Every morning, around 6:30am (ET) Seth Godin’s blog post pops into my inbox. (Thank you RSS!)
His posts go well with a side of fried eggs over spinach and coffee.
His posts are usually short, often fun and always insightful.
One morning, there was no post from Seth. Disappointed, I doubled checked bulk, trash (in case I auto-deleted it unintentionally). Nope, no Seth. Then I began to worry about him…what happened? It was so un-Seth-like to miss a post…it’s like having coffee with a friend every morning. So, I checked his blog. Yep, there it was! Relief! So, I don’t know what happened to the auto-send of the RSS feed that’s usually reliable, but I’m relieved to see that one thing I can count on is still there. Thanks, Seth.
So, this brings to mind something for us bloggers to consider: How would it feel if your readers depended on your blog posts? (I think it’d be pretty awesome!)
What’s Facebook?: Facebook is an example of a social status site. Most people (if not everyone) has heard about it, (and if you haven’t then thats okay, that’s why I’m writing this). This site allows you to create a profile (very simple). Then, you can connect with, friends, family and others. This lets you know what your friends and family members are up to, AND it also keeps your family and friends know what YOU are up to!
Can you use Facebook for business?: Of course! If you don’t want t use Facebook for personal use (or if you ALSO want to use it for business) you can create a WHOLE SEPARATE ACCOUNT! You can put your business name, logo and create was Facebook calls a “Page” (usually your customers or clients) and “Like” the “Page”. This means, that if they press the “Like” button, they will receive notices on their Facebook profile so they know what your business is up too, or products that you will be selling, or promotions you want to “Post” about.
What’s a “Post”?: On Facebook, a “Post” is a brief sentience, (or extremely tiny paragraph) on what you are up to, what you did, what you are going to do, or ANYTHING else that happens to pop into your mind (I like to post quotes that I like on my profile). If you have a business “Page” then you can “Post” about what your business is doing.…OH and I almost forgot!!!
Have you been on a vacation recently? Where you out with friends of family? Did you happen to bring a camera?……Because if you did, then you can post your photos or videos on Facebook!…And if you didn’t, then I’m sure one of your friends did, so go check out their profile and comment on their pictures (or just look at them)
What one thing—more than any other—negatively impacts learning and growth every single day for millions of people?! And, what one thing are most people doing far too much of every day? If you guessed “sitting”, you’d be right. Students spend hour upon hour, day upon day, year upon year, during the phase of life where—by nature’s design—they should be moving most. Then most of those students end up in continuing education and then in jobs for more of the same.
According to Brain Rules, our brains are meant to do four things, (1) solve problems, (2) related to surviving, (3) in an unstable environment, and (4) to do so in near constant motion. So if our brains are at our best during, or after an exercise or activity, then why do we find ourselves sitting eight to nine hours a day at an office or school?
What if we took tests at school on a stationary bike, set up with a desk? Or, if business meetings had treadmills set up in a circle, so that everyone could see each other? Might that make for better test scores, a more lively work environment, and a healthier population? Wouldn’t that make more sense than medicating 25% of our student population, when they are trying to do what they are designed to do? We were made to MOVE.
“I did my math homework, while IM-ing two friends, and texting, while also trying to finish an essay,” Most of us do this at some point. We think that we can multitask………the question is, can we?You can walk and talk at the same time, and I am assuming you are breathing while reading this, correct? Isn’t that multitasking? Yes, it is. What I’m talking about though is, the ability to pay full attention to two mental tasks at the same time. Such as, homework, and texting. Here’s an analogy:
Pretend you’re pedaling on a bicycle, enjoying the beautiful day of fresh air and sunshine. Are you seeing that picture? Great! Now pretend a pesky squirrel stops in it’s tracks in surprise, causing you to slam on the brakes. And imagine this happens when powering up a hill. What happens to your momentum? Getting started is a lot harder then keeping it going, right?
You suddenly have to slam on the breaks, right? That is what our brain does when we are “multitasking.” When you get a text message while in the middle of your math homework, your brain has to “slam on it’s brakes” thus causing your flow of thought to break, and your concentration to shatter!
So, before reading this did you think you could multitask? Has your perspective changed any? Well, if you’re not convinced, reconsider, because studies show that multitasking is a myth when it come to FOUCUS!
* For more information, read pages 84-85 of Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina.
At some point, everybody does this. Weather you’re to hungry, or just in a hurry. It’s considered bad manners, and has a side effect that bites back!
……AND NO……I’m not just trying to hark on people with bad manners!
One afternoon I went to the gym and had a great lower body and core workout. Afterwords my body and I felt great, but also really hungry. You wouldn’t believe what I did! I ordered a large veggie pizza……AND devoured the whole thing! It was a huge mistake, and when I was done eating it I felt terrible, not to mention that all those calories I burned were put right back on, including a few extra! So much for that awesome workout, right?!?
When I woke up the next morning, I felt sluggish, tired, and not so good. I wonder what was going on inside my stomach with that doughy, cheesy mass of fat? I’m sure my body was wondering why, after treating myself to a good workout, was I torturing it with way to much food? I did get two great tips, from my loving mom, that I would highly recommend!
