By finding the right approach, you can almost always achieve more in the same amount of time. This approach is essentially a set of habits that you have to develop in yourself. You assimilate information faster, process it, and use it better with them.
Yes, learning something new is not easy. It applies to learning Lucky 7 game tricks and a new language. It requires willpower, persistence, and deliberate practice. But nothing can stop you if you are determined enough. Think of learning as an investment in yourself. All the effort will pay off if you apply the knowledge to your work.
Make a list of the skills you want to learn.
Sit down, take a piece of paper, and list all the skills you’d like to learn. There are probably 10 to 15 of them.
Logically, you can not learn all at once. At best, you can learn 2-3 skills simultaneously, for example, at work and in your spare time.
So the question is how to determine the priority skills. There are several critical criteria:
- The meaning of the skill: extra income, a hobby for the soul, or self-development?
- Supply and Demand: If it’s about earning money, it’s essential to understand which skills are in high demand. Hobbies, as a rule, do not generate income (although it all depends on you). So, what’s more, important now: money or an enjoyable hobby?
- Talent: Don’t waste your talent. Determine what you’re good at and what you’re not.
- Your goals: maybe you’ve already created a plan for the next five years, and you’re sure you need this. Does the skill match the goals?
- Current opportunities: can you learn the skill for free or with minimal investment? Could family, friends, or relatives become your teacher?
- Resources: the skill takes time, money, and emotional energy. Be realistic and soberly assess whether you have enough of these.
- Life situation: sometimes life puts us in challenging conditions on which our ability to learn effectively depends. Is your training tied to a specific location? Is it dependent on physical conditioning or other people?
Rate each skill against these criteria on a scale of 1 to 10. Then, add the numbers and see which skill you need to tackle first.
Helpful study habits
These habits aim to save time or improve understanding.
Morning Review.
Everything you studied yesterday should be reviewed immediately upon waking up. It is essential to remember and better absorb the information. Wake up a half hour early and reread any key points you wrote down yesterday. These can be quotes, concepts, formulas, or rules. Get yourself a learning notebook for each skill.
Use the “Three-in-One” approach.
It means that when you’re learning, you’re engaging different resources:
- Reading books.
- Take courses.
- Watch training videos.
By doing this, you’ll anchor all the key concepts at different levels of consciousness, which will positively impact the speed of skill acquisition.
Instantly connect the skill to everyday life.
There’s nothing like combining theory and practice. But unfortunately, many people are afraid to transfer knowledge into real life until they reach a certain level. And that’s the biggest mistake you can make.
Stop assuming that if you make mistakes, you will look stupid. Failures at the beginning are regular and even proper. It’s just worth it to always understand exactly where the error occurred.
Read books on the subject.
Reading those books that indirectly relate to your skill is especially important. Why? That way, you can find overlap in areas that positively affect comprehension.
Paraphrase new concepts in your own words
Reading for the sake of reading doesn’t do much for memorization: it doesn’t leave a lasting impression on your long-term memory. So instead, paraphrase what you’ve learned in your own words. The technique will connect new knowledge to what you already know.
How to learn new skills quickly?
The following tips will be not only a practical guide, but also tricks that you can apply right away.
First, ask yourself: “Why?” Always ask yourself this question. When you realize the valid reason (the emotional drive to improve), you can overcome all obstacles to your goal. When positive emotions are mixed in with activity, there is no stopping a person.
There are so many “why?” that can add speed to learning a skill. Here are the most common ones:
- With each new skill, I double my chances of success.
- More skill means more income.
- By instilling a skill, you can ensure that the potential is used to its fullest potential.
- To live a fulfilling life, you must exercise your body, soul, and mind daily.
But there are also times when you may have a solid reason to learn but still lie on the couch and do nothing. What to do? Create a clear step-by-step plan of action rather than feeling sorry for yourself. Buy a calendar or download time management apps. Things won’t move forward until you put this task on your list.
And, of course, you can’t forget the old trick: If you buy something you’re committing—the odds of reviewing a course or reading a book increase several times. No one likes to lose money foolishly.
Create the right environment
The environment is just as important as the ability to learn. It’s better to set aside a few hours and get it right than to lose considerably more because you’re constantly distracted.
With this in mind, what are the characteristics of an ideal learning environment? First and foremost, your learning environment should promote ease and relaxation, but not so much that it causes drowsiness.
Creating a relaxing learning environment requires combining visual, auditory, and physical objects that are naturally relaxing and promote deeper learning.
Your environment should simultaneously motivate and inspire you to reach new heights and levels of excellence. Sounds fantastic, right? But take each element separately, and you’ll find it all very real.
First of all, you must remove all irritants from the room. It can be physical objects, sounds, smells, and everything else that distracts from the goal. Next, pay attention to colors: colors that are too bright (e.g., reds and yellows) stimulate thinking but can increase stress levels. Conversely, dark colors are undesirable if you want to improve concentration.
Your learning environment should be pleasant to the senses. Pastel blues and shades of green are the perfect colors that promote prolonged study. These are soothing colors that will help you get inspired and focus. In addition, they also encourage creative thoughts.
