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Book recommendation for increasing focus, motivation, and productivity while studying
karenkaren
Alum Member
I just finished reading Smarter Better Faster by Charles Duhigg and found it to be very useful for finding ways to increase focus, motivation, and productivity with my LSAT studying. It is also very readable since the gist of the book is structured around storytelling.
Full disclosure: My bachelors degree is in cognitive psychology and I love behavioral science, so I might have gotten carried away a bit with the length of this post, but I do believe that the using psychology to master the LSAT is necessary for doing well.
Here’s the stuff I found most useful for LSAT prep:
Ch.1 - Motivation:
Positive emotional reward linked to making decisions (gained through experience) AND belief in having control over our lives and surroundings AND linking mundane tasks (such as studying) to greater purpose or personal values, thus transforming them into a choice —> motivation to act
(Yes, those three conditions are sufficient for motivation, according to science.)
Motivation depends on emotionality.
Motivation is a skill that can be learned and honed, not a static personality trait.
Following a success, praise yourself for hard work, not your intelligence. (Focusing on static traits like intelligence shuts down motivation.)
Ch. 3 - Focus:
This chapter was most useful to me. The author talks about the concept of mental models (a story of what should happen in a future scenario) and how they can help combat cognitive tunneling (focusing one irrelevant or insufficient thing due to being overwhelmed by information) and reactive thinking (reacting to external stimuli randomly or as they arise instead of intentionally).
Mental modeling works in several ways. It helps us know what information to pay attention, because we already have a plan, so that we are better able to successfully complete a stressful/high-risk task. The author uses a story of a pilot successfully landing a totally wrecked plane and it was very relatable to trying to answer an LR question with a seemingly incomprehensible stimulus on a timed PT…
Mental modeling also provides us with a picture of what a situation should like, and when it doesn’t look that way, an alarm goes off in our head and we fix it, rather than proceeding with the bad strategy. To increase focus and avoid distraction or mistakes, the author hence recommends visualizing the anticipated task. For example, I have a hard time not getting distracted during LSAT studying by other tasks, and mental modeling allows me to set an intention and better catch myself when I deviate from what I intended to do, such as browsing the Discussion Forum instead of BR or forgetting to identify the premises and conclusions in an argument stimulus in LR.
Cognitive tunneling and mental shutdown (the flight or fight mentality that the CC talks about leading to inability to do higher order thinking) is exactly what happens to me when I get stuck while studying or a timed PTs, so it has been useful to try to transform material and strategies from the CC into mental models of what I should be doing instead of panicking. I think that the mental model idea works for individual small tasks, like answering specific question types on LR, as well as for whole sections, such as creating a mental model for active reading during RC (still a bit of a struggle for me). Another useful mental model might be for remaining calm, focused, and confident for the actual LSAT. You can practice mental modeling anytime - while commuting, cooking, showering… In relation to LSAT prep, it’s just another way of studying, but it can also be applied to any aspect of your life.
“Mental models help us by providing a scaffold for the torrent of information that constantly surrounds us. Models help us choose where to direct our attention, so we can make decisions, rather than just react.”
The concepts mentioned in the book definitely overlap with recommendations for studying and test taking form the CC, not that 7sage needs even more proof of being effective 
.
Ch. 4 - Goal Setting:
Pairing two types of goals:
1. “SMART” goals: realistic goals pursued by transforming vague goals into specific, reasonable, and measurable components (e.g. study plans tailored to target score)
2. “Stretch goals”: ambitious, seemingly out-of-reach goals that can spark innovation and productivity hugely (e.g. always striving for 180)
- be flexible and expansive, don’t stick to a goal our outcome just because it was the initial one (e.g. postpone test date) — always reflect on goals
- connect goals to greater ambition (e.g. why do you want to be an attorney?)
Ch. 6 - Decision Making:
Decision making is integral to the LSAT - choosing the right answer, choosing what to focus attention on, choosing when to skip questions…
ability to envision what will happen next (“forecasting”) probabilistically AND comfort with doubt (knowing what you don’t know) AND realistic assumptions —> good decision making
We have a success-bias, i.e. we tend to notice success more than failures, even though failures offer more insight on how to succeed, in other words, not fail. (focus on areas of struggle in LSAT prep instead of searching for ways to increase score)
Ch. 8 - Absorbing Data:
- data must be understood and then applied to be useful (e.g. actually formulate study plans out LSAT Analytics page on 7sage; active reading)
large amounts of data can best be absorbed by asking series of questions (e.g. while digesting a complex LR stimuli ask: what are the Ps and C? what is the strength of support? are there any assumptions?…)
hand-written notes are the most effective because the disfluency of hand-writing forces us to take more time to reformulate the information. I believe that everyone should take comprehensive notes by hand while doing the CC.
If any of this spoke to, do yourself a favor and read the relevant parts of the book, I’ve tried hard to summarize it accurately here but you will get much more from the book
What do y’all think? Has anyone else read this?
What mental models would you make for studying for the LSAT?
Comments
This is cool thanks for the summary.
I haven't read the book, but what you are saying makes sense.
I've also found meditation to be really key to getting better at my prep. I tend to get really nervous under timed conditions, and I tend to find letting go of any outcome can also be helpful (as is a bit different than the positive psychology approach).
I think both are useful. In meditation it's about letting go of everything, even your goals and aims for success (as well as your fears of failure). This allows a certain kind of focus that I think keeps you more in the present. Then after, connecting to those larger goals again I think can be really useful to keep your motivation up.
My 2 cents.
