I've read nearly 70 books in 2021 and I’m not saying this to brag but to motivate you to do the same.

Reading is an essential part of becoming more open-minded and growing your character. I like to think of books as all the lessons the author has gathered over his or her life up until that point and now we’re able to learn these lessons in a fraction of the time — and I want to make use of that.

And the best thing about it: there are written pieces about pretty much every topic you can think of.

That’s why I try not to limit myself by switching it up all the time so it doesn’t get repetitive or boring.

If you feel a little burnt out or if getting yourself to read seems more difficult after a while, try something new — try reading a biography or some novels. Personally, I like to mix it up with fantasy novels and thrillers to keep me motivated.

Whatever it is you’re reading, try to concentrate purely on the words written in front of you to become fully immersed in it; this is one of the most effective ways to learn whatever you’re reading about.

And if you’re not a bookworm and don’t know where to start, think of it like this: Establishing a habit of reading just ten pages per day can do the trick.

Ten pages aren’t much, right? But over the course of a year, these ten pages turn into 3650, or in other words, between 15 and 20 books in ONE year — that’s way above the average person!

Don’t worry, there are more ways to keep on learning. Watching guides online, reading blog posts and listening to podcasts are all great alternatives to reading books and they can be incredibly valuable.

You can even go further and start listening to podcasts on your daily commutes, in the gym or at times when you just want to relax and do nothing.

Podcasts I find tremendously helpful:

• Lex Fridman
• Huberman Lab
• Modern Wisdom
• The Tim Ferriss Show
• Hidden Brain
• Healthy Gamer GG
• The Joe Rogan Experience

Everybody needs breaks, let’s try to use them wisely.

There’s one more way of learning things — the one way that rules them all.

That’s learning by taking chances and making mistakes. Most of us are raised thinking that making mistakes and screwing up a little is bad but there’s nothing more valuable than actually experiencing what works and what doesn’t.

That’s why you hear so many people say that you should take risks while you’re young and actually embrace mistakes for they will offer you the biggest opportunity to grow.

Think of it like this: In school, you’re taught a lesson and after that you start learning everything to prepare for the test.

Once you’re in there it’s all about making the least possible amount of mistakes to get the best possible grades.

Life doesn’t work that way. In fact, life works the other way around. In life, you don’t get to prepare for a test.

Instead, you are tested all the time and you end up making mistakes — mistakes that will teach you every important lesson you’ll ever need to learn.

That’s why it’s so important to be mindful of making mistakes and taking note of what happened so you don’t end up making the same mistake over and over again.

Even better than learning from your own mistakes is learning from other people’s mistakes because that way you can overcome a lot of obstacles and save some time by not having to go through it all yourself.

How To Help Your Brain Remember Things More Easily

Memory is the pattern of neural activity that represents the sights, sounds, smells, feelings, information, and language you experienced when you learned something and is reactivated as a neural circuit in your brain.

It has been proven that the release of adrenaline (epinephrine) improves the memorization of information.

The same goes for dopamine. Ever wondered why you can remember the lyrics of a song you listened to 10 years ago on repeat? Dopamine is one of the factors.

And then there’s acetylcholine: a type of chemical messenger or neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the central and peripheral nervous system.

It is important for muscle control, autonomic body functions, as well as learning, memory and attention.

It also depends on the amount of the hormone and when you release it.

You can boost it either by the material itself (emotional, knowledge) or by cold showers, sports or an event AFTER learning.

Neuro Scientist Andrew Huberman recommends listening to 40hz beats, white noise, or brown noise to also help you focus, before or during work.