvantage.Monsteritemsconsumemoretimeandproducelesseffectthanthesameitemssplit
intoanumberofsubitems.Toensuregoodrecall,amultifacetedapproachshouldbetaken,i.e.all
possiblecombinationsofquestionsconcerningagivenrelationshipshouldbeasked.Forexample,ifyou
wanttorememberthattheleadingcauseofdeathisheartdisease,andthatitaccountsforalmost40%of
deathsinwesterncountries,thefollowingquestionmightappearinsufficient:
Whatistheleadingcauseofdeathinwesterncountries?
However,theabovequestiondoesnotletyouremembertheproportionofdeathscausedbyheartdisease,
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nordoesitensurethatthe40%statisticreferstowesterncountries.Instead,amultifacetedsetof
questionscouldlookasfollows:
Whatistheleadingcauseofdeathinwesterncountries?
Inwhatgroupofcountriesisheartdiseasealeadingcauseofdeath?
Whatproportionofdeathsinwesterncountriescanbeattributedtoheartdisease?
Whatdiseaseisresponsiblefor40%ofdeathsinwesterncountries?
Isheartdiseasealeadingcauseofdeathinwesterncountries?
Suchacollectionofitems,althoughredundantandtimeconsuming,willbelearnedfasterandwillleave
amorestabletraceinyourmemory
Theproblemofproperlystructuringknowledgeinlearningissocriticalthatwestronglyrecommendthat
youcarefullyread:20rulesofformulatingknowledgeinlearning
Univocality
Thefactthatyouritemsaresimple,doesn'tyetguaranteethattheyareeasytoremember.Oneofthebig
obstaclesincreatingeasycollectionsistheproblemofinterference,orconfusion,comingfromthefact
thattwodifferentitemsmighthavesimilarquestionsorsimilaranswers.Forexample,imaginethatyou
wanttolearnsomethingaboutSuperMemo,andyoucreateaspecialcollectionforthatpurpose.Consider
thefollowingtwoitems:
1. Q:Whatisthenameofitemswhichresembleoneanother?
A:ambiguousitems
2. Q:Howaresimilarlookingitemscalled?
A:equivocalitems
YouneednotmuchexperiencewithSuperMemotopredictthatthestudentwhowantstomastera
collectioncontainingtwosuchitemswillcontinuallyconfuseambiguousitemswithequivocalitemsuntil
hediscoversthathekeepstwoitemswhosequestionsaresemanticallyidenticalbutanswersdiffer.The
simpleremedytotheproblemistoformulateanitemwithtwooptionalanswers:
Q:Whatisthenameofitemswhicharesimilartooneanother?
A:(a)ambiguousitemsOR(b)equivocalitems
Insuchacase,providingoneoftheanswersissufficienttoclassifytheitemasremembered(unlessthe
userwishestorememberbothtermsandreplacesORwithAND).Theproblemofinterferenceis
particularlyvisibleinattemptstoremembernumbers.Nosimpletrickofsplittingitemsintosubitemscan
sufficehere.Theageslongsolutiontotheproblemhereismnemonictechniques.Onepopularmnemonic
techniqueistorepresentnumbersaspicturesandattempttorememberscenesformedbythosepictures
insteadofrememberingnumbers.Forexample,insteadofhavingtheitem:
Q:Whatisthevalueoftheconstantp?
A:3.14
thestudentmightmemorizetheuniversallistof10picturescorrespondingto10digitse.g.:
1. harpoon(because1lookslikeaharpoon),
2. coin(becauseacoinhastwosides),
3. tripod(becauseatripodhasthreelegs),
4. dog(becauseadoghasfourlegs),etc.
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andformulatethemnemoniciteminthefollowingway:
Q:Whatisthevalueoftheconstantp?