Good luck with studying!
I agree with this so much! Knowing how to do this while also studying or taking timed tests will allow us to use our mental resources exclusively for the task at hand and hence maximize our chances of doing well. Meditation has helped me get closer to this kind of mindfulness.
I recently started using Headspace for meditation, how do you meditate @"vanessa fisher" ? Good luck to you too
@karenkaren
Yes for sure! I find meditiation really helps with that focused attention that comes from letting go and trusting, rather than getting caught in that "pushing" quality that often comes from trying too hard. It makes a huge difference energetically.
I usually just do sitting meditiation and guided meditation. Joseph Goldstein is one of my favorites. He also does some great talks on emotion and thought and how to better work with them. This is one of my favorites:
He also has some great ones on working with fear. And then just simple guided meditations.
I also like Adyashanti.
I have a weird background in that I was actually born into an alternative spiritual community, so I was inundated with a lot of this stuff early
At this point in my life, my meditation practice is pretty simple, without the extra fluff that comes with most new age spirituality 
Basic sitting Zen-type breathing practice is the best for me, and has helped a lot
Here are some other great books to check out that have helped me immensely with the LSAT.
The One Thing, Gary Keller (my absolutely favorite book)
Introduction to Logic, Gensler
Thinking Fast and Slow, Kahneman
How We Learn, Carey
7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey
Flow, Mihaly
hey which parts of Intro to Logic would you recommend (Gensler) I bought that book to because David accounts payable bought it too lol. I got the 2nd edition there is now a 3rd edition. I opted for the 2nd edition because it was $30 used compared to $80 new.
Loved this! thanks for sharing. I will have to take that tip on meditation and letting go of the goal and focusing on the task at hand in order to complete. I get tremendous anxiety under timed conditions so that practice will be helpful to me I"m sure.
@"Alex Divine"
Thinking Fast and Slow is one of my favorite books
@tringo335
Totally feel you!
Working down the anxiety under timed conditions is half the LSAT battle imo
I PDF'd that MF'er cause I'm a gangsta like that. Trappin out da bandwidth. $80 bucks lmao.
I had used it in a college philosophy class, so I'd have to re-skim it and get back to you on what parts I'd recommend. Honestly, if you have the time read the whole thing. It's way, way more advanced than ANYTHING you'll need to understand on the LSAT, but it makes the logic on the LSAT seem so easy after you read it and understand it. It's also well written.
That said, there are definitely parts that are more useful so I'll get back to you on which chapters are best for specifically "LSAT logic."
Such a good book and definitely changed my thinking and perspective quite a bit. However, The One Thing by Gary Keller is the book that I have to say legitimately changed my life. And if you loved Thinking Fast and Slow, I'm sure you'll love it.
Malcolm Gladwell
-Outliers
-Blink: The Power of thinking
-The Tipping Point
-David and Goliath
Robert Greene
-Mastery
and this
but i think sleep is important so do that.
Man, I seriously dislike Malcolm Gladwell. Read all his books too. Thank god I got them on the $10 shelf at Barnes and Nobles
Love Eric Thomas though. my dream is actually to be a motivational speaker/coach
Loved the video. I take Eric Thomas for granted because he went to my school and I grew up hearing him speak when he first started. Sometimes I forget how great he is.
@"Alex Divine" i liked most of his work maybe cause he went to U of T
@tringo335
Im pretty sure though E.T. takes his main argument from Socrates, who said the same thing about seeking knowledge. Still, the speech is effective.
Agreed on E.T. -- He's the freakin' man!
Moonwalking with Einstein by Josh Foer gives you a good intro into memory techniques, it shouldn't change your current study plan but something interesting to think about and read. Anything that's by Michael Sandel, one of the more popular Harvard professors, is also recommended.
Heard good things about Foer, not familiar with "Moonwalking" but I'll trap out the bandwidth and see what I find.
thanks for sharing; that sounds really interesting. I will take a look.
A guy I went to school with wrote a book on heuristics which, for the first time, really made me think about how my brain works to trick me, lol. It's a really fun read, and I actually found it quite helpful. I employed a lot of study tactics based on observations of my own behavior that it exposed to me.
"You are not so Smart" by David Mcraney. Great intro to cognitive bias.
@"Cant Get Right"
That's so cool you went to school with him! I listen to YANSS podcast all the time
Right on, @"Color Me Grey" ! He lives in my town and I see him at the coffee shop a lot. Actually, he gave me my copies of "yanns" and "you are now less dumb." Next time I see him, I'll say hello for you!
Trapping out the bandwidth to check this out: "You are not so Smart" by David Mcraney. Great intro to cognitive bias. Just read a review and it looks pretty darn interesting.
Yeah, cognitive bias is fascinating. It's pretty weird and hard to understand (our brains don't want us to know about these things, lol) but I think David does as good a job as anyone of making it approachable. I think the fact that he's a writer with a fascination rather than a psychologist/neuroscientist trying to be a writer allows him to approach the topic in a way that is much more relatable and digestible.
Wow, thanks for all the recommendations, got lots to read now
I agree with @"Alex Divine" , Malcolm Gladwell seems more interested in finding unexpected relationships between phenomena and sensationalizing them than super rigorous research... but it's entertaining. That said... his Revisionist History pod was a fun listen.
Those 3 conditions you listed aren't sufficient only correlated. Psychology is not a rigorous science and is little more than correlation.
That seems so interesting to me. I've always been fascinated with how our brains work, especially on a subconscious level. Thanks again for the recommendation