Eat one or two boiled eggs, or a few bites of something light (and healthy, preferably with protein), so your not ravenous.
Or, while your eating, chew slowly, and don’t scarf your food down, or that will cause some painful side effect, including a stomach ache!
If your follow those two rules, you might prevent what I went through, and you will save your self the pain of eating too fast!
I have noticed the food industry has made it easier and easier for us to get fat! We can drive up to a window and order the cheese burger and side of fries and soda, or we can call and have a pizza delivered to our door, and now some places you can order online! Once you have consumed those carbs, have you noticed how long it takes to work it off?
Do you ever feel good after you’ve eaten all the junk? I know it tastes great while I’m eating it, but after my body is telling me what a mistake I made! So, in the long run, is fast food really convenient?
Surprisingly, our bodies know whats good for us, and yes the fries, pizza, and burgers might seem delicious while we’re eating them. If we really knew what was happening inside our bodies when we consumed that stuff though, I have a felling we would hesitate the next time we get Super Size Grease Burger with the side of Mega Fat Fries and Jumbo Carb Soda.
According to Brain Rules, “Sleep occupies a walloping one-third of our time on the planet, it is incredible to contemplate that we still don’t know why we need to sleep.” (Chapter 7 on Sleep). Have you ever wondered what happens in your brain while you’re sleeping?
Brain Rules tells us, that when we are asleep, are brains are hard at work!
What?! Hmmm… wonder if that means we can actually learn and grow smarter while we’re sleeping, and the only real resting period for the brain is during non-REM sleep. (REM stands for Rapid Eye Motion)
So what are our brains DOING during all that electrical neuron storm? Apparently processing our day and life lessons! I don’t know about you, but I love the idea that my brain is working and learning and processing lessons while I am sleeping!
Here’s and analogy: It’s like our body is like an iPod, and our beds are like our charging docks. You get that right away, right? We know we have to recharge our devices after long periods of use. Same thing with our bodies, and the bed-charging dock is also our sync-and-download period!
(To read more on about what happens to your brain while asleep, read chapter 7 of Brain Rules).
Need a fun, creative lesson plan on how the brain works?
Have no time to make one yourself?
Have fun teaching the lesson without the hard work………We did it for you!
STUDENTS!
Want to learn something interesting and FUN?
Impress your friends and parents with your knowledge!
Increase your intelligence and boost your brain power!
Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina, elaborates on 12 rules on how our brains work. Each chapter covers a rule, and it explains how our brain does and doesn’t function, and what we can do to make it work better. Have you ever wondered if exercise helps your brain develop? How about if the amount of time we sleep affects the way we learn? Or maybe, if male and female brains are different? Well,Dr. Medina answers those questions and many others, in an engaging and easy to understand way.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Brain Rules, and I bet you will too!
Buy Brain Rules from us, and get the WHOLE study guide for FREE! This study guide is a great resource for home-schoolers, and classrooms. Happy learning!
Ever since World War I, we have been springing our clocks forward and falling back according to the Sun’s position in the sky. But, my question: “Is Daylight Savings a necessary annoyance?”
Lets look at why it was first started. Back in WW I, the government decided that we needed to adjust the time so that we’d be on the same schedule as the sun. Hummm…….What does time, the sun, and our bodies have to do with each other? The way I see it, if it’s 3:00am, it’s that time weather the suns up or not, is that not logical?
I understand, part of this was also because before electricity was used, we were up with the sun, and then back to bed when it was gone. This is partly an understandable explanation, but I’m still scratching my head, trying to figure out where time fits into this equation?!?……Any ideas……Anyone?
One way to look at time, is it’s a way of measuring the amount of productivity accomplished during the minute, hour, day, week, month etc. Another reason we use time, is because, it’s a way to stay on track. I know if I didn’t have a clock, and didn’t know what time it was, it would get confusing! So, time IS of the essence……and quite valuable I might add!……Am I on the right track so far…?
Now that we know what time is used for, what in the world does it have to do with the sun?!? In this day and age, wether the sun risen or set, we have the means to be productive at every hour! So, what’s the point of daylight savings? Why change the clock because of the sun’s position? What do you think? Is it important to spring our clocks forward? or am I just out of whack due to my sleep pattern disruption?
I’m what Malcolm Gladwell would call an “Outlier.”
Words that describe me: outgoing, bright, interested, inquiring, happy, joyful, thankful, aspiring author, writer, blogger, online marketer, social media maven, helpful, kind, compassionate, learner, avid reader, photographer, word lover, life lover, autodidactic, funny in a somewhat sarcastic, spontaneous and dry humor’ish way, ambitious.
Words that do NOT describe me: dull, boring, anti-social, uninterested, a flake.
Basically I love life, people and learning new things. I have no patience for people who are ungrateful. I have complete respect for folks who have dealt with the cards they were given and still managed to create a wonderful life for themselves. I look up to people who do their best even when life tires to throw them down…. And one day I want people to say to me “Because of you, I didn’t give up.”
