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Here’s Why, How, And What You Should Doodle To Boost Your Memory And Creativity
Doodling And Creativity
A number of studies and extensive research point out that doodling, that is scribbling or drawing in a seemingly distracted manner, is actually great for information retention in the mind and fostering of creativity.
Doodling sets the mind up for greater, more expansive creativity and gets the neurons to fire. It frees up memory and increases the attention span.
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Key Ideas
The Science of Memory
- Encoding - the stage when the brain consciously acknowledges information based on our senses. When we attach meaning or factual knowledge to any of this sensory input, that'...
Lifestyle Changes That Can Improve Memory
- Get a good night's sleep or take a power nap after learning something new, to help retain and retrieve memories better. Sleep deprivation and acquisition of too much information will not help you save those memories.
- Get moving, to improve the flow of oxygen-rich blood in your brain and to trigger neuron growth and new connections in the brain - critical for memory.
- Improve your diet. Fats from food can build up the brain, resulting to poor blood flow.
Mnemonics
Any system or device designed to aid memory:
- patterns of letters or words (common mnemonics)
- ideas (memory palace)
- associations (chunking)
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Key Ideas
Creativity
While being creative isn't easy, nearly all great ideas follow a sim...
The 5 Step Creative Process
- Gather new material directly related to your task as well as learning general material by becoming fascinated with a wide range of concepts.
- Thoroughly work over the materials in your mind. Examine what you have learned by looking at the facts from different angles and experimenting with fitting various ideas together.
- Step away from the problem. Next, you put the problem completely out of your mind and go do something else that excites you and energizes you.
- Let your idea return to you. After you have stopped thinking about it, your idea will come back to you with a flash of insight and renewed energy.
- Shape and develop your idea based on feedback. For any idea to succeed, you must release it out into the world, submit it to criticism, and adapt it as needed.
Creativity is learned
Some people are primed to be more creative than others.
However, nearly every person is born with some level of creative skill and the majority of our creative thinking abilities are trainable.
Drawing doesn't have to be just an art
Drawing doesn't have to be just about making art. Drawing is rather “a tool for learning above all else." (D.B. Dowd)
The benefits of putting pen to paper
Drawing develops the capacity for close observation, introspection, patience, and humility.
Drawing is also an important problem-solving tool, because it helps you visualize ideas and concepts.
Get in the habit of drawing
- Sharing or even saving your doodles isn’t important. They also don't need to be finished.
- Draw what’s in front of you. Any object will do.
- If you’re stuck on finding a subject, follow a prompt ( e.g. Inktober’s “prompt list": words are meant to spark your imagination on each day of the month).
- Try sketching your meeting notes. Use as few words as possible.
- Start with something easy like drawing on a greeting card or drawing a small caricature of your face after your signature.