The process of learning something new, can prove difficult especially when growing older. What's proven however, is that it can become easier by following a series of steps. It’s thought possible that anyone can learn complex subjects or perfect a skill. We need to adapt and learn, since our immediate environment is constantly changing at a rapid pace.
So what we need, is to reinvent and adapt ourselves more than ever. That we need to transition faster by learning to think on our feet. We need to adopt better techniques, by applying the strategies of assimilated learning.
So what’s been outlined are some of the most effective methods, when it comes to fully optimizing the learning process. We need to begin by keeping an open mind and a positive attitude, which keeps the brain adapters active, proving that you’re still capable.
What the worrying process does, is it delays the belief that you can't learn something new. What anxiety does, is it slows you down from finding actual solutions or developing the proper thought patterns, which leads to solving problems.
Believe You Can Learn
But once you feel you can learn, you then place yourself in an opportunity oriented mindset. You begin thinking of all the good things that may happen to you.
Then you’re more than likely to make the proper decisions, and then take positive action which will make the desired outcome more likely to occur.
• Learn By Practicing - We know that practice makes perfect. You can’t learn how to ride a bike by reading a manual. You need to jump on a bike, scrape a few knees several times, before you can glide down the road on your own.
• Get Expert Advice - If you’re wanting to learn a new subject, the fastest way is by asking an expert in the field, who’s able to explain the process to you. When you’re trying to learn how to golf, seek out a trainer who’s proficient at golfing. You’ll learn quicker, by not making novice mistakes.
• Teamwork With A Partner - Find somebody who’s also wanting to learn similar skills as you are, and then challenge each other by sharing the learning process. Set up times to check on each others progress, and then nudge and push each other.
If You Don’t Know… Ask
One of the biggest setbacks is not understanding something, and not bothering to find out why. So make sure that you always ask, clarify at first opportunity until you completely understand.
Once you ask, what most will do is admire your curiosity. There’s no such thing as a stupid question, there’s just dumb answers.
The learning process is a matter of being aware whenever you become perplexed, stumped, so make sure that you always follow through to find out until you completely understand.
Repeat It Over And Over
What repetition does, is it makes the learning process go smoother and quicker. This because whenever you repeat something over and over again, like when learning multiplication in school, what we did was strengthen the connections between the brain cells.
What repeating things over and over does, is it builds synaptic conditioning. Repetition allows the neural pathways to fire at a quicker pace than previous. This is why repeating things, results in instantaneous recall.
Try reciting the alphabet backwards or try counting backwards from 100 to 1. You’ll have a difficult time doing so, until you do so repeatedly.
Write Things Down Then Visualize
It’s found that just writing things down, isn't enough. But what the combination of words along with pictures such as diagrams does, is they complement each other.
It’s thought that the best possible approach, when it comes to solving problems along with generating ideas, is the combination of words which are related to those images.
Whenever you include pictures, what you’re doing is adding layers along with dimensions of thought, which can't be accomplished by using words alone. It’s a method of getting your idea down, while it's still fresh and fluid in your mind.
One of the easiest ways is by creating a mind map, drawing out a diagram which visually outlines all of the interrelated ideas.
Learning First Thing In The Morning
It’s thought that willpower is limited, and we have more of it at the start of the day. But as the day wears on, we get tired and distracted, then this willpower begins to fade as we fall to temptation.
So if you’re learning something new, anything that’s complex, schedule to learn it first thing in the morning, this since you’ll have the most storage of mental energy.
The Traditional 80/20 Rule
What the 80/20 rule states, is that you’ll get 80% percent of your results from 20% percent of your efforts. In business, the best 20% percent of your activities will produce 80% percent of the results. What quick learners will do, is apply the same logic when it comes to their research.
For instance, when reading a textbook that you need to learn, first look through the index and then make a list of the top 5 topics, with number 1 being the most relevant you want to learn.
When looking through instructional based videos, skip down to the quarter or middle where the actual technique of the topic is being discussed, then work backwards to gain the principles and the context.
These methods work, because the start of most videos series are usually fluffed with introduction and exposition, and most books are similar, as they’re layered with filler to make the length requirements.
So when deciding to work a little smarter, you can extract the majority of the information from the teaching material while spending a shorter fraction of the time, learning more.