A:3.14because:prhymeswithfryand...onasmalltripodabigballoonis
beingfried(balloonrepresentsthedecimalpoint),suddenlysomebodypierces
theballoonwithaharpoon,andfrominsidetheburstingsphereabigdogjumps
onthestudent
Ifyoudonothaveproblemswithrememberingthevalueofp,youshouldnotbotherwithmnemonic
techniques.However,evenwhenformulatingtheabovescenemayseemawkwardandtimeconsuming,
italwaysresultsinbetterremembering(ifthemnemonicitemisconstructedskillfully).Thenetresultis
savedtime
Theproblemofknowledgeinterferenceisdiscussedin:20rulesofformulatingknowledgeinlearning
Concentration
Inthepursuitofmoreandmoreknowledge,youmaydevelopatendencytogivecarelessanswersand
hastilyjumpfromquestiontoquestioninordertoreducetherepetitiontime.Therearenodangersrelated
tofastrepetitionsonconditionthatthespeedisachievedbysimplicityofitemsratherthanbynegligence
inprovidinganswers.Itisoftenpossibletoautomaticallyansweraquestionwithoutunderstandingits
importantimplications.Insteadofbeingsemantic,i.e.,basedonthemeaning,therepetitionsbecome
syntacticorliteral,basedontheautomaticrenditionoftheitem'swording.Notonlyisthethusacquired
knowledgeoflittlevalue,butwhatisworse,youmaybecomedisillusionedwithSuperMemobecauseof
inadequatelearningprogress.Topreventsuchanoutcome,youmustconstantlycontrolthelearning
processbyaskingthefollowingquestions:
IsthisitemtrulyimportantfortheskillsIwanttodevelop?
DoestheabilitytoanswerthequestiontrulyensurethatIrememberexactlywhatI
wanttoremember?
IfIhaveanyproblemswithrememberingagivenitem,isittrulyformulatedinthe
simplestandmostunivocalway?(see:20rulesofformulatingknowledge)
IfIhaveproblemswithasimpleandunivocalitem,whatmnemonictechniquecouldI
usetomakeiteasiertoremember?
Arethefollowingelementsofthelearningprocesssuitablychosen?
TheextentofthesubjectIwanttolearn(consideringmylearningcapacityand
availabilityoftime)
ThedegreetowhichIwanttogetintodetails
ThelevelofknowledgeretentionIwanttoreach(see:Forgettingindex)
TheamountoftimeadayIcanaffordtospendonSuperMemo
Allthesequestionsmustrecuragainandagain,andyoumustconstantlymaintainthehighestlevelof
alertnessandconcentration.Theprofitscomingfrommasteringconcentrationskillsareextraordinary!
Sloppyworkwillproducepoorresultsandcausedisillusionment.Experienceshowsthatrepetitions
madeearlyinthemorningmakeiteasiertoensureadequateconcentration(independentofyourcircadian
rhythmandmentality!)(see:Morningrepetitions)
Itishighlyrecommendedthatyoukeepallyourknowledgeinonecollection!Youwillnoticethatthis
greatlyhelpsyouputequalemphasisonallpartsofthematerial.Youshouldusethetoolsprovidedby
SuperMemotoemphasizemoreimportantsubjects(e.g.forgettingindexorbranchlearning)!Splitting
yourknowledgeintomanycollectionswilloftenresultinusingnegligenceasyouremphasistool!
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Awarenessofthementalstagespassedbyatypicalstudent
Itmaybeusefulinthebeginningtounderstandthestagespassedbyatypicalstudentduringthe
evolutionofhisunderstandingandattitudetowardsSuperMemo.Theobservationspresentedbelowwere
compiledfromhundredsoflettersandquestionnairessenttoSuperMemoWorld,aswellasfrom
personalcontactswithdozensofstudentsatbothbasicandadvancedlevels(datacompiledin1994may
differfromfiguresfor1998andlaterwhentheInternethaschangedtheprofileofusersofSuperMemo)
(see:SuperMemoUserSurvey)
90%ofstudentsstarttheiraffairwithSuperMemobecauseofgoodopinionstheyheardaboutthe
programfromtheircolleaguesorfrompress(recently,moreandmorecustomersareattractedto
SuperMemoviatheInternet).
