How to learn anything faster/ 5 tips to increase your learning speed.

Every single one of us is either learning something new at the moment or is planning to do it in the future, e.g playing an instrument, learning a second language, drawing, or maybe learning how to code.

In the past, humans depended on learning new things, they had to learn more effective ways to hunt and learn how to make better tools so they can have a higher chance of survival. We see that learning has always been an integral part of our lives so it comes naturally that we spend some time learning how to learn.

Here are five tips that you can use to lap your competition and leave your friends wondering how you learn so fast.

Tip 1:

Deconstruct the skill and implement the 80/20 principle.

It is a concept developed by Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto which explains that 80% of your desired outputs will come from only 20% of your inputs. Well, the exact ratio varies from situation to situation. You’ll find that 20% of people in your life will lead to 80% of your happiness. 20% of your customers will drive 80% of your sales and 20% of your learning methods will lead to 80% of your results. When it comes to learning, it feels like there’s so much we don’t know, so it’s easy to jump around everywhere. This will only lead to wasted time. What you want to do instead is to focus on one or two things that will drive the middle for what you want to achieve and devote most of your time practicing those things. For example, if you want to learn how to play the guitar, instead of focusing on strumming pattern notes on the fretboard hammer-on pull of techniques, you should only focus on learning the basic chords and transitions between them because they will give you 80% of the results and in 20% of the time you’ll be able to play the songs you wanted.

Tip 2:

Have a laser-like focus and use the Pomodoro Technique.

To learn quickly, it’ll be important to commit your full focus and attention when you’re researching and practicing your skill. These days, that’s easier said than done thanks to our short attention spans and constantly buzzing devices. To help you stay focused, start using the Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique consists of shutting down all external distractions and fully focusing on the task for a short period, usually 20 to 25 minutes, and then taking a short break of one to five minutes. The Pomodoro technique produces amazing results because the brain is more receptive to new information when we’re focused. When you look at it, it’s common sense more focused on a deeper connection.

Tip 3:

Learn by doing.

Immersion is by far the best way to learn anything and as research shows, it turns out that humans retained 10% of what they learned from reading, 20% of what they learned from audio-visual, 80% of what they learned when they use a demonstration, up to 70% of what they learned when they practice what they learned and up to 90% of what they learned when they use it immediately. Try to remember how you learned how to play soccer, ride a bicycle, or swim. Instead of watching tutorials or reading a textbook on how to do something, the way to learn faster is to get your hands dirty and gain experience through making mistakes.

Tip 4:

Be persistent.

Unfortunately, many of us give up before or during what Seth Gordon calls ‘the dip’. Gordon says that although it’s important to know when to quit, many potential winners don’t reach success because they quit before the dip. According to Gordon, five reasons why you might fail to follow through are, you run out of time and quit, you run out of money and quit, you get scared and quiet, you’re not serious about it, then you quit or you lose interest and quit. Psychologists have also studied what’s known as the transition cycle. When we experience the opportunity to learn something new, we enter what many people call the honeymoon phase. This is where we experience the release of dopamine as we experience new things. In order words, we’re hardwired to appreciate and seek out novelty because it makes us feel good. Once the honeymoon phase is over, we experience the dip and our progress begins to plateau or diminish. This is when most of us quit. The reason why this is important is that, if you can predict the dip is coming when you are learning something new, it’s easier to fight through it because knowing the dip exists and it’s temporary.

Tip 5:

Get enough sleep.

Sleep plays a big role in our ability to learn new information and skills. When we are awake, new situations and stimuli can prevent new memories from consolidating in our minds but when we are asleep we’re better at creating new memories. One study from a German research lab found that sleep helps our memory formation most. If you know you will need the information later, in fact, some scientists believe that the brain can change its structure and organization. This is a theory called the brain plasticity theory and it suggests that all-important structural and organizational changes in our brain take place when we are asleep. Without adequate sleep, we have a hard time learning something new because our brain doesn’t have the opportunity to review and absorb the new information. When you get enough sleep while you’re learning a new skill, you’ll be able to consolidate those memories faster make fewer mistakes overall.

So to recap, break down the skill and use the Pareto principle. Practice the 20% that will give you 80% of the results. Focus deeply when practicing the skill and use multiple Pomodoro sessions. Learn by immersing yourself and doing the skill you’re learning. Watching, or reading is not enough. Be persistent and follow through the dip where majority of people will quit and finally get adequate sleep to help your brain store all the information and prepare you for the day ahead.