Reddit reviews Your memory: How it works and how to improve it (A Spectrum book)

Wow that a pretty expensive book right there

btw, I was looking for an AMA on Memory improvement and speed reading, anyone knows if it has been done before, or is someone willing to?

This is all parrotted self-help advice.

> Floss daily, don't smoke, get 30 minutes of exercise a day, learn to cook. Remember that doritos and beer are not breakfast foods.

WaterPik is awesome floss.

Smoking? Smoking costs too much fucking money.

I've had pizza and beer for breakfast. I've since learned that eating less bread, more meat is healthier, and so I shouldn't constantly imbibe pizza.

> Make a budget and learn to live within your means.

Estimate income, costs, and risks. Seek out ways to minimize costs, such as learning to cook. Don't buy the big $250,000 house out in the rich-folk area when you can buy a $50,000 house in the stable ghetto and bicycle or ride a $4,000 motorcycle out there.

Suddenly: $500/mo expenses, own a house, paid off mortgage in 3 years on $50k/year salary.

> Use credit cards judiciously. If you don't have the cash to buy it, then don't buy it.

Risk decision. If it will help you improve your financial position, or will diminish a visible and readily-estimated financial risk (i.e. bring an opportunity much closer, push a threat much further away), go ahead and charge it. Make up the difference by cutting back next month.

> Start an emergency fund and save $1k then $5k then $10k.

The number is flexible. $1k if your risks are low; $50k if you're well out of debt or your risks are high. My credit cards suffice as my emergency fund, plus a modest cash holding to manage debt in extreme emergencies.

> Save at least 20% of your wages in a Roth IRA because at your age you probably aren't getting shit for social security.

Stupidity. Pay your debts first, because they're costing you more than this. Once they're paid, divert the debt money to your other accounts: inflate your emergency fund from its modest $1k or $5k to 6 months of payments (with that car and mortgage and your credit card debt issuse cleared, you suddenly have $2000/mo of free money! Well, you're gonna put $12k away!), then target your tax-advantaged retirement accounts.

Your spending in late life will be lower than your income now, thus a tax-advantaged account will save you money. If you make $20k/year now and you're saving for a life where you withdraw $50k/year from your 401(k), put that shit in a post-tax account and pay your low tax bracket rate on it now.

> EDUCATION: Do not go to college until you have some idea of what degree you want. It's a really flipping expense way to figure it out. Don't get saddled with a mountain of student loan debt to finance four years at Party U.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner.

Also teach yourself everything. Learn to learn. If you have an interest, dig into the books. Build your hobbies. Self-study your way to certifications; don't look for a pre-packaged collegiate solution and a degree.

I'm studying project management. I bought a $200 educational package from RMCProject for the CAPM; the PMBOK5e for $50; and $1000 of classroom education so I can have the 23 hours of formal education required to sit for the $300 CAPM exam. I didn't pick an $1800 CAPM exam prep course to get the 23 hours; I picked courses that cover topics I'm weak on or interested in, because I can study for the exam in general myself. More efficient.

> LIFE: Do something every day that makes you happy. Covet experiences instead of things. Travel abroad. Learn a new language. Volunteer for a cause you believe in. Be a part of something bigger than yourself. Don't let failure derail you.

Self-help stuff.

Make mistakes. Fail, but don't fail too hard. Don't have unprotected sex, get HIV, and get stuck paying for a kid some drunk coke slut has custody of due to somehow branding you as a pedophile with an imaginative narrative based nowhere in reality. Fuck up buying new cars, and realize you wasted $10,000 swapping around for shit you didn't need, or bought a lemon off Craigslist for $2000 when it's worth like $50.

Don't do it on purpose. Make your best effort. Take the risk if you're inadequate to the task, but only if the risk isn't unfathomable. Then lick your wounds.

There is nothing anyone can say to tell you what to do with your life. Travel abroad? That would be the biggest mistake for me. Learn a new language? I want to; but it's a huge waste of time if you're doing it because it's something you should do.

You'll know what to do, eventually. You'll even make mistakes, and later realize they were the right thing to do at the time, and that you'd do them again, even though they were detrimental--because the life experience provides you with all the good decisions you've made since.

It honestly doesn't matter.