Theinitialattitudeispositiveandfullofexpectation.AfterstudyingthebasicsofSuperMemo,reactions
ofstudentsvarygreatly,andarehighlycorrelatedwiththegenerallevelofintelligenceandeducation,
especiallywithrespecttosciences.Asubstantialgroupofstudentsbecomediscouragedbecauseofthe
mechanicalandrepetitivenatureofSuperMemo.Inthisgroup,individualswithnouniversityeducation,
oruniversityeducationinhumanitiesstronglyprevail.Ontheotherendofthespectrumareindividuals
withstrongbackgroundinmathematics,physicsorcomputingsciences,whoseemtoeasilyacceptthe
philosophyofSuperMemo,andwhosefirstcontactwiththemethodislikelytoenhancetheirpositive
attitude.Fromthisgroup,SuperMemohasrecruitedthegreatestnumberofenthusiasticsupporters.Only
75%ofindividualscontinuetheirrepetitionsbeyondonemonth!Thedropoutsprovidethefollowing
reasonsforcessationofrepetitions:(1)theydonotbelieveinSuperMemo(10%)(nouniversityeducation
oreducationinhumanitiesprevails),(2)theydonotbelieveintheirownlearningpowers(5%)(mostly
individualsover45yearsofage),(3)theydonothavetimeforrepetitions(25%)(privateentrepreneurs,
physicians,lawyers,etc.),and(4)theyintendtoreturntorepetitionsinthefuture(60%)(students).Only
thosewhopassthefirstmonthofrepetitionscantrulytestifytotheusefulnessofthemethod.Among
thosetheapprovalrateis95%!MostofthemconsiderSuperMemoanexcellentaidinlearning(50%)or
ausefulproduct(45%)only5%ofthosepolleddidnothaveaspecifiedopinionorratedSuperMemoas
nothingspecial.SuperMemoWorldhasnotreceivedasinglequestionnairefromastudentwhohadtried
outSuperMemoforatleastonemonth,andwasgenerallydissatisfiedwiththemethod.However,the
attritionrateafterthefirstmonthremainsstillhigh.Havingpassedamonthofrepetitions,almostall
studentswishtheyhadusedSuperMemoonapermanentbasis,butforhundredsofreasonstheycannot
copewithbusyrepetitionschedules(introductionofTools:Mercyin1992reducedtheattritionrateat
thecostofthequalityoflearning!).Themostwidespreadattitudeistohopetoresumerepetitionsin
someunspecifiedfuture.Here,themajordrawbackofSuperMemobecomesvisible:itdoesnotproduce
amazingresultsforfree!Itdoesproduceamazingresultsonlythroughhardandsystematicwork.Inbusy
timesofourdynamicallygrowingcivilization,wealltoooftenstickwiththeprinciplethatbetteranegg
todaythanahentomorrow.10minutesspentonabusinesscall,readingascientificpaper,orwritinga
reportseemtobringimmediateresult.Thesame10minutesspentonrepetitionswithSuperMemo,can
saveseveralhoursorevendaysinlifetime,butthesavingishardtosense,evenforanexperienced
student.SuperMemoisagratificationdelayed!
Whatisworse,afteralongerperiodofrepetitions,thestudentmayeasilycometothefalseconclusion
thattheknowledgehasalreadybeenwellmemorized,andrequiresnofurtherrepetition.Thisway,even
themostenthusiasticstudentsoftendropweeksofrepetitions.Additionally,abusingTools:Mercycan
easilyproducetheimpressionthatallisOKwiththelearningprocess.Foranaverageuser,breaksin
repetitionsregularlymakeup20%ofthelearningtime!!!
