4 Chunking and avoiding illusions of

competence

Basic Steps to Forming a Chunk

• The first step in chunking, then, is to simply focus your attention on the information you want to chunk
• The second step in chunking is to understand the basic idea you are trying to chunk
• The Third stop in chunking is gaining context so you see not just how but also when to use this chunk.

Understanding the Illusions of Competence

• You must have information persisting in your memory if you are to master the material well enough to do well on tests and think creatively with it.

Recall Material While Outside Your Usual Place of Study: The Value of Walking

• practice helps build strong neural patterns that are conceptual chunks of understanding
• chunks are best built with:
  • Focused Attention
  • understanding of the basic idea
  • practice to help you gain big-picture context
• trying to remember the key points without looking at the page is one of the best ways to help the chunking process

teaching or retelling what you are learning about not only helps fuel or share your own enthusiasm but also clarifies and cements the ideas in your mind.

5 preventing procrastination

Procrastination and Discomfort

• we procrastinate about things that make us feel uncomfortable
• the better you get at something, the more you’ll find you enjoy it

How the Brain procrastinates

• we procrastinate about things that makes us feel uncomfortable. But what makes us feel good temporarily isn’t necessarily good for us in the long run.

6 Digging Deeper to Understand the Habit of

Procrastination

• if you protect your routine, eventually will protect you