A Comprehensive Guide To Learning

Learning something seems quite simple. You hear something new, understand it, and remember it. And that works fine for small, important details. For example, let's say you're unemployed and see an advertisement for a job opportunity in a newspaper, together with an email address you can contact. You're very likely to remember that address, because it's a small piece of information with great importance to you. But what about large amounts of information that aren't directly necessary for our survival, and we don't use on a frequent basis?

This post is the first in a series of three on how you can learn, memorise, and apply information. I will link the other two posts below this one. The goal of this post is to demystify the magic behind learning, and show you how you can learn more effectively and efficiently. Because, like so many things, learning is a skill you can improve at and work on.

Filter out the key information

Don't waste time learning things you don't need. Before you start learning a topic, try and find a list of keywords and definitions from the topic, or a list of questions about the topic. Read through them, and then try and keep them in mind while you are going through the actual information. If you cannot find one of these, either try and find the official syllabus of your content, or ask someone who has already learned the content what the key elements are.

This way, when you encounter an answer to one of the questions, or read one of the keywords, you are much more likely to remember that information, as it has more importance. Especially the questions give you a great checklist to go through while going through the content, as when you have found answers to all, you know you have not missed any key information.

I do suggest that right from the start, you begin taking notes. Notes are a fantastic tool to sift through information and extract the core data. Down here, I've linked a post about how to take effective notes:

5 Steps To Taking Useful Notes

If you don't have time to read through that, then here is a summary of the content:

• Write in bullet points

• Cut out filler words

• Rewrite in your own words

• Create your own questions while taking notes

• Link between points

• Include a summary at the end

Link information together

Instead of having a piece of knowledge standing alone, it's a lot more fruitful to interweave it into the web of information in your mind. And the best time to do this is right from the start.

When you find connections between what you already know and what you're learning, you can put the new information into context, resulting in a deeper understanding. In part, this is because when you have to make connections between pieces of information, you automatically understand the information better. Once you find a use for the information, the information also has more importance because it may prove useful in the future.

A simple example:

New information: CO2 is a greenhouse gas

Known information: Complete combustion of fossil fuels produces CO2 as a product

How I would link these pieces of information is by writing

• CO2 - greenhouse gas (produced for example by complete combustion of fossil fuels)

into my notes.

Writing this actively establishes a link between the two pieces of information. So, when you remember that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, it's very likely you'll also remember it's produced by combustion of fossil fuels. This network of information is key to staying mentally organised. It will also prove useful at a later stage of learning, when you are applying the information. This is because then, if there is a question about greenhouse gases, you may also remember about fossil fuels, so you have more information with which you can answer the question. More on that in the third article of the series.

Understand everything

Shortcuts usually lead to dead ends.

Work thoroughly. If you don't understand something, don't skip past it, because chances are that you'll need to know it to understand the rest. And this can lead to a chain reaction, where you skip a few things and eventually understand nothing anymore.

So, instead, I suggest that if you do not understand something, you try and find a different explanation of it. This can come from a teacher, tutor, the internet, another book, a video, maybe even a podcast. The same applies to lessons and lectures. If there is something you don't understand, I highly recommend asking the teacher or professor as soon as possible. Take the time to understand every detail in its full depth.

Don't overload your mind

Mental energy is limited, so I recommend you spend it wisely. Instead of trying to cover a whole chapter in a day, I suggest you only focus on a part, but dive into more depth. Cal Newport, author of the book "Deep Work", suggests the upper limit of time spent doing deep work per day is about four hours.

That means at anything above that, you're not operating at optimal efficiency. Now, four hours is a lot. But it doesn't fill a whole day. So, I propose that instead of focusing on sheer volume, you turn more towards quality and depth. When you are studying, cut out any distractions, and have a plan ahead of time of what you want to achieve.

Deep work is a skill of its own, and its something you can practice and grow better at over time. As I began to improve my work environment and work more consistently, my attention span naturally increased, and I was able to produce higher quality output for a longer period of time.

Take breaks. Personally, I am not a great fan of the Pomodoro Technique, but I recommend experimenting with it for yourself, and seeing if it works for you. Instead, I will work in 45-60 minute blocks with around 30 minute breaks in between. This way, you let your mind rest and recover, so that you can start the next study session fresh. In these breaks, I really recommend doing something completely different, but not mentally draining. Don't go onto Instagram or TikTok, as this will drain some of your mental energy while also putting you in an overly relaxed state of mind. Instead, aim to stay active, go for a quick breath of fresh air or a walk. Drink water, talk to some people, maybe play an instrument.

Now, this does require that you don't study for only one day. If you choose to follow the advice of limiting your study sessions to about two to three 45 - 60 minute periods, one day will most likely not be sufficient to go through all the content in one day. You'll need more time than that.

So, instead, aim for consistency. Learning is a skill of its own, so if you learn consistenly, you will naturally get better at learning. This is because you'll become better at organising information, filtering out the key bits, adding it into context. Additionally, your memory will improve, together with your ability to focus and work efficiently.

Use multiple different sources of information

From personal experience, I have found that just learning everything from a textbook can become a bit boring. Try and change things up by watching a video on the content, or having someone explain it to you.

When someone teaches something to you, they already have expertise with that information, so they can answer any questions you may have, and explain it in multiple ways. If they are decent at teaching, they can also organise the information into a coherent structure, and they have already filtered out what is most important. So, instead of you having to do the hard work of figuring out what's important, they can simply tell you.

Sometimes, when I don't understand something, it's simply because I'm not completely sure about a word. There's some words in everybody's vocabulary where they kind of know the meaning, but not fully. Make sure that if there is an explanation you don't understand, you are familiar with all the words and terminology.

Also, sometimes even teachers and authors make mistakes. Even in textbooks which have been on the market for years, and have been double - and triple - checked by editors, mistakes can still occur. That is why, if something doesn't add up, or two pieces of information contradict each other, don't simply accept it. Stay critical. Double-check the information, to ensure you are not learning something factually incorrect.

Learn while doing

Usually, the last stage of mastering information is applying it. This is because you often need a threshold level of knowledge before you can do anything with it. However, if you have the option to learn about something while doing it, that is most likely the fastest way to learn.

Let's say you're learning how to paint. Instead of spending weeks just learning all the theory before ever picking up a paintbrush, start painting immediately and learn as you go. This way, when you encounter a problem while painting and look up the answer, you can immediately apply that answer. And once you apply that answer, the answer has gained actual importance, as you have used it in real life. Therefore, you'll remember it very easily.

Now, with more abstract subjects, like for example mathematics, you cannot simply start working on a problem and learn the right method as you go. So, this advice is limited. However, what you can experiment with is interspersing applications during your learning. Directly after learning a method, you could do a couple exercises where that method is required. This way, instead of learning all the theory first, and then trying to apply it to a massive variety of problems, you divide the theory into smaller, more manageable chunks while directly applying it.

Second post of the series:

https://vitalstudy.wixsite.com/home/post/how-to-memorise-information

Thank you for reading, and best of luck studying!