Steven Bartlett - Jim Kwik

1) Jim shares about his personal experiences, including his struggles with memory issues and how he overcame them. He believes that belief systems are important in shaping the way our brain functions, and that we need to fight the limitations we impose on ourselves. He also talks about how a label given to him in grade school affected his identity and how he limited himself because of it. Jim started his journey towards quicker learning in 2001 and has since worked with clients such as Google, Virgin, and Nike. He believes the core reason for their coming to him is to benefit from the power of learning and memory.

2) Jim explains that people often come to him to improve their ability to learn and translate that learning into action, which he believes is an incredible competitive advantage in a world that is filled with distraction, overload, and technology-induced anxiety. He stresses that our cognitive performance often dips after graduation and retirement and keeps us from learning new things; longitudinal studies have shown that people who continue to be lifelong learners, keep their minds active, and learn new things every day add years to their lives and life to their years.

3) Jim talks about brain exercises that can be done to increase communication between the left and right brain, what it means to be left-brained or right-brained, and different types of intelligences. Jim also introduces a new cognitive type assessment called CODE, which has four buckets of cognitive types represented by animals: cheetah (intuitives), owl (logical thinkers), dolphin (creative visionaries), and elephant (empathetic collaborators). He encourages viewers to take the assessment and understand themselves better.

4) Jim discusses the use of different colored thinking hats as a tool for decision-making. The black hat focuses on potential problems and downsides while the yellow hat represents optimism and potential upsides. The green hat represents possibilities and thinking outside of the box while the blue hat listens to all the other hats and helps inform the decision-making process. This exercise can be used as a team-building activity or for personal decision-making. By considering all perspectives and shining a light on all the information, it allows for a more informed and wise decision.

5) Jim talks about the concept of the RAS or "Reticular Activating System". This part of the nervous system helps us determine what is important to us and what we need to focus on. A part of this is determined by the dominant question that people ask themselves throughout the day. For example, the speaker talks about a friend whose dominant question is "how do I get people to like me?" and how this affects her personality and behavior. On the other hand, the speaker shares his dominant question and how it shifted from "how do I be invisible?" to "how do I make this better?"

6) Jim discusses the importance of asking yourself questions in order to gain a better understanding of your potential and how you can apply what you learn. He encourages listeners to spend an equal amount of time putting into practice what they learn from podcasts, books or videos, and challenges them to ask themselves three dominant questions: how can I use this, why must I use this, and when will I use this. He emphasizes that our productivity and performance are enhanced when we schedule time to execute what we learn.

7) Jim shares the Fryman technique and how it can help with neuroplasticity and learning. He explains that repetition leads to rote learning, where one will only remember the information through repeating it multiple times, but it is not efficient in today's fast-paced world where the amount of information is doubling at dizzying speed. Instead, he offers a three-ingredient method, P-I-E, that can improve one's memory. P stands for place, I for imagine, and E for entwine. The three things work together to help one store and retrieve large amounts of information efficiently.

8) Jim discusses the first two of his ten key ways to upgrade the brain. The first step is to focus on having a good brain diet that includes foods like avocados, blueberries, broccoli, olive oil, eggs, and green leafy vegetables. On the other hand, he mentions certain foods, like processed foods, high sugar foods, and sugary drinks, that are not good for the brain. The second step is to kill ANTs - automatic negative thoughts that can have a detrimental impact on the brain. He advises listeners to replace negative thoughts with positive ones, even if they don't believe it yet.

9) Jim emphasizes the importance of exercise and movement in promoting brain health. Studies show that when people listen to podcasts while engaging in rhythmic activities like walking or elliptical training, they retain the information better. Moving the body creates brain-derived neurotropic factors that promote neuroplasticity, similar to fertilizer for the brain. The coach also highlights the importance of getting key brain nutrients like vitamin D, Omega-3, vitamin C, and vitamin B. Getting these nutrients from whole foods is preferred, but supplements can work too. The coach also advises people to create a morning routine that incorporates the four elements of nature- air, water, earth, and fire. Good sleep is also critical for optimal brain performance, and people can improve the quality of their sleep by avoiding screens and establishing sleep hygiene habits.

10) Jim discusses the importance of reading for success and how reading can be turned into a skill like any other. He mentions that traditional speed reading techniques are often inadequate as they prioritize skimming over retention. Instead, he suggests using a visual Pacer, such as a finger or pen, to maintain focus and increase reading speed. He also recommends that individuals time themselves, both without and with the visual Pacer, to measure their progress and build their skills.

11) Jim suggests using a visual Pacer to enhance reading speed by following the movement of fingers as they move across the page. Fixations, or the number of stops being made while reading, can be reduced by utilizing peripheral vision to capture multiple words rather than just one. The key to comprehension is asking more questions and sub-vocalization is one of the obstacles to effective reading. Reducing sub-vocalization training can facilitate individuals to read faster.

12) Jim discusses the power of words and how they affect people's lives. They advise people to turn nouns into verbs and focus on the process rather than the lack of something. They emphasize the importance of understanding the flow state, which happens when competence and challenge are both present without being overwhelming. They suggest that people need to engage in focused work, eliminate distractions, and create an environment that encourages engagement. Lastly, he discusses the importance of education and emphasizes the power of meta-learning.

13) Jim explains the three M's of mindset, motivation, and S3 (Purpose) that are essential for never forgetting anything again. He defines mindset as the set of assumptions and attitudes that one has about something, which can limit the borders and boundaries of what is possible. Motivation is all about three factors, P times E times S3, purpose, emotional energy, and physiological energy. Finally, S3 refers to having a limitless purpose, a clear goal of why one does things, doing the right things for the right reasons, and having unlimited energy. By mastering these three M's, one can achieve anything they desire.

14) Jim emphasizes the importance of breaking down big goals into small steps, as it is often the confusion and overwhelm that stalls us. He suggests asking oneself “what is the tiniest action I could take right now?”, which will give progress towards the goal or where one cannot fail. He mentions how little by little, a little becomes a lot, and how one has to control the controllables, which are their mindset, motivation, and methods. Upgrading these means upgrading oneself to meet bold audacious goals rather than downgrading dreams to meet current situations.