Rememberthatyouarenottheonlyonesaying:Iwilldoittomorrow,ornextweek,orIthinkIstill
rememberitallright.Forgettingislikeradiation:youcannotsmellit,youcannottasteit,andwhen
youfinallynoticethedamage,itisalreadyirreversible(i.e.contrarytopopularbelief,rememorizing
willcostyoulittlelessthanlearningforthefirsttime!)
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Pleasure
ThereisasurewaytotellifagivenstudentwillbesuccessfulinhisworkwithSuperMemoornot.Ifhe
findspleasureinlonglastingsessionswithrepetitivework,heisboundtodoterrificjob.Despitewhat
meetstheeyeatfirst,SuperMemorepetitionsdonothavetobemonotonous.Hereisacoupleof
examplesofextraactivitiesthataccompanyrepetitionsandprovideasolidgroundformakingthework
withSuperMemointerestingandchallenging:
Editingitemsthatdonotseemtocomplywiththeprinciplesofsimplicityand
univocality
Dismissingordeletingitemsthatnolongerseemworthremembering
Crossanalysisofthelearningmaterial,inordertoeliminatediscrepanciesor
redundancy.Notethatnotallsortsofredundancyareundesirable.Forexample,
havingthesameforeignwordtwiceinacollectionintroducesunnecessarynoiseinthe
optimizationprocesshowever,havingthesamewordindifferentcontextsmight
increaseitssemanticassociativeness,andmakeiteasiertoremembertheword
Addingnewitems
Inspectingstatisticaldatausedinmonitoringone'sprogress
Analysisoftherepeateditems:
1. Whatdoesagivenfactorruleimply?DoesitagreewithotherfactsI
know?
2. InwhatsituationscanIusetheknowledgeIlearn?Whatwilltheprofitor
satisfactionbe?
3. InwhatsituationdidIfindthatIshouldrememberthisitem?WasIreally
abletomakeuseofknowingit?
Iftherepetitionprocessappearstobetediousandmonotonous,thestudentmustseriouslyreconsiderall
theearliermentionedprerequisitesofsuccess(seealso:20rulesofformulatingknowledge).Lackof
enthusiasmisthefirstsymptomofmisguideduseofSuperMemo.Ontheotherhand,ifusedproperly,
SuperMemocanbequiteaddictive.Youwilleasilyfinditindispensableforyourpersonaland
professionalsuccess
Health
Asinotheractivities,generalhealthhelpsyouachievebetterresultsinlearning.Itincreasinglybecomes
acommonknowledgehowtokeephealthyandfit.Itmaystill,however,beusefultolistthemost
importantprinciplesthatshouldberememberedbyeverystudent:
1. Sufficientamountofsleep.Itisduringsleepthattheconsolidationofmemoriestakes
place.BoththeREMandslowwavesleepcomponentsarecriticalforthe
consolidationtotakeplace,andonly78hoursofuninterruptedsleepcanproduce
goodlearningresultsinmostpeople.EachallnighterreducestheproportionofREM
sleepinthenextnight.Intenseintellectualworkmaycauseincreaseddemandfor
sleep,andnothingshouldpreventthestudentfromsatisfyingit.Anecdotalevidence
suggests(customersurveys)that40minutesofSuperMemoadaymayincreaseyour
naturaldemandforsleepbyuptoonehour.Noonehaseverbenefitedfromtryingto
savetimebysleepingless.BytryingtoemulateEdison,thestudentisboundto
dramaticallyreducetheeffectsoflearning.Secondly,thetirednesscausedbylackof
sleepisoneofthemainfactorsthatcanruinalearningsessionwithSuperMemo.If
youdidnotgetenoughsleepinthenight,ashortnapmaybeanexcellenttemporary
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remedy.See:Goodsleep,goodlearning,goodlife
2. Physicalexerciseisabsolutelynecessaryforeverysuccessfulstudent.Withoutit,the
respiratoryandcirculatorysystemscannotadapteasilytoincreaseddemandfor
oxygeninintenseintellectualwork.Anunfitstudenttendstobedrowsyandcannot
maintainthesufficientlevelofalertnessinlongsessionswithSuperMemo.Painsof
theback,eyestrain,hemorrhoidalproblems,gastrointestinaldisorders,repetitive
straininjury,andmanyotherailmentsofahardworkingstudentaregreatlyprevented
byahighleveloffitnessinphysicallyactiveindividuals.Sportsthatresultinalong
lastingincreaseintheheartrateandoxygenconsumption,e.g.,jogging,inlineskating,
cycling,swimming,etc.areparticularlyrecommended.Secondly,ananaerobic
strengthexerciseshouldalsobemadeapartofastudent'sweeklyschedule
3. Itisacommonknowledgethatsmokingandalcoholaremajorpreventablecausesof
agreatspectrumofdisordersthatnotonlyinterferewiththeprocessoflearning,but
arealsodangeroustohealthand,inthelongrun,life.Alcoholismisnotoriousforits
toxiceffectstothebrain,andisamajorenvironmentalcauseofseniledementia(loss
ofmemoryinoldage).ItisalsoknowntoreducethenumberofNMDAreceptorsin
thebrain(receptorsinvolvedinmemory),andtoreduceretentioninrecallmemory
tests.Itaffectsbothshortandlongtermmemory.Moderatedrinkingmaybe
beneficialforhealthbutyoushouldavoiddrinkingbeforerepetitionsduetopossible
drowsinessandlostfocus.Smokingismostrenownedforitscontributiontoheart
diseaseandcancerhowever,eventoastudentwhoisnotmuchconcernedwithhisor
herownfuture,itisworthnotingthatsmokingalsocauseshypertension,increased
excitabilityofthenervoussystem,cerebralhypoxia(reducedoxygenationofthe
brain)andmanyothereffectsthatarehighlyundesirableinlearning.Itisworthnoting
thathypertensionisconsidertheprimaryfactorinagingofthebrain.See:Howtoquit
smoking
4. Adequatenutritionisindispensableinsuccessfullearning.Itisdifficulttospecify
particularguidelinesexceptforthefactthatthefoodsconsumedshouldcomplywith
whatisgenerallyconsideredahealthydiet.Forexample,youmaythinkthata
satisfyinglunchwillbegoodforyourlearning,however,researchdemonstratesthat
thelevelofmentalalertnessdropssubstantiallyafterameal.Itisalsoknownthata
lowfatdietpreventsarteriosclerosisandshouldbeconsidereddesirable.However,
anotherresearchshowsthatreducedbloodlevelsoflipoproteins(agroupoffat
components)haveanegativeinfluenceontheperformanceinintelligencetests.An
average,healthydietshouldsatisfyallthenutritionalneedsofastudent,sothatno
supplementsshallbenecessary.Regularadministrationofvitamins,particularlyBand
C,ormineralpreparations,however,mightbeofpreventivevalue.Formore
informationaboutnutrition,werecommendthecommonsenseadvicefromDrWeil
5. Teaandcoffeeareusedbymanypeopleasstimulants,especiallyasaremedyfor
sleepdeficit.Whilehavingapositiveeffectonalertness,highlevelsofcaffeineand
theophylline(activecompoundsofcoffeeandtea)maycauserestlessness,problems
withconcentrationand,worstofall,sleepdisturbances(see:Goodsleep,good
learning,goodlife).Someresearchhasindicatedpositiveimpactofcoffeeonhealth
andlongevity.Toavoidmisguideduse,examineyourreactiontocaffeine.Ifyouuseit
tospeedupyourtransitionfromsleeptofullwakefulnessandexperiencean
immediateboostinintellectualcapacity,yourlearningprocessmaybenefit.However,
ifyouabusecaffeineasaresultofstressorsleepdeficit,youarelikelytoproduce
anxietyandproblemswithconcentration.Ifyourmindveersoffrepetitionsalltoo
often,cutdownoncaffeineandexamineyourstresslevels.Tea,coffee,aswellasall
sortsofcaffeinecontainingdrinks,shouldbeusedwithmoderation
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6. Inintenseintellectualwork,thebrainmayuseup30ormorepercentoftotaloxygen.
Asyouwillobserve,SuperMemoisaparticularlytiringlearningmethod.Thiscomes
fromthefactthatitforcesyourbraintoworkatitstopgear(repetitionsarescheduled
atthepossiblylongestintervals).Anaverage,untrainedstudentwillexperience
drowsinessassoonasafter30minutesofcontinuousrepetitions.Mostofindividuals
finditimpossibletoworkwithSuperMemoformorethat1hour,andeachminute
beyondthatlimitmaybringagenuinementaltorture.Thisentailsthegreatimportance
oftheavailabilityoffreshairintheroomwhenthelearningtakesplace.Workingin
twooreventhreesessionsmayalsohelp.Sufficientamountofsleep,freshairand
enthusiasmforworkarethebestalliesofastudentwhowishestospendlongsessions
withSuperMemoandproducefabulousresults
7. Mentalhealth:Youneedahappymindtobeaneffectivestudent.Youneedtolearn
toavoidstressandcopewithunavoidablestress.HavealookatTheMedicalBasisof
Stress,Depression,Anxiety,SleepProblems,andDrugUseforagoldmineofgood
tipsforthosewhohavetostrugglewithwinterblues,addiction,stressorsleep
problems

MnemonicDecalog
I. WorkregularlywiththeSuperMemomethodthesameamountoftimeeveryday.Nopain,no
gain
II. Createyourcollectionsusingonlythemostapplicableknowledge.Don'tgettoofarinto
detailsbeforeformingageneralpictureofthefieldyouwanttomaster.Toomuchpudding
willchokethedog
III. Don'toverwork.Morehaste,lessspeed
IV. Beforeembarkingonintenseexpansionofyourknowledgesystem,checkifyourabilityto
formulateeasytorememberitemsissufficient,andcheckwhatyourmentalpowersare,and
howmuchtimeyoucanaffordtospendonlearning.Lookbeforeyouleap
V. Makesurethatyouritemsareassimpleaspossibleandthattheyaskaboutallimportant
aspectsofthelearnedknowledge.Smallisbeautiful
VI. Saveonfuturerepetitiontimebyusingmnemonictechniquesforthemostintractableitems.A
stitchintimesavesnine
VII. Concentrateanddon'tstopthinking.Repetitionsshouldbeconscious,notautomatic.All
troublescomefromignorance
VIII. IfyoudonotfindworkingwithSuperMemopleasant,thenstopaddingnewitemsandpay
moreattentiontocleaningyourknowledgesystemfromuselessorillstructuredgarbage.
Onceyoumakeyourrepetitionspleasurable,yourenthusiasmwilltripleyourresults.
Nothingssucceedslikesuccess
IX. Keepfit.Donotcutdownonsleep,exerciseregularlyandgiveupallhazardoushabitslike
smokingordrinking.Healthyfleshnurtureshealthyspirit
X. ReadtheaboverulesfromtimetotimeorformulatethemasSuperMemoitemsthatcouldbe
placedinoneofyourlearningcollections.Forgetaboutforgetting(saysSuperMemo
World).Forexample:Question:Whatisthebestmethodtouseagainstintractableitems?...
Answer:Deletethem!(forlessradicalsolutionssee:20rulesofformulatingknowledge)

Furtherreading
http://www.supermemo.com/articles/decalog.htm

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22/2/2015

Learningdecalog

1. TwentyrulesofformulatingknowledgeinSuperMemo
2. Incrementalreading
3. Devouringknowledge

http://www.supermemo.com/articles/decalog.htm

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