How many times have you attempted to learn something new but given up before making any significant progress?
If you have, don’t feel guilty about it; learning a new skill is no stroll in the park. Most people have a difficult time remembering what they’ve learned, which makes learning slow and frustrating.
If, on the other hand, you want to learn but find it tough, you’ve come to the perfect place. You’ll find dozens of tried-and-true methods for learning anything quickly in this book.
So keep reading to find out how to become a super learner.
Why Aren’t You Learning Fast?
We discovered three particular reasons why many people are unable to learn quickly and efficiently after years of monitoring people at college and at work. See if you recognize yourself in any or all of the following learning stumbling blocks:
1. Struggle to Kickstart Learning Something From Scratch
As you’ve surely experienced, there are moments when you want to learn something new but don’t know where to begin.
For instance, you might have wanted to learn how to play chess but weren’t sure how to go about it. And because you didn’t know the ideal way to learn the classic 2-player strategy game, you either gave up or tried learning from several sources at once: books, videos, friends, and family members.
The trouble with this disorganized method is that it will be difficult for you to concentrate, and you will almost certainly receive contradicting suggestions, which is useless when you’re just starting out.
Another issue is that by consulting books and asking questions,
2. Struggle to Recall What You’ve Learned
Consider how you used to feel when you were in school. I’m sure there have been numerous occasions when you were taught something by a teacher only to forget it within weeks, days, or even minutes!
This issue, of course, extends from education to the workplace. How many times have you been in a meeting when significant information was shared, only for half of the attendees to forget about it shortly after the meeting ended?
With these kinds of unpleasant life events, it’s no surprise that people become less reluctant to attempt new things as they become older.
3. Struggle to Put What You’ve Learned Into Practice
One of the most common causes for people’s failure to learn new things is this. They spend all of their time learning theory, but they never apply it.
Consider how a person learns to ride a bicycle, for example.
In most circumstances, a parent or older sibling will instruct you on how to properly mount and begin riding a bicycle. The actual learning begins, though, when you attempt to ride a bike for the first time!
It’s the same for almost everything. You won’t be able to make any real progress unless you start doing the thing you want to learn, no matter how many training videos you watch on the subject.
3. Get Overwhelmed When Learning A Lot Of Difficult Things
You might easily lose interest in learning something new if you choose the wrong teacher or course. This is especially true if they begin by making something unnecessarily complicated.
Take, for example, learning a new language.
If a teacher only required you to master grammar rules for weeks on end, you would undoubtedly stop learning. If they made learning a new language enjoyable and immersive, you would not only want to continue studying, but you would also gain confidence.
Of course, you might still master the necessary grammar and vocabulary over time. It’s difficult to make any significant progress.
4. Can’t Seem To Learn It No Matter How Hard You Work
You may have thought to yourself from time to time, “No matter how hard I practice or revise, I still don’t learn well.”
This is a rather typical issue.
Unfortunately, many people exacerbate the situation by pouring increasing amounts of effort and practice into whatever it is they are attempting to master.
This is actually counterproductive because time and effort will not be enough to help you achieve if you don’t have a good learning strategy.
The good news is that there are tried-and-true methods for swiftly and successfully learning. This is what I refer to as smart learning.’ Let’s take a closer look at what it is and how you may put it to use in your life right now.
5. Active Learning
You’ll be ready to proceed into active learning once you’ve selected what you want to study, identified your learning style, and comprehended the many learning phases.
This is where you combine practical and theoretical study to put yourself in the best possible position to learn quickly and effectively.
Let me give you an example to show you how this procedure works:
You’d want to learn to play the drums, either for enjoyment or as a future profession – or both!
Whether you work with a personal drum teacher or learn through books and videos, the most important thing is to have access to a drum kit so you can practice and improve your drumming abilities on a regular basis.
Understand the Different Learning Styles
Different people learn differently. Some like to be shown how to do something, while others learn best by reading about their chosen topic.
While Vanderbilt University recognizes more than 70 different learning styles, there are actually just 4 main styles that you need to be aware of:
1. Visual (Spatial) Learning Style
The visual learning style is best suited to individuals who like to watch videos and like to see presentations that are embedded with pictures, charts, and graphs.
They are learners who learn best by seeing (e.g. through photos, video, or PowerPoint presentations).
2. Auditory (Aural) Learning Style
The auditory learning style is best suited to individuals who like to listen to lectures and audiobooks. These learners find it easy to learn what they hear.
These are learners who learn best by hearing (e.g. through podcasts and audiobooks).
3. Reading/Writing Learning Style
The reading/writing learning style is best suited to — as you’d expect — people who enjoy reading and writing. That’s because the words they read and write become easily imprinted on their minds.
These learners learn best by reading and writing (e.g. through books, magazines, and websites).
4. Kinesthetic (Physical) Learning Style
The kinesthetic learning style is best suited to people who like to get “hands-on.”
They are learners who learn best by moving and doing (e.g., starting to learn to drive by getting behind the wheel).
The Importance of Continuous Learning
It is critical that you continue to study. You will feel old and your life will be stale if you stop learning new things. On the other hand, when you study and improve your intellect, you will feel youthful and vibrant!
Continuous learning provides a number of additional concrete advantages. If you work as a freelance website designer, for example, keeping up with the newest design tools and apps will provide you with a competitive advantage.
Learning new skills and expanding your knowledge will be motivating and inspirational for you, regardless of your age or current circumstances.