3 Hacks for Accelerated Learning
What to Expect
In this post, you’ll learn about the problem of having too many choices. You will also read easy-to-use tips to help you learn new things faster.
You can’t become a good swimmer by reading about techniques and watching videos. You need to jump into the pool and swim to learn and improve.
The Challenge of Learning in the Digital World
You’re living in an era of information overload. The internet is a limitless ocean of data, opinions, and choices. On one hand, it’s empowering; on the other, it’s paralyzing. This ties directly into the paradox of choice. Too much information can fuel procrastination. When you have too many movies on Netflix— you often do not choose or spend too much time looking for the perfect film to watch.
You’re supposed to be learning but are overwhelmed by the many different sources and approaches with their pros and cons. What do you do? Maybe you open another browser tab to read another article that might help you decide, adding another layer to the decision-making labyrinth. The result is that your learning slows down.
3 Hacks for Accelerated Learning
Ready to move from being a passive learner to an active doer? This section gives you four tips to make learning more effective and enjoyable.
1. Learn by Doing — Avoid Analysis Paralysis
A photography teacher divided a class into two groups. One group was told to focus on taking the best photo they could, while the other group was asked to take as many photos as possible. At the end of the term, the teacher found that the best photos came from the group that had focused on taking many pictures. The lesson was that practice and repetition often led to better results than aiming for perfection from the start.
The hands-on experience is a catalyst for your learning process. Learning comes faster when you move from planning to doing. If you spend too much time thinking about a decision, you may procrastinate or need too much time to start the action. This can slow down your learning process and prevent you from moving forward.
Hacks:
Start a Small Project: Instead of just reading or watching tutorials, start a small project related to your learning. For example, if you’re learning to code, try building a simple website or app. This will help you apply what you’re learning in a real-world context.
Join a Workshop or Community: Sometimes, it’s easier to learn by doing when you’re with others. Look for workshops, meetups, or online groups that focus on the skill you want to know. For instance, if you want to improve your public speaking, join a Toastmasters club.
2. Acknowledge and Fill Your Knowledge Gaps — Don’t be Scared
I only know that I know nothing. Platón
Embrace the unknown and find ways to fill that knowledge gap. Facing something unknown can be scary, but also an opportunity to grow. You can develop new skills and build self-confidence by stepping out of your comfort zone. When confronted with an unknown situation, you must think creatively to find a solution. This helps improve your problem-solving abilities, making you more resourceful.
Hacks:
Push Yourself: Let’s say you’re afraid of public speaking. If you push yourself to give a presentation, you’ll likely improve your speaking skills and gain self-confidence.
Embrace Knowledge Gaps: Imagine you’re a business owner, and a new law changes your operations. Instead of panicking, you research and adapt, perhaps finding an even more efficient way to run your business.
3. Teach What You Learn — Reinforce and Verify your Learnings
Imagine you’re engrossed in studying astronomy. Now, picture explaining planetary orbits to a child. Can you make it that simple? Excellent — you understand it.
Teaching what you learn has its own set of advantages. It reinforces your understanding of the subject, enhances your ability to communicate clearly, and builds a stronger community.
Hacks:
Share notes of your learning: Write a blog post or a channel on social media to explain what you learned. Sharing what you’ve learned solidifies your understanding and potentially helps hundreds or thousands of people who can give you feedback to learn even faster.
Create a short training: Offering a short training session at work to help your team improve at using a particular skill. This example goes beyond individual benefits and shows how teaching can uplift an entire community or group.
Conclusion
In a world with too many choices, learning can get complicated. But with these ultralearning hacks, you’ll know how to break through the noise and focus on gaining new skills.
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Disclaimer: This post was created with the help of AI tools to improve efficiency, required hours of dedicated writing, and contains my experience in the field.
