Thank God for amazing podcasts. For a person who is always on the go, podcasts have easily become my lifesavers. I daydream about the day I meet these amazing people to thank them for their wisdom, honesty, and time.

On a long commute last week, I came across an interesting episode from the Ed Mylett Show. I was so moved by this episode, I actually felt something inside me spark. My desire to continue growing reached a new level by the end of it.

This podcast episode really hit home that I took the time to watch it on YouTube and take notes; I’ll link it here. During this episode, Ed Mylett interviews Jim Kwik, an expert in speed-reading, memory improvement, and optimal brain performance. He has worked with high-profile people and top organizations to teach mental hacks in order to improve mental performance. Jim covered everything from the myth of multi-tasking to the importance of self-talk. He shared his formula to remembering names, tips on speed reading, and the importance of emotion being tied to motivation. By the end of the show, I had three things to work on over the next 30 days! More on these action items below.

One of the things I’ve ingrained in my brain is to turn knowledge into action. All of the material I read is to put into practice the principles I takeaway. That being said, Jim covered three important questions to challenge myself with the next time I am ingesting new information. The questions are:

1. How am I going to apply this new information?
2. Why should I apply this new information?
3. When am I going to apply this new information?

I strongly believe these questions will lead me into the right path when choosing what to absorb for my benefit of learning. Certainly, I cannot be the only one who feels the need to learn it all. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information, it can seem difficult to keep up. To make up for this feeling, I binge-watch, read, or listen to the latest news or update only to end up feeling mentally exhausted. Not to mention, this approach ends up making me feel overloaded, and as a result, my concentration is low.

So, for the next 30 days, I am focusing on the below action items I took away after listening to Conquer Your Mind with Jim Kwik:

• Stop checking iPhone notifications during the first and last 30 minutes of my day
• Take notes using keywords instead word for word sentences
• Learn how to reduce subvocalization in order to read faster

Below is screenshot of the actual episode for your reference in case you decide to tune in.

I am excited to begin listening to Jim’s podcast as well. Last week, I had the pleasure of learning about your favorite podcasts and I am excited to eventually tap into those too. The important thing is to decide what’s important in your life right now, sharpen in that area until you’ve mastered it, and then move on to the next thing. It would be impossible to do it all without eventually feeling like you’ve failed.

The last thing I’ll leave you is Jim’s final words, “You have to fall in love again with the person in the mirror who has been through so much but is still standing.” It was a beautiful ending to the episode. Highly recommend listening to it if you are interested in mental hacks and the above.