Mind Performance Hacks

Cheesy nonsense. So far pretty useless. Although it does provide info on what some memory champs have done. So far most of the "hacks" are more difficult than just remembering the information you are trying to retain. I'll revise when I finish the book but so far so bad. Pretty lame.

Mind Performance Hacks includes the usual fare of all memory books - various memory systems including the Major and Dominic Systems and variations of them. However, these authors go beyond the memory books by including many of the newer concepts in information processing such as mind mapping, dealing with cruft, ways of increasing creativity, capturing creative thoughts and using your creative self to resolve current issues. They also include some neat math tricks and techniques to quickly check the results of calculations for accuracy, estimate square roots, and other quick calculations. Unusual areas include better decision making and communications, bringing clarity to your life by working with emotional problems, and using meditation. And of course they include things to do to exercise your brain and keep it in tip top shape. Mind Performance Hacks: Tips and Tools for Overclocking Your Brain is highly recommended and was well beyond what I had expected from the title.

Mind Performance Hacks is much more than a "hack" book. I didn't expect to read all of it since you normally only read the "hacks" of particular importance to you at the moment. I did read the entire book though because it was so fascinating and helpful. The first chapter was somewhat of a disappointment since many of the memory hacks only fit with a natural ability for visual or musical talent, which I don't have. And 1 or 2 of the hacks were so complicated that you'd have to need to memorize a huge volume of material to make it worth while to work hard at the hack to get good enough to find it useful. This is certainly not the fault of the author since he was only letting you know about the hack. But I loved chapter 2 on information processing, especially the map your mind hack. I've done mind maps before but this book mind it more "how to" to really assimulate the information. It also had a hack for speedwords that looks very useful which I hope to implement soon. The Math chapter was also helpful if you need to develop more of a "feel" for numbers and get to an approximate answer quickly. The book has a nice format. Each hack starts with a brief overview. Then the In Action section explains the details. Then the How It Works section explains how your brain is using the hack. The In Real Life section gives an example of how the author used the hack. Finally, the hack ends with lots of external references to web sites and other books. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a non-technical understanding of how their brain works and how to get more out of it. If you are a creative person and need to get more out of your thoughts, this book is for you. If you are an analytical person and need to make better decisions or be more intuitive about numbers, this book is for you. If you are just curious on a few hacks to have better recall, this book is worth getting. I bet you end up reading the whole book, like I did!

Do you want to stretch your mind's capabilities and understand how to get the most out of that thing we call a brain? Ron Hale-Evans has written a good O'Reilly Hacks book titled Mind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain. Content: Memory; Information Processing; Creativity; Math; Decision Making; Communication; Clarity; Mental Fitness; Index In this book, you'll find 75 hacks/tips/tricks that you can use to take your memory, focus, and concentration to a new level. Some are complex and require some practice, like #5 - Use the Major System. This is a series of mnemonics that you can use to help remember large numbers of related and unrelated items. There are also alternatives to that system, such as the Dominic System (#6). Either way, you may find that something like this can help you dramatically improve your "remember-y". Other hacks are more in line of making changes in your lifestyle that will affect your cognitive abilities, such as #70 - Get a Good Night's Sleep and #71 - Navigate Around the Post-Lunch Dip. Simple steps you can take to avoid mental pitfalls. I particularly enjoyed #27 - Play Mind Music. I finally understand why I find that I can't listen to a podcast and program at the same time. Very good stuff... You won't adopt and use every one of these hacks, nor does the author intend you to do so. But you can think of this as a toolbox that you can use to improve your performance and understand things that often are unconsciously occurring to us on a regular basis. A very good read...

Tips and tools for overclocking your brain, for me, instantly brings to mind images of Dr. Frankinstein with a saw and a sharp knife. After the initial disappointment (?), the book highlights different techniques for improving memory, problem solving, mathematics and word skills. Some (most) of the tips aren't that original mnemonics and linking object to memorable visual images aren't new. Some of the math skills are the sort of thing most people pick up in grade school. Also, the problem solving methods outlined are rather crude. But; they are the kind of tips we may "know" but don't apply. Some (a few) of the tools / techniques were new to me and very valuable. OK; after such a critical start why give the book five stars? This book is unusual, it groups useful techniques and tools for creative thinking into one short guide. Although the techniques outlined may be simple they are highly effective. The writing style is informative without being patronizing. I read this book cover to cover in four sessions; it was as interesting to read as most fiction. The author references source material very well and provides references for further exploration of the topics covered. In answer to my original question, "who is this book for?", just about everyone should be able to take away something positive from this book. Good preparation for exams such as GMAT and SATs. Also, good tips for staying sharp into old age (have to wait and see whether they work or not).