The M in M:O:A:T stand for memory.
I am not a great reader of classics . .
I mostly read factual texts the business pages ,investment books , education psychology and when I have too books on computing and coding . If I am not internalizing actionable information , learning or refining some new skills then I tend to feel I am wasting my time these days .
A few years ago aware that my education is not as rounded as it should be I I set some time aside to read the Dickens classic A Tale Of Two Cities I struggled with that book ,I picked it up and put it down so many times . I had other things to do, but I am firm believer in making up your own mind .
The problem was it was just so slow , so dull . On about the 5th attempt , 100 or so pages in [it seemed like a 1000] things changed . Where London had been painted in shades of grey . Paris during the revolution was vividly painted . The second half of the book was fast paced , chaotic , unstable and it flew by , revolutions are many things but they are never boring
Reflecting back it occurs to me that ‘ a tale of two cities ‘ is a excellent metaphor for how smart drugs and smart approaches seek to solve the problem of ATTENTION .
Reading that book left a lasting synesthetic imprint . If you not familiar with Synesthesia it is a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another. When hearing a sound produces the visualization of a color for instance .
Smart drugs are like blinkers , you have a job to do and smart drugs help you to knuckle down and do it .
Smart approaches work by showing you how to alter content into something the brain finds more stimulating .Smart approaches direct focus . No matter how dull you find the the subject matter, the process of learning should always be engaging and challenging .
Obviously Words are cheap for proof of concept you need to subscribe to our course on working memory where you can download the WAIS Digit Span [ the gold standard for measuring working memory ].
If you can learn to master one simple basic transferable technique . If you can beat this test . Score in the top percentile then you on your way to mastering focus attention and memory .