YOU can learn ANYTHING you want following these steps!

Have you ever wondered how to make studying fun?

Have you been complaining about being unable to memorize what you're learning?

Are you fed up with the classical learning methods?

If your answer is YES,  then my friend, you are in the right place to remedy all these issues.

What I'm about to share with you is an experience-based and seldom talked about REVOLUTIONARY set of strategies for an efficient learning process!

1. Polish and embrace your goal

Try to build a firm mindset where you correlate the present moment and the efforts you’re putting into studying, with your future goal. Embracing that causal relation evolving studying and achieving your goal will inevitably fuel you with limitless motivation. As a tip, try to stick a note on the wall with the following phrase:

“The pain of studying is only temporary. Study hard to achieve your dreams!”

For further information on how to do away with procrastination, feel free to check the following article: Coping with procrastination

    2. Creativity beats boredom

As students, we are prone to follow the classical routine of studying: re-reading the written course, doing exercises, and passing exams. We get fed up quite rapidly, therefore we need to spray a little bit of creativity on our studying process.

For instance, explore the different mnemonic techniques:

     a) The Memory Palace aka the Method of Loci :

1. You need to choose a familiar place for you (your house, school, workplace..)
2. Pick different sub-places within that main place and make sure to apply a specific order ( clockwise or counterclockwise). Imagine you picked a room and chose to order your sub-places clockwise, then, the desk will be your 1st sub-place, the wardrobe will be the 2nd place, and so forth…
3. Try to convert the information to memorize into images and interactive stories. The more bizarre and original the image is, the more it is bound to be memorized!

4. Link every story with a sub-place.

5. Apply the spaced repetition theory to the pieces of information you’ve memorized.

  

   b) Mind mapping:

It is a creative tool for brainstorming ideas and linking connections. You start by writing down a central idea, then draw lines branching out into nodes, each with its own related idea. You keep diving deeper until you've explored all the ideas and then you can see both the "main idea" with the detailed connections.

   3. The ADEPT method goes like the following:

1. Analogy: Try to come up with an analogy that goes in line with the concept that you’re trying to understand like the famous water circuit analogy to an electric circuit.

2. Diagram: Try to convert what you’ve understood into a schematic, diagram, or story ( like they say a picture worth 1000 words)

3. Example: Opt for an example that will help you reinforce what you’ve learned

4. Plain English: Try to write in your own words what you’ve understood ( no need to use technical terms)

5. Technical definition: Try to describe a definition that sums up all the needed information, of course, using technical terms.

  4. The first principles method:

This method goes around figuring out the root cause behind the concept that you want to learn. In other words, you need to dig deep down into that concept by asking a series of WHYs, then reasoning up from there. It’s a purely scientific way of thinking.

It may seem difficult to practice it but the output of such a strategy is quite promising!

Here you can find an illustration of how Elon Musk uses this method:

First Principles: Elon Musk on the Power of Thinking for Yourself.

   5. The Feynmann Technique:

It goes around explaining to others what you’ve come to understand and putting yourself into the teacher’s shoes. The more you explain the information to others, the more it will stick!

    6. Google it!

Search for different learning resources: videos, animations, books, presentations, online quizzes, educational games…

     7. Use productivity tools:

• The Pomodoro technique for time management.
• Google-keep or Evernote for note-taking.
• Notion for task management.

If you find this useful, don’t hesitate to share it ;)