Ability to study multiple topics quickly.
Finish work tasks more efficiently and with confidence.
Employers like the staff that can pick things up quickly.
Complete academic qualifications much faster.
Gain better awareness of the world around you.
Improved decision making abilities.
Less stress.
More time to do other things.
Increase sociability - able to converse about a broader range of topics.
Tips
There are several tips and exercises to help you learn faster, and in this chapter, we’ll take a look at those tips that work.
Write Notes
In these modern times, many people rely on a laptop to take notes
during an educational lecture or a work conference. You may be surprised to learn that studies have shown that those who use a computer to type up their notes have a lower level of information retention. But, those who use a simple pen and paper method for taking notes learn a lot more.
It may seem much slower handwriting your notes rather than typing them. Still, the physical act of writing information increases your comprehension and enables the information to be retained much longer. When it comes to business meetings or school tests, this ability to recall a more considerable amount of data can be critical for ensuring you pass the test or gain a promotion at work.
Take Great Notes
While taking notes by hand is an effective way of increasing your learning, they do need to be good notes. Many people write anything and everything when taking notes, but it is more efficient to take accurate notes that will help you grasp a more robust understanding of the topic you are trying to learn about. There are a variety of methods for taking great notes, and some simple tips are as follows: Listen carefully to what is being said.
Write the notes down in your words, not exactly as you hear them.
Leave lines and spaces in between the main ideas so information can be added to it later.
Create a system of symbols and abbreviations, so you don’t have to write every word out in full.
Don’t write in sentences; write in phrases.
Ignore information that is trivial or irrelevant.
Distributing Multiple Study Sessions
Instead of trying to learn everything in one session, it is a better practice to divide the topic into multiple sessions spread out over a while. Each study session should be short and spaced out so that learning is more meaningful instead of the old habit of cramming.
Firstly take notes during a discussion on the topic. Review your clipboard afterward to make any changes or add any additional information.
By doing this one or two times after each period of study or class, the sessions will be easily spread out, beginning with one per day. The sessions will eventually be spread out to three times per week. It is easier and more effective to do short or smaller study sessions as it helps to keep you motivated towards learning.
Sleep and Study
Too many times, we leave something to the last minute, including a big presentation or project, and we end up trying to cram everything in late at night just to get finished. We tell ourselves that it doesn’t matter if we’re tired tomorrow, so long as the work is completed. But, this is the least efficient way for information to be processed by the brain.
There is definitely an essential link between learning and sleeping.
Sleeping helps the cerebrum store information and enables it to be recalled later. If you go into a deep sleep, called the non-rapid-eye-movement phase, within twelve hours of learning something, the memories can be strengthened. Also, it helps that when you are well-
rested, you are functioning better on all levels.
Change Your Practicing Methods
It may seem logical to learn something, you need to do the same thing repeatedly, but in fact, it is not the best method. If you make small changes while repeating the practice sessions, you will learn the skill a lot faster. Research has shown that people who knew the skill and then had the practice session slightly modified learned the skill a lot more quickly.
However, this method will work only if the modifications to the practice sessions are minimal. Any significant changes won’t be helpful at all. A good example is if you were learning to play baseball, it might be beneficial to try using a heavier bat or change to a larger bat.
Small changes foster memory retention.
Mnemonic Devices
You may be at this minute imagining a mnemonic device is some kind of elaborate machine, but is not a device at all, just to confuse you. A mnemonic is a way of using patterns of letters or sounds or other types of associations that can help you learn something new. The grammar rule í before e except after c’ is an excellent example of a mnemonic device.
Using a mnemonic enables you to make information simpler, thus allowing you to summarize the data and compress it making it easier for you to learn. These techniques are particularly useful for those studying law or medicine, where there are a lot of language rules, or for those who are learning to speak a new language. There are no rules
to mnemonics, and you can create one however you like, as long as it will help you to learn. You will be able to recall the information a lot easier too.
Music can be used as a strong mnemonic because it not only encourages repetition, but it also provides an information structure.
