How to Learn!
The compressed edition.
Hello Dear Reader,
Like many of you who are reading this right now, I have been searching for ways to improve myself, and one of the most obvious ways is how to learn more skills than I already know. Many people talk about skills to have in this day and age, and one of the top skills for this decade appears to be flexibility/adaptability or, in other words, “how to learn more.”
Learn like an expert:
experts practice a lot
1: identify your weaknesses
2: train to reduce your weakness
it takes time and can be a frustrating experience.
Spend the time to DELIBERATELY LEARN the areas that you are weak on.
Identify your learning weaknesses: R.E.C.
- REMEMBER
What are the main concepts/ideas/facts that I just learned?
This act of recall helps your memory get stronger. - EXPLAIN
Can you explain those concepts in your own words?
Write this down in a journal, document, or post it the more simplistic, the better. - CONNECT
Can you relate those concepts to things you already know? Compare and contrast with similar concepts you already know: how are they similar or different. This adds meaning to what you’ve learned based on things you already understand.
If you CANNOT answer all 3 questions, then you need to review your lesson.
Work on those weaknesses
- Put what you just learned into action.
Try to write code similar to what you just learned, or build something new based on the concepts you’re trying to grasp. Check out our Library of Practice material to see if there’s a practice session that matches what you’re trying to master. - Re-watch or redo with purpose.
Think about the three questions under the Identify your learning weaknesses section above as you re-watch the material. Be deliberate in trying to answer those questions — even stop the video from taking some notes. - Supplement what you learned with another source.
Use links to resources in the teacher’s notes,
reference sites for the language you’re learning or
just Google to find out more.
Sometimes it just takes a slightly different explanation to understand a challenging concept. The more research, the better. - Look for a friend, teacher or seek out a community on social media for help.
- Don’t give up!
The best learning isn’t easy — the more you work at it,
the better and more deeply you learn.
Resources:
The New Science of Expertise: Anders Ericsson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1feChwxfzoY
Focus your mind, Improve your learning:
Our brains have 2 modes:
Focus mode and Diffuse mode:
Focus mode means that you are concentrating on what you are trying to learn.
Diffuse mode means that our minds can wander and imagine. This allows our brains to take concepts and can be applied in other areas of knowledge.
Avoid your cellphone/social media, distractions, the joy of completing tasks, multitasking, busyness, and even procrastination.
Tips to Engage Your Mind and Stay Focused
Prepare your body
- Exercise: exercise pumps oxygen to our brain and can even generate new neurons and clear toxins in our system.
- Food: healthy fats like eggs, nuts, and avocado energizes and increases the production of neurotransmitters in your brain
- Caffeine: use it carefully. Exercise can be a better way to wake up in the morning. Push your cappuccino to later in the day
Prepare your Mind
- Mix focused and diffused modes, our brains crave structure.
Your brain wants roughly an hour of focus and 15 minutes of diffused activity. - Try the Pomodoro Technique to help you create a pattern of focus and break times.
- Decide exactly what you want to focus on before diving into focus mode.
Prepare your space
- Turn off distractions: no cell phone, close unneeded applications, and notifications on your computer.
Find a quiet space to work (if possible) - Wear headphones: noises can be distracting. Try listening to nature sounds, white noise, or music without lyrics (e.g., jazz, lofi).
If you’re trying to learn something new, do it before sleep, as it can be a great diffuse state.
🟢 And lastly, START. 🟢
Start with at least 5 minutes to help get over the hump of procrastination.
Resources:
Technology Is Not Hijacking Your Brain: https://www.nirandfar.com/technology-addiction-video/
Productivity 101: An Introduction to The Pomodoro Technique: https://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730
Schedule your learning:
- Spread your learning over the week
Cramming (as always) is bad for you, and the more you spread your time, the better. Start with 3 days a week and adjust to whatever works for you. - Set a schedule for yourself
Set your sessions to 15–30 minutes each in your calendar on your smartphone.
Open the calendar app you use most such as Google calendar or calendar on apple ios. Also, give yourself a 15–30 minute notification before you are set to begin.
🛑 STOP now, and set your calendar app now 🛑
⚠️ Ok, I hope you did it ⚠️
🟢 You may now continue 🟢
- Make it a Habit
Stick to your commitment, and it will become a habit to learn that will pay off in the long run. Success takes a long time to forge
Build a Learning Mindset:
No one is born smart or dumb. Anyone can change what they know and how to be better at what they wish to study. Our minds literally grow in knowledge as neurons are created and more connected around an area of study. The same way that expressways grow wider with many on & off ramps as they near an area of density compared to less dense areas that only need a few roads for people to travel upon.
Replace negative self-talk with phrases that support your efforts. Making a mistake doesn’t mean that you cannot learn something. It means that you need to focus on the subject more and be certain that you understand all the concepts.
Resources:
https://www.mindsetkit.org/
Be a Lifelong Learner:
Things are changing so fast that we need to continue learning to stay on top of what is changing globally, especially when it comes to medicine, coding, finance, politics, or even international relations.
You may even want to learn more to start a side income, change jobs, or get promoted. Pressing yourself for achievement can be good, especially since it’s part of the growth mindset you should cultivate. But be careful NOT to push yourself too far. Putting too much pressure one’s self can be detrimental to success.
Conclusion:
You have what it takes to succeed, and I hope you are doing a little bit each day to achieve your goals. It's a long process, but in the end, it is worth it.
Please subscribe✅, Like👍, and share📤 so that others you know, or don’t, will see and learn just as you have.
