How can I get myself to study better?

How far can good study habits get you as far as enhancing your brain?

• If you get good study habits, will that be good at making your brain better overall for everyday life, will your memory improve, will you analytical skills improve, will your comprehension about other things improve what does everyone think? My bad study habits for a test coming up: read the chapter once, read the powerpoints 2x before taking the test good study habits to shoot for: read the chapter 2x, take notes on the chapter, read the powerpoints and notes on the chapter every night before i go to bed.. But anyway my POINT IS, how far do good study habits get you? do they help your brain alot or do they just help you do good on a test??

• Answer:

  Habits of the mind lay down neural pathways in the brain. This can be good for habits that enhance your experience of Life and bad for those which oppose your overall situation. When good mental habits are supported by good behaviour habits they are reinforced. The circuit is complete so to speak. In time the neural pathways that were once barely noticable trails in the underbrush become sprawling highways. They become more efficient and capable of carrying more information. They become "second nature" where you really don't have to think about it at all. If you are careful to plan your method early and choose the best and most effiecient means that is compatible with your own idea of personality and way of being you have harmony. This is important because this highway is part of the overall system of passageways in your brain. Once you decide the best method that will be effective for any subject requiring only minor variations it may take a little work and practice to lay down the foundational track until it matures and becomes second nature. It takes more effort to unlearn things and so choose wisely knowing you can modify as you go. Look for strong fundementals. Obviously if the system works well for you it will influence the way you learn and that effects you overall growth in intellectual capacity and way of being. It will contribute to dicipline but utilize that during the construction process and once it becomes automatic don't focus on that so much. Dicipline can be a limiting double edged sword. Efficiency comes from good reading and research techniques so you don't waste time on unnecisary material and can focus your attention instead on what is important. Research good study techniques. Reading techiniques. Learn how your memory works and work with it. You are basically developing your brain in a way that efficiently utilizes it's power to zero in on what it important quickly and store it in a way that can be easily retrieved at will. How can this not help you in everyday experience?