Limitless.

By Jim Kwik

Upgrade your brain, learn anything faster, and unlock your exceptional life.

This book has left me with an awe for the potential that each of us have in terms of what we allow ourselves to achieve. The byline above suggests that there are some quick fixes – obvious maybe, but not quick. The methods taught in this book (because Jim does actively teach them here, with wonderful examples and mini assignments) require time and effort… but so they should. Cramming, as he says, “is rarely as useful as we would like it to be” – and I think this applies to anything we try in a hurry. Slow (except when it comes to reading!), steady, thorough and in a manageable manner are the key takes outs for me. We can limit ourselves less by disallowing constant distractions, setting meaningful goals and plans, pitching up for our practices, nurturing the incredible resource our brain is through nutrition, sleep, stress management, and I think most importantly USING our brains more fully. Jim explains that our brain is not a cup that can get overfilled – it is more like a muscle that we can strengthen and put to amazing use. The point is not whether we have the potential for growth and improvement, its whether we decide to use it, and work at it.

PART 1: FREE YOUR MIND

I love Jim’s quote at the beginning of this section: “If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by and inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from the inside.” 

Chapter 1: Becoming limitless

·      Often when you put a label on someone or something, you create a limit – the label becomes the limitation.

·      If knowledge is power, then learning is our superpower.

·      Un-lim-it-ing (noun): The act or process of casting aside inaccurate and restrictive perceptions of one’s potential, and embracing the reality that, with the right mindset, motivation and methods, there are no limitations.

·      It’s not about being perfect – it’s about progressing beyond what you  currently believe is possible.

MINDSET (the WHAT): Deeply held beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that we create about what is possible.

MOTIVATION (the WHY): The purpose (and energy) one has for taking action.

METHOD (the HOW): An orderly, logical, systematic  process for accomplishing something.

Chapter 2: Why this matters now

The digital age helps (connects us, educates us, empowers us, makes our lives easier) but it can also hinder us:

·      Digital deluge: Too much to process and not enough time.

·      Digital distraction: Too many notifications and perceived needs, and continual shifting of focus.

·      Digital dementia: Over reliance on information at our fingertips and a dwindling ability to retain information.

·      Digital deduction: The expectation that any solution can be found via technology, without properly applying our minds to challenges.

·      Digital depression: As a result of social media and its comparative culture.

The key is to use digital technology consciously and intentionally, not mindlessly and out of habit.

Jim Taylor (psychologist) defines thinking as “ The capacity to reflect, reason, and draw conclusions based on our experiences, knowledge and insights. It’s what makes us human and has enabled us to communicate, create, build, advance and become civilized.”

Chapter 3: Your limitless brain

·      Our brains have the capacity for neuroplasticity – they can be shaped and changed by our attitudes and environments.

·      Each brain is unique – it adapts to the specific needs (and uses!) of its owner.

·      If learning is making new connections, then remembering is maintaining and sustaining those connections.

·      The brain-gut axis affects our brain, moods and behaviours. The gut has an outsize effect on the way our brain’s function – like the roots of a tree draw up vital nutrients and water. We rely on nutrients to feed our brains – they use 20% of the energy we take in!

·      We must take charge of what we want to learn, but also how we want to learn. 

Chapter 4: How to read and remember this (any any) book

·      Our natural ability to concentrate varies between 10 and 40 minutes.

·      Primacy and Recency: We are more likely to remember what we learn at the beginning and at the end of a learning session rather than the  middle.

Pomodoro Technique: Based on the idea that the optimal time for a task is 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. By taking breaks you create more beginnings and endings, and therefore retain more information.

F-A-S-T-E-R method of remembering:

F = Forget: What we think we know gets in the way of absorbing new information – approach with a beginner’s mind. Forget also what is not urgent or important – it is difficult to learn when your focus is split. And forget about your limitations – your capabilities are NOT fixed, and it is possible to learn almost anything.

A  = Act: Learning is not a spectator sport. Take notes, do exercises and tests, talk out loud, highlight things.

S = State: If you take control of the state of your mind and body before you sit down and learn, you’ll be in a positive learning frame of mind. Also, your feelings and emotions help information to become more memorable. Consciously choose a positive and engaged state.

T = Teach: If you learn with the intention of teaching, and then teach, you’ll learn twice. Discussing concepts entrenches them.

E = Enter: Your calendar is your simplest and most powerful performance tool. Schedule your growth, development, and practices to make progress. 

R = Review: Actively recall, with spaced recognition. You’ll have better retention with multiple spaced-out sessions. Begin each session by actively retrieving what you learnt before.

