In the planning phase, you create time to learn and consider factors that may influence how well you learn, such as state of mind, diet, and environment.

In his discussion of the committing phase, Hayden goes into the three kinds of memory: visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic. "The best learning takes place using all three memories," writes Hayden. This segues into talk of the seven intelligences: linguistic intelligence, logical intelligence, visual space intelligence, musical intelligence, bodily kinaesthetic intelligence, and interpersonal intelligence.

In the reflecting phase, Hayden recommends testing yourself. This includes putting what you learned into practice. For example, if you learned how to swim, jump in the water and prove it. It's then important to ask yourself what you can do next time to improve your learning. If, in the above example, you need the lifeguard to fish you out of the pool, you might want to think about changing your methodology. Finally, if you succeed, Hayden says you should reward yourself for a job well done.

Tricks of the trade
The third section covers memory tricks. This includes mnemonic devices, a generic term for any memory aid. He includes some examples of methods people use to remember sequences of numbers, dates, lists, etc.

Hayden then goes into methods for overcoming memory blocks, such as using positive affirmations and visualization to reinforce success and avoiding distractions, such as noise and comfortable armchairs.

Conclusion
I've only touched on the very surface of all this enlightening ebook offers. Before you or your employees hit the books in your next e-learning experience, it couldn't hurt to brush up on your learning techniques by giving Paul Hayden's "The Learner's Pocketbook" a read.

Kevin J. Kelly is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of nHand Solutions, Inc., at http://www.nhandsolutions.com.