How to Accelerate Your Learning in Life with Daily Habits
In order to learn better and become smarter, you will need to have a new approach towards daily life. That’s because the small