How To Learn Faster

 

Learn What Is Useful

Don’t learn anything just for the sake of learning it. Learn things that can improve your life.  Think about what you’re learning, whether that is useful or not. If not, don’t spend time learning it. There are thousands of things that you can learn today that are helpful and will improve your life.

The Paradox of Speed Reading

“If you can speed read it, it isn't worth reading.” – Anonymous

Great books worth reading demand your complete attention. The fastest way to read more books is to spend more time on books. That’s it. There are some books that take weeks to read, and some that can be read in a day. 

Focus more on the quality of the books you read. Read a variety of books. Don’t stick to the same type of books. Read fiction. Read non-fiction. Read self-help. Read history. Read philosophy. Read biographies. Read autobiographies. Read everything.

Whenever possible,  learn by doing, not just reading. 

Learning by doing emphasizes hands-on experience as a more effective way to acquire knowledge compared to traditional reading or passive learning methods. This approach fosters deeper engagement and retention of information through active participation in tasks and activities.

Try this technique. 1. Choose a subject and perform some preliminary research on it. 2. Explain it or write about it in plain English, as if conveying the information to a 12-year-old. 3.. Identify the parts you can't explain clearly. 4. Go back and study those parts. 5. Explain it again.

Eliminate distractions. Multitasking slows learning. Try to work on one subject at a time. Put your phone aside.  Concentrated attention is more valuable than hours of distracted study.

Use AI as a personal tutor

What you want What to ask

Learn a subject Teach me the basics of economics.

Simplify something Explain this as if I'm 12 years old.

Test your knowledge Give me 10 questions about this subject.

Find weaknesses Identify what I don't understand.

Explore deeper         Give me five surprising facts about this topic.

If you remember nothing else, remember these:

1. Be curious. Genuine interest makes learning easier.

2. Learn actively. Don't just consume information.

3. Explain what you learn. Teaching exposes gaps in understanding.

4. Review periodically. Repetition at intervals builds lasting memory.

5. Follow your interests. Learning shouldn't feel like homework.

A final thought: At any age, learning something new is a way of keeping your mind engaged with the world. You don't have to become an expert. Sometimes the pleasure is simply understanding something today that you didn't understand yesterday.