Over the years, many people have asked me about my approach to learning.
After more than two decades of continuous learning and over a decade of teaching experience, I paused to take a closer look at the strategies I rely on to learn efficiently. In another post, I shared my experience on projects to real-world change. These insights too might be helpful to others who are also looking to improve their learning process.
Here are the key elements on how to learn efficiently, based on my experience:
- Set a clear goal and learn how to learn
- Define deadlines
- Start early to save time
- Deep study or work sessions
- Use a random reward system
- Reflect and take meaningful notes
- Review consistently
Set a clear goal and learn how to learn
Start by being crystal clear with yourself about what you want to achieve and why it matters to you. Whether your goal is to achieve a high GPA, master a new skill, tackle a complex problem, grow personally, or improve physical fitness, be crystal clear why that is important to you that you need to push through the challenges.
Set the right mindset by clearly stating your goal. Then, reverse engineer the process: visualize yourself having already achieved it and work backward to identify the activities or the habits required to make it possible. This approach helps you map out a bit more realistic and actionable path toward reaching your goal.
Define deadlines
Set deadlines for yourself that are not too far away and that are not too close. For example, if you have four weeks to learn about a topic or twelve weeks to kick off a project, start by setting a daily routine and blocking time* away on your calendar.
*I prefer 4-hour work block when working on a project. However, I’ve found that I’m capable to get a ton of work done in only a 45min or 90min session. To begin with, dedicate a 30min or 45min and adjust as you find your natural rhythm and preference.
Start early to save time
Do not start close to the deadline hoping that you can get it done in a 12-hour session in a single day or two. You will just get burnt out, and in reality, long sessions often lead to distractions and wasted time.
The key takeaway message is that you give yourself the flexibility to add more time to your sessions. But if you don’t start early, you simply won’t get the lost time back!
Deep study or work sessions
Try to minimize distractions as much as possible when you’re studying or working. Put away all your extra electronic devices* except the ones that you use for your work or study.
*Personally, I prefer using papers and reading hard copies rather than electronic versions whenever possible. However, I understand that this isn’t always practical, especially when I’m reading journal articles or materials that are mostly available digitally.
Use a random reward system
Study hard, work hard, reward smarter.
The goal isn’t to lock yourselves up in your room and cut off all your devices such as phones or laptops forever. It’s to minimize distractions during your deep study or work sessions. However, it’s equally important to satisfy your brain’s other needs by dedicating some time getting distracted or entertaining yourself via video games, social media, music, books, etc. You can’t just burry that part of your brain’s need.
That’s where the reward comes in. But the catch is to reward yourself occasionally after a deep study or work session.
I’ve found that random reward system works better than a consistent one over a long term. Simply avoid rewarding yourself after all your successful deep work or study session, do it occasionally. The reason is that you keep your brain hungry for that reward and prevent it from turning into a habit of its own.
That’s why I highly recommend a random rewarding system to keep your craving and motivation as high as possible on a long-term. Also, mix up the type of the reward occasionally; sometimes play a video game, other times hit the tennis court, hang out with your friends, read a book, etc.
Reflect and take meaningful notes
Many people spend most of their study sessions copying important notes directly from books. By the end, they might have 10 pages of note and feel like they had a super fruitful session. But I don’t find that the most effective way to study. Note taking process shouldn’t just be copying information, it should be about your own understanding and reflection on what you’ve read or worked through.
Try approaching the material by looking for answers. You might already have a set of questions, or you can create your own questions as you read. Then, reflect on what you’ve read, make sure you understand it, and take notes based on your understanding and not just the text.
I’ve found that using keywords really helps with both understanding and remembering the concepts. When taking notes, try to highlight or create keywords for each concept. This can make it much easier to grasp and remember the material later.
Review consistently
Before starting your next study or work session, always take a few minutes to review what you covered in the previous session. Simply dedicate around 10 minutes to go over your earlier notes before continuing the new topic.