Having a fast learning ability is a blessing for someone who is a student, or a professional. Fast learners know how to get the most out of their time and stay motivated.
Whether you want to get good grades in your academic writing tasks or want to prepare for a presentation, knowing how to learn fatly and effectively can make all the difference between scoring well or not.
You can be more successful if you learn faster and retain information for longer periods. Especially if you’re a law student who has already taken law essay help online to write an outstanding dissertation paper. And now you need to prepare for your dissertation presentation.
It is not easy to be a fast learner, but it is not impossible either. You can be a fast learner, too!
So, how can you make the most of your time by speeding up your learning? Here are 10 tried-and-true tips that help you improve your learning speed and save time.
1. Find The Right State Of Mind.
As you probably know, the brain is a very fickle thing. It doesn’t work like your liver or pancreas, which can only do one thing at a time and make you feel sick if you overwork them. The brain can do multiple things at once. However, when it comes to learning something new, the brain should focus on one thing at a time.
Ever tried reading something while listening to music? Did it take longer than usual? That’s because your brain had to split its attention between two different tasks instead of focusing on just one of them.
Well, we know that “being in the right state of mind” sounds like some inspirational poster mumbo-jumbo. But science backs this up! Studies have shown that being “in the zone” (i.e., in a focused and relaxed mindset) allows us to learn faster and retain more information than when we’re stressed out because we’re juggling too many tasks at once or distracted by our environment or phones (shiny objects!).
Whenever you plan to learn something new, try to get into this state of mind so you can learn effectively and fastly.
2. Write Things Down Instead Of Typing Them.
I’m sure by now you’ve heard people say that writing is better than typing when it comes to taking notes. But why? Research studies show that writing involves more of your brain than typing. Writing activates the sensory and motor cortex in the brain, whereas typing does not. If you aren’t a great typist, then this tip may be especially effective for you. Hand-writing also allows other students to see what’s written on your paper. This can help you in your group discussions.
It might seem like a pain at first to break out your ink pen and notebook every time you want to take notes, but if it helps you learn faster or retain more information, it’s worth it!
3. Sleep On It.
If you’re like me, you might have been under the impression that not sleeping for a night or two wouldn’t be a big deal. It turns out, however, that sleep is instrumental in learning new things. Even though most people seem to believe that studying late into the evening before an exam can help them learn more and achieve better grades. In reality, those students who take enough sleep will outperform their peers.
Sleep has two main functions:
- consolidation of information into memory and
- making new connections between what we learned during our waking hours and the knowledge we’ve accumulated over time.
You have to take some steps to improve the quality of your sleep so that your brain functions at its best when it comes time for learning new things each day. When you don’t get enough good quality sleep (that is seven to nine hours per night), you are far more likely to struggle with your mental capacity than when you had slept well. This difficulty will also make it harder for you to learn new things effectively.
4. Create A Logical Structure For What You’re Learning.
You can’t start to learn something until you have an idea of what parts it has, and how they all fit together. Just as the foundation of a house helps to hold it up, the same is true in your learning. To build this structure, you can create a mind map or an outline that represents the main ideas and how they’re connected. By doing this upfront (or early on), you’ll be able to connect new information more easily as you learn about it.
5. Use Flashcards.
If you’re trying to learn a large amount of information, flashcards can be extremely helpful. Flashcards provide clues to the answers, allowing you to remember the things you need to by using clues.
The best thing about flashcards is that they can be physical or digital, so if you don’t have time to make your own, there are plenty of apps and websites where you can use pre-made flashcards.
6. Take Breaks While Learning
Most of us think that taking breaks is a waste of time, but it has been scientifically proven that taking breaks during learning sessions helps improve your concentration and even your memory. You have to take some steps to relax and reset your brain:
- Maintain your focus on your work for 30–45 minutes.
- After you study well for the set time, take a short break of 5–15 minutes to relax your mind.
- If possible, do something completely unrelated to what you are studying.
- An excellent idea is to take a short walk outside in the warm sun.
- You’ll Learn More From Your Mistakes
We all make mistakes, but the important thing is how we respond to them. Making mistakes is an important part of the learning process. When you encounter failure and mistakes, you might feel like giving up or that it’s not worth your effort. But studies show that people learn more from their failures than from their successes!
We all mess up from time to time, so don’t be afraid to try new things. You can’t just expect everything to come out perfectly on your first try. It’s okay if you get it wrong sometimes. Let your mistakes motivate you, and don’t be afraid to make them.
7. Visualize The Results
Visualize the outcome you want by mixing visualization with affirmations. The more you visualize the results, the more you’ll be able to achieve them thanks to a phenomenon called “embodied cognition.”
According to research, embodied cognition is when there’s a close link between our minds and bodies. This link helps us achieve better results through visualization and body postures that match our intentions.
For example, if your goal is to get promoted at work and become a manager next year, visualize yourself as a manager. Give yourself an affirmation that says, “I’m a great manager.” Then do some power poses (think Wonder Woman) for two minutes to complete your visualization exercise for the day.
8. Beat The Forgetting Curve
According to the forgetting curve, most of what you learn will be forgotten within 20 minutes unless you review it. This process is further accelerated if you don’t sleep well. The good news is that when you review what you’ve learned at least once, your brain will retain 80% of this information for 30 days. So try to arrange a study session immediately after learning something new.
You can also repeat them out loud several times in a row. Or write down all the new information in one place to easily remember them. This technique significantly improves cognitive abilities even up to 6 years later.
9. Talk With Others
Talk about what you’re trying to learn with others, whether they know about the subject or not. Use analogies, metaphors, and stories to make the lesson come alive for you, and others listening to your explanation.
The best way to do this is by using analogies and metaphors. Using analogies will help us to make connections between what we are trying to learn, and things that we already know. When you make analogies to things you already know, it gets your mind thinking about the subject in ways that you’re familiar with.
This will also help in your goal of becoming a fast learner because speed is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to learn and understand what we are trying to learn.
Final Thoughts
Learning new things is an important part of life, and we should strive to learn and improve at all times. However, it takes time, and time is valuable. But if you start implementing the proven tips we described above, you can speed up your learning process.
Continue to use these tactics, and you’ll notice how much of a difference the correct tools can make over time. Your ‘brain power’ will improve, as will your memory. You will become a faster learner who is more powerful, efficient, and effective.
