Now that our online courses are out of the picture, what’s next?

We will now be focusing 100% of our energies on bringing you better and better tools to make you more and more productive.  With your feedback, the software will continue to evolve.  We hope to not only add new and improved tools, but to also make the system simpler and easier to use.  At every step of the way, we want to hear from you about how we’re doing so we can adapt and respond to your needs.

On that note:  if after the transition you are now missing something you used to love, please contact our friendly Customer Care Team.  We’re flexible and our aim is to make you happy.  We’re never perfect but we always listen and we always respond.

The first in a long line of new releases we plan to deliver over the next few months was built in response to our most popular request:  mobile support for iPhone, Android, and iPad.

Today we bring you the Wimiki Mobile.  (Available for Pro and Elite accounts.)

It is essentially precisely the same as Wimiki for Mac and Windows, but you get to carry it around with you on your phone.

• Unlimited “reminders” to help you keep up on your healthy habits.
• Unlimited customizable ”routines” to maximize your potential productivity.
• Your Daily Targets list on your phone.
• Your Dream Catcher on your phone.

Here’s one of the things it doesn’t bring to your phone:  Start My Day.  Unless of course you want to access it through your phone’s browser which you always can. Because Start My Day is evolving so quickly, it was not wise for us to include it in the context of a mobile app.  In the future we’ll be making all of our features easier and quicker to access on your phone’s browser.

What else is next?

• A massive collection of “little” convenience and power enhancements.
• A much better interface.
• New features you request.  (those with the highest votes are most likely to get attention)
• Something really really big.
• Much more …

As always, we’re looking forward to your feedback.

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Simpleology 101 through 203, the Living Space Turnaround Kit, the 7 Day Business Turnaround Kit, the User’s Guide to the Brain, and so on … we’re taking it all off the market.

Why?  Well, it’s complicated … but it’s time to evolve.   Here are the answers to a few questions you may have …

If I already have access to a course will I keep it?

Of course … in fact if you’re a current Simpleology Elite account holder, your account will be marked with a special “Legacy” status.   What does that mean?

1.  You’ll still be given access to all of the new features we’ll provide to Elite account holders in the future.

2.  You’ll still retain access to all of the courseware products you currently have.

If I sign up for Simpleology Elite before May 11th can I get Legacy status and keep all of the courses.

Yes.  Just make sure you start a free trial of Elite before the end of the day on May 11th … You’ll keep access to all of the courses as long as you keep your Elite account open.

What about people who establish Elite accounts after that date?

Courseware will not be available to them.

Will courseware ever come back?

I doubt it.  But if it does, it won’t be at least for another two years.  And it would be in a very very different form.

What new features will be offered to Elite members?

We’re not telling, but here’s one sneak peak:  Wimiki for iPhone, iPad, and Android will be released on May 14th.  There is much more, and some of it is game-changing.

OK, just to make sure … if I set up an Elite account before May 11th, I’ll keep all of the old Elite account features (including the courseware), plus all future Elite features as well?  Really?

Yep.  Really.

The courses have helped hundreds of thousands of people …  You have 3,774 testimonials on your Success Stories board alone …  Are you sure this is a good idea?

This is one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever had to make, but we’re highly confident it’s the right move.  Again, it’s complicated … but the short answer is:  it’s time for our next evolutionary step.  We’re so grateful for all of the customers who have supported us and helped to take us to this point.  And we’re looking forward to taking the next step with you.

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New Feature:  Total Control

The whole “simple vs. advanced” thing was confusing.  Now you get to see all of the modules up front (even the former “simple” module) and customize them as you see fit.

Don’t have people to delegate to today?  No problem.  Just leave that module out.  Don’t have items to schedule?  Same deal … Much faster now.

New Feature:  Buckets

In the old Start My Day, you’d classify items and then wonder “where did they go?”

Wonder no more.  Now at the bottom of the SMD page you can see several “buckets” that include all of the items you’ve classified in their proper places.

New Feature:  Tip of the Day

We’re improving Simpleology so fast that it’s a challenge keeping up …

Now, at the end of each Start My Day session, we’ll highlight a new feature so you can gradually master the system more and more each day.

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All three are awesome, but the third is by far my new favorite.   I can’t imagine myself surfing again without it.

(total viewing time: 4 minutes 45 seconds)

First, why Chrome?  Well, even though this may offend some with differing opinions, Chrome is just better.  It’s faster, leaner, more stable …  And as of last month it is now the most popular browser on the planet.  And I think for good reason.  So, we’re going to continue to improve the browser add-on for Chrome until we feel it’s as close to perfect as can be.  Then we’ll examine the marketplace and see if it’s worth continuing to improve the add-on for other browsers.

Meanwhile, if you don’t use Chrome:  make the switch!

OK, so what does the new add-on do?  Well, in addition to all of the earlier features, it now includes …

New Feature:  Browser Bodyguard

It’s back!  After mothballing the earlier version of this tool we created several years ago, it’s back even better than before.

The idea is simple:  if there are any sites you find particularly distracting, you identify them and Browser Bodyguard will politely redirect you to your Daily Targets when you try to reach the site.

We’ve packed in a number of features to make this feature totally customizable and convenient (like the ability to set up “profiles” to allow you to block some sites while you’re working and not when you’re supposed to be goofing off), but you get the idea.

So, if you enable this feature, goofing off on facebook or youtube is physically impossible.

New Feature:  Surf Disruptor

It’s just like the Browser Bodyguard except instead of blocking the site in its entirety, it just annoys you when you try to visit sites on your block list.

And of course both of these features are fully customizable and you can set up as many profiles as you like.

New Feature:  Focus Enforcer! (Pro account or higher required)

So, what if you’re on your browser doing real work?  You’re not goofing off on facebook …  You’re not checking out “just one more youtube video …”  You’re doing honest-to-goodness real work.  But then … one shiny link on the wrong page and … poof!  Before you know it you’ve killed three hours surfing and haven’t gotten a single bit of real work done.

Enter Focus Enforcer …  Now at the top of your browser you can always see your current Daily Target.

We’ll even have it blink every x minutes (you decide the interval) to remind you to stay on track.

OK, there you have it.  We expect an unconditional surrender from procrastination any day now.

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(total viewing time:  3 minutes 5 seconds)

So, how do you get it?

Step 1.  Login to Claim Your 2 Free Lessons

Everyone gets the first 2 lessons of the course free.

Step 2.  On the Next Page We Give You a Chance to Try the Whole Thing Out Free for a Month

After you log in you’ll see a page giving you a chance to try Simpleology Elite free for a full 30 days.  That includes the 7 Day Brain Power Rapid Turnaround Kit, the User’s Guide to the Brain (the perfect companion course), every other Simpleology course available (including 102, 103, 201, etc …), and all of the Elite software features.

You pay nothing today, and you can cancel any time.  (Our Customer Care team is staffed by some of the nicest and most conscientious people you’ll ever meet.)

Plus we’ve included a bonus that might cause you to do a double-take.   (I can guarantee, as much as one can guarantee such things, that you’ll want this bonus.  Claim the first 2 lessons free now and you’ll learn all about this on the next page.)

Step 3.  Follow the Checklist

As with every other course we produce, it includes a step-by-step checklist with easy-to-follow instructions, animated cartoon lessons, quizzes, print outs, and lots of other fun stuff to make the experience pleasurable.  Plus, as always, the structure of the course is based on the state of the art of learning psychology to ensure you master the material as quickly as possible so you can start seeing results almost immediately.

Warning:  while some of the results will be seen almost immediately, you’ll get the best out of this experience if you stick with the program . Consistency is the key to radical change in almost anything, and I can’t imagine a more worthy investment of your time than activities that genuinely boost your brain power.

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Yale neuroscientist Pasko Rakic long held that adult neurogenesis simply could not possibly occur in humans.  This “fixed brain” theory was a persistent belief in mainstream science for many years.   It wasn’t until confronted by the research of up-and-coming Princeton neuroscientist Elizabeth Gould in 1999 that he admitted the fixed brain theory was wrong.

… but so what?  What good does this knowledge do us if we can not have some control over the process?

Luckily Elizabeth Gould did not stop with her challenge to the “fixed brain theory.”  Her later research began to uncover conditions that will either stimulate, or inhibit, neurogenesis.   The two most prominent observations so far:

• Exposure to adverse stressors inhibits neurogenesis (unless accompanied by a rise in adrenaline … translation:  if you are under stress don’t sit back and take it passively or wallow in it – use it as a motivation to get up and do something about it).

• Exposure to challenging environments stimulates neurogenesis.

As with anything, there is certainly more nuance to be learned about these phenomena, but they are exciting nonetheless.  These two observations have been foundational to the many modern programs devised to rejuvenate the brains of Alzheimers, stroke, and geriatric patients around the world.

Just remember to take these two observations in tandem.  Yes, now we know that lowering stress is also good for your brain health.  But that doesn’t mean we should park ourselves on the beach, umbrella drink in tow, and “chillax” all day every day. Clearly there needs to be a cyclical balance of relaxation and challenge in our lives to function optimally (in both brain and body).

While the confirmation of neurogenesis is one of the most exciting discoveries for those interested in increasing human intelligence, it is but one of many different methods believed to increase intelligence.   When we release the course on Friday we’ll walk you through a 7 day process that introduces you to the most reliable of these methods, and we’ll also include two nice surprises … (stay tuned)

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“I’m pretty sure it is,” I said staring in awe.

Standing on the stage before us, next to a giant Tesla coil was one of my childhood heroes.  I’ve gone to Maker Faire every single year since I moved back to the States from New Zealand, but this year was special.  If I’d only seen this man speak it would have been worth the price of admission.  Who was he?  Only the inventor of an entertainment device that changed the world, that’s all.  He thinks that same device will now change the world again, but in a very different way.

In his talk he shared some very practical advice for doing what was once thought to be impossible:  increasing human intelligence.  I’ll share that same advice with you in a moment, but first a little backstory …

Have you seen the film Limitless?  If you’re a tech/science geek like me you probably have – maybe more than once.  The film tells the story of a down-and-out writer who discovers a pill that turns him into a genius.  Suddenly he’s making money hand over first, is a hit with the ladies, and is capable of physical feats of derring-do.

Great fantasy, but never possible in the real world, right?  Maybe not …

In this 3 part series I want share with you:

a.  A sampling of the growing body of evidence indicating that intelligence can in fact be increased.

b.  A few of the actual techniques researchers are using to increase their own intelligence and that of their test subjects.

c.  How to get a free lesson from a course the team has been putting together that packages the most powerful and reliable methods for increasing intelligence into a step-by-step plan.  (More about that in Part III of this series on Friday.) 

First, let’s examine some of the evidence.  Is it actually possible to increase one’s intelligence?

One way is to increase the number of brain cells.  Until 1998 this was thought to be an impossibility.   A landmark study at the Salk Institute, however, marked a paradigm shift in neuroscience.  For the first time evidence of new cellular growth in the adult human brain was observed.   Since then a virtual explosion of exploration into the possibilities of adult neurogenesis has occurred – sometimes in the oddest of places.

This brings us back to Maker Faire.  The speaker was Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari.   If you’re young let me help you out … You know that PS3 and XBox you spend so much time on?  It’s likely that none of those devices would have existed if not for Nolan Bushnell.   Atari was the company that launched the “console gaming” industry – an industry that now, as of 2007, grosses more than the film industry worldwide.

“Do you still play video games?” someone shouted out from the audience.

Nolan chuckled and said, “Avidly and incessantly.”

Everyone laughed, but what he said after that changed my worldview.

“No, no, you guys don’t understand.  Have you heard of neurogenesis?  It’s the spontaneous regeneration of adult human brain cells.  Playing video games actually stimulates the process.”

What?  Playing video games can actually increase one’s intelligence?  According to Bushnell it is so, but there are two caveats.

First, he says that the game must be challenging.  The brain, like other parts of the body, adapts and responds to stimulus.  If the demand you put on the brain increases, so does the potential output of the brain.  So, if you think you can increase your intelligence by playing the 4-letter challenge on hangman, you’re out of luck.  (Portal 2 was the game he was currently playing and let me tell you – if you want a challenge, you’re sure to find one there.  It’s an absolutely spellbinding game that will challenge even the smartest humans.)

Next, he said that the games must be new.  If you’ve been playing the same game for months, it’s unlikely that it will have a neurogenerative effect at all.  So, switch out your games frequently to ensure you’re constantly bombarding your brain with new, unfamiliar, stimulus.

Keep in mind that while this technique is still hotly-debated amongst neuroscientists, the logic of it does stand to reason.  We’ve known for years that new, unfamiliar stimulus will most certainly create new neuronal-connections, and that the relative interconnectedness of your brain likely correlates with IQ.  This point is not generally disputed, so clearly there is in fact some benefit from playing video games.  If Bushnell is right, however, and it not only generates new connections but also new brain cells … the effects could be far greater than we’ve imagined.

And while there is of course much lively debate about which techniques are most effective at boosting human intelligence (as there should be with any new field), there is more good news than bad.  Neurogenesis is but one of several ways widely known to increase human intelligence to which we’ll introduce you in the new course (coming Friday 23 March).

In Part II we’ll discuss yet another way to increase neurogenesis that won’t take nearly as much effort as playing a video game.

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B.S. fantasy math for my fellow science geeks:  (1,000)(length in seconds)(frames per second).  Since this video is 02:01 in length and published in 30 frames per second it is therefor worth precisely (1,000)(121)(30) 3,630,000 words.   Booya!

Anyway, enjoy this 2 minute video showing the new features …

(viewing time:  2 minutes 1 second)

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(viewing time:  1 minute 22 secconds)

Over the next few weeks we’ll be releasing a few new features that everyone has been begging for …

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Alright, that was bad even by my nerdy standards of humor.  There are, however, 5 super cool new time-saving productivity-blasting new things you can do with the Daily Targets tab.  Check it out … (and let me know what you think, of course)

(viewing time: 2 minutes 21 seconds)

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