Studying 101: Tips and Trick vol.1
“Learning is a skill.” I am sure you have heard this phrase more than once. Also, “we learn how to learn,” “lifelong learning,” etc. All these phrases don’t limit the idea of learning to a single process, which is usually associated with universities and schools. In our fast-changing world, it gained more meanings. You can learn during your work, to change a profession, or become a better professional. In many cases, we should learn new things as we should adapt to changes.
I have talked with our instructors Armen Tsirunyan, Levon Mkrtchian, and Rafayel Mkrtchyan and asked them to give some techniques and tips that help to make the process of learning more effective. To my surprise, they gave similar advice, which was based on their experience as individual learners and tutors.
- Give it time.
New information works in mysterious ways; you learn something; it appears that you didn’t quite understand it, feels that you absorbed it but not really. If you give it several months, you will wake up and realize that you know it well.
Our brain does background processing, so it’s good to give yourself time.
- When you read something, re-read it a month later, then several months later.
- When there are reading materials available for the course, do those readings at least twice or thrice.
2. Don’t overwork yourself
Know your optimal self. Please don’t get to the point when you are overwhelmed and want to quit it. Take your time. Just go at your pace. Sometimes it is better to go slow but get far then go fast and stop as fast.
- Set realistic goals and set the bar higher as you go.
- Don’t sacrifice your sleep or rest time.
3. Deep work
The basic idea is that if our brain learns something, it should be concentrated for a long time, as it gets more effective. Our brain needs some time to switch from one task to another. If we learn and make some tea and check our FB and then learn, then check slack and so on, then even if we learn for 3–4 hours a day, it will not be effective.
- Turn off everything, go someplace when nobody distracts.
- For 2–3 hours, it is you and your learning material.
At the end just check this recommended books on learning techniques:
Make It Stick! by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
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