So often the answers we want are there, but we’re not asking the right questions to shine a spotlight on them. Three dominant questions to direct your learning focus:

1.     How can I use this?

2.     Why must I use this?

3.     When will I use this?

PART 2: LIMITLESS MINDSET

Mindset: The deeply held beliefs, attitudes, assumptions we create about who we are, how the world works, what we are capable of and deserve, and most important… what is possible.

A LIE is a Limited Idea Entertained – beware of entertaining ideas about yourself that define you as something less than what you truly have the potential to achieve.

We must be accountable for who we become. All of our potential is entirely within our control.

Chapter 5: The spell of belief systems

·      If you embrace and experience the power of learning, the years of negative self-talk and resulting limiting beliefs can take a back seat.

·      Iceberg beliefs are your words and behaviours (visible ice) as a result of your beliefs and values (ice below the surface).

4 different types of Genius:

1.     Dynamo: Demonstrated through creativity and ideas (e.g. Galileo)

2.     Blaze: Expressed through empathetic interaction with others – master communicators (e.g. Oprah)

3.     Tempo: Demonstrated through seeing the bigger picture and staying the course (e.g. Mandela)

4.     Steel: Demonstrated by working the details and having a vision of what to do with the information (e.g. Warren Buffet)

There are three keys to developing a limitless mindset:

1.     Name your limiting beliefs (about your talents/character/relationships/education/ability/skills). Figure out their origin if you can, and start talking back to the voices!

2.     Get to the facts. Are you really? Examine the facts, using reality and evidence.

3.     Create a new belief which replaces the old belief, and is supported by facts.

A positive mindset makes all the difference here. Fredrickson’s “broaden and build” theory: Positive emotions broaden your sense of possibilities and open your mind, which in turn allows you to build new skills and resources that can provide value in other areas of your life.

Positive emotions:

·      Broaden people attention and thinking

·      Undo lingering negativity

·      Fuel psychological resilience

·      Build personal resources

·      Trigger upward spirals

·      See human flourishing

Chapter 6: The 7 Lies of Learning

1.     Intelligence is fixed. (Truth: Intelligence is actually fluid.)

2.     We only use 10% of our brain. (Truth: We can learn to use our whole brain in the best way possible.)

3.     Mistakes are failures. (Truth: There is no such thing as failure – only failure to learn.)

4.     Knowledge is power. (Truth: Knowledge x Action = Power.)

5.     Learning new things is very difficult. (Truth: When you learn new ways how to learn, the challenge of learning new things can be easier and more enjoyable.)

6.     The criticism of other people matters. (Truth: It’s not your job to like, love, or respect me. Its mine!)

7.     Genius is born. (Truth: Genius is made through deep practice.)

Motivation: The purpose one has for taking action; and the energy required for someone to behave in a particular way.

Motivation = Purpose x Energy x Small, Simple Steps.

Chapter 7: Purpose

·      Often our greatest struggles lead to our greatest strengths.

·      SMART Goals are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time based.

·      To get your goals out of your head and into your hands, make sure they fit with your emotions.

·      HEART: Healthy, enduring, alluring, relevant, true.

·      People who know their purpose in life know who they are, what they are and why they are – living a life that is true to their values.

·      Purpose guides your life decisions, shapes your goals, influences your behaviour, offers direction and creates meaning.

·      The Power of “I am…”

·      Motivation is a set of emotions that act as fuel for our actions, and it comes from purpose.

Motivation is a set of habits and routines, guided by your values and identity, that you carry out every day.

·      Really consider where learning fits in to your passion, identity, values and reasons.

Chapter 8: Energy

Mental and physical vitality is the fuel needed to drive your actions:

1.     A good brain diet (blueberries, avocado, salmon, eggs, leafy greens, olive oil, walnuts, turmeric, broccoli, dark chocolate, water).

2.     Brain nutrients (if you aren’t able to achieve them in your diet i.e. B vitamins, curcumin etc.)

3.     Exercise (regular aerobic exercise boost the brain area involved in memory and learning)

4.     Killing ants (automatic negative thoughts).

5.     A clean environment (from air quality to clutter and distractions).

6.     A positive peer group (people who are good for you!).

7.     Brain protection (wise decisions – avoid risk of injury).

8.     New learning (increase the ways that you use your brain, and you will increase its capacity).

9.     Stress management (cortisol build ups affect brain functionality).

10.  Sleep ( for better focus, clear thinking, better memory, better decisions).

Chapter 9: Small, Simple Steps

·      Over time, these become habits.

·      Uncompleted tasks create a level of tension that keeps the task at the forefront of our minds until it is completed.

·      Break the task into bite-sized pieces. The path to getting it done then becomes clear.

·      Fogg: Only three things can change a person’s behaviour long term:

1.     An epiphany

2.     A change of environment

3.     Taking baby steps

·      The habits you repeat (or don’t repeat) determine your health, wealth and happiness.

·      James Clear: Cue; Craving; Response; Reward.

·      The best way to break a bad habit is replace it with a new, more constructive habit.

·      Fogg: For a target behaviour to happen, a person must have:

1.     Sufficient motivation

2.     Sufficient ability

3.     An effective prompt

Chapter 10: Flow

Flow is an expression of “optimal experience”:

·      Absolute concentration

·      Total focus on goals

·      Sense of time speeding up/slowing down

·      A feeling of reward from the experience

·      A sense of effortlessness

·      Challenging, but not overly so

·      Your actions seem to be happening on their own

·      Your feel comfort with what you are doing

There are 4 stages of flow: Struggle, relaxation, flow and consolidation.

Method: A specific process for accomplishing something, especially and orderly, logical or systematic way of instruction.

Chapter 11: Focus

·      Concentration is like a muscle that gets stronger the more you use it.

·      Focus is the ability to keep your awareness on one thing for an extended period of time, and using willpower to bring it back when it drifts.

·      Think of a “glowing ball” of focus/awareness and mentally train it on the object/subject.

·      Do one thing at a time.

·      Declutter your environment (physical and digital).

·      Learn to calm your mind.

·      Do something that has been causing you stress.

·      Schedule time for distractions as a way of coping with them (emails, messaging, social media).

Chapter 12: Study

·      The key to effective study  is practice. Practice makes progress.

·      Cramming doesn’t work!

Seven effective study habits:

1.     Employ active recall (optimal is 4 x in a row!)

2.     Employ spaced repetition (review the material at similar intervals i.e. morning and evening for four days in a row)

3.     Manage your state (positive, resourceful, rested, nourished).

4.     Use your sense of smell.

5.     Music for the memory (Baroque creates an atmosphere of focus and deep concentration).

6.     Listen with your whole brain.

7.     Take notes (take care to understand the purpose of your notes; capture and create.)

Chapter 13: Memory

·      There is no knowledge without memory!

·      There is no good or bad memory; only trained and untrained.

·      Instantly gear up your memory with:

o   Motivation (you must want to!)

o   Observation (pay attention!)

o   Methods (tools)

·      Recalling a great deal:

o   Clear your mind and relax first.

o   Create a visual story for each word, and then close your eyes and review it.

·      Improve active focus with:

o   Visualization (see pictures)

o   Association (with something you already know)

o   Emotion (more likely to remember)

o   Location (places help)

·      Delivering or remembering a great deal of information without notes:

o   Identify 10 major points

o   Imagine a place you know well

o   Consider a  path through that location and identify 10 spots, in order.

o   Assign a talking point to each location.

o   Practice, and each component should come to you as you need it.

·      Remembering names:

o   Believe you can! Say it back. Use it in the conversation. Ask the origin if you can. Attach an image in your mind to the name. End the conversation using the name.

·      Vocabulary and languages:

o   Word substitution

o   I.e. Nitrogen = knight; Monroe = man wowing; lenient = leaning ant.

Chapter 14: Speed Reading

·      There is a direct relationship between your ability to read and your success in life.

·      Why is reading so good for you?

o   Kicks your brain into gear (challenges multiple parts)

o   Improves your memory (brain functions at a higher level)

o   Improves your focus, vocabulary, imagination and understanding

Barriers to reading quickly: Regression (rereading words); outdated skills (lack of new learning and practice); Subvocalization (reading at the pace of your inner voice, which is slow).

Misconceptions about speed reading are that faster readers don’t comprehend as well or appreciate the content as much, and that its harder and takes more effort. Actually when you are reading faster your mind is stimulated more, and you are more focused and therefore comprehend better.

Using your finger as a visual pacer introduces increases speed as your eye (and brain) follows the motion touch and lessens regression.

LJ: Jim Kwik gives a number of reading exercises here which are amazing. I managed to significantly improve my reading speed by doing them, and will keep and improve this new pace if I continue to practice.

Tools to use:

1.     Reading is like exercising, so practice daily.

2.     Expand your peripheral vision to take in more than one word at a time.

3.     Counting out loud to counteract subvocalization.

4.     Hold your book upright sometimes to change the angle.

5.     Read for 20/25 minutes at a time (primacy/recency)

6.     Make reading a habit – block out  at least fifteen minutes a day for reading.

Chapter 15: Thinking

Albert Einstein: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

o   Perspectives should be challenged on a regular basis – answers can often be found through fresh approaches.

Edwards De Bono’s Thinking Hats as a tool for fresh thinking/solving problems:

o   White: Information gathering – details and facts.

o   Yellow: Optimism – identify positives.

o   Black: Consider challenges and pitfalls.

o   Red: Emotion – feelings about the problem.

o   Green: Creativity mode – ideas and new considerations.

o   Blue: Management mode – has the agenda been addressed productively.

We each have a dominant way of using our intelligence:

1.     Spatial

2.     Body-kinesthetic

3.     Musical

4.     Linguistic

5.     Logical mathematical

6.     Interpersonal

7.     Intrapersonal (self-awareness)

We each have a dominant way of how we prefer to learn: Visually, Auditory or Kinesthetic. Knowing which one helps you to best use your thinking as a tool for learning.

Mental models are construct for thinking that train us how to think:

1.     Decision Making: The 40/70 rule (no less than 40% of information and no more than 70% to make decisions)

2.     Productivity: Create a Not-to-do list (your time is best spent on tasks that will move your life and your goals forward)

3.     Problem Solving: Study your errors (evaluating what went wrong to get a better result next time)

4.     Strategy: Second order thinking (thinking more steps beyond the immediate effects our actions will have)

Exponential thinking: Looking at a root cause and solving that instead.

Momentum: The impetus and driving force gained by the development of a process (the product of mindset, motivation and methods).

Chapter 16: Limitless at Work

Becoming more agile with your learning at work means using what you’ve learned previously and adapting it to new scenarios.

How to develop workplace agility?

1.     Embrace a growth mindset

2.     Seek new experiences

3.     Reflect on your experiences

4.     Learn from others

5.     Be curious

6.     Experiment and iterate

7.     Develop resilience

8.     Cultivate adaptability

9.     Stay committed to learning

Practice makes progress in anything – how do you become an expert over time?

1.     Identify your learning goals

2.     Design your practice sessions

3.     Tap into outside sources

4.     Challenge yourself

5.     Seek feedback

6.     Reflect and adjust

7.     Persist

Seek out ways to initiate or participate in collaborative learning. Collaborative learning boosts communication, promotes social interaction, increases knowledge retention and enhances open-mindedness.

Tap into your EQ:

1.     Cultivate self-awareness

2.     Practice empathy

3.     Build emotional resilience

4.     Leverage positive emotions

5.     Manage negative emotions

6.     Communicate effectively

7.     Seek emotional support

8.     Reflect and adapt

Chapter 17: Understanding your Brain animal code

Understanding your animal helps you make sense of how you navigate through the world and what the optimum situations are for you to thrive; and helps you understand better how you interact with others.

o   Agile Cheetah: quick thinking/adaptable/ strong instincts. Embraces challenges and comfortable with sudden change.

o   Wise Owl: strong analytical/attention to detail/ logical. Curious, deep dives and delves into manageable parts.

o   Creative Dolphin: innovative/out of the box thinking/intuition. Original ideas and fresh perspectives, and expands on existing frameworks.

o   Empathetic Elephant: EQ/strong connections/understanding. Provides support,

With your animal in mind:

o   Reflect on strengths and weaknesses – go where you are strong.

o   Set personal goals – that align with your brain type.

o   Seek resources and support – develop skills and knowledge.

o   Monitor your progress – regularly re-evaluate.

LJ: There’s a whole section here on how each brain type can read better, remember more and problem solve, which I found really valuable – I’m a Dolphin!

Chapter 18: Brain Nutrition

You will continue to limit your potential,  until you provide you brain and your body with what it needs to thrive. It needs a good mix of fruit, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains; plus exercise, sleep, and stress management.

Some key truths:

o   A healthy diet enhances mental performance and prevents cognitive decline.

o   Healthy fats (fish, walnuts, flax seeds) increase brain function and brain cell maintenance.

o   Quality of food is vital – a well-rounded diet with diverse whole food s is the best way to nourish your brain.

o   Avoid sugars (metabolic disturbance/inflammation/impaired function)

o   Diet:

o   Stay hydrated

o   Consume a colourful diet

o   Mind your gut health (pre and probiotics)

o   Practice mindful eating

Chapter 19: How Artificial Intelligence can enhance Human Intelligence

Knowledge (AI) and Reasoning (HI) are two different things. AI enhances HI through personalized learning (for your learning style), knowledge management (lessen information overload) and memory enhancement (retrieval practice).

AI amplifies active learning, focus, memory, study and accountability through its various tools.

*****

Jim Kwik ends this fabulous book with a wonderful quote:

“And remember, the life you live are the lessons you teach. Be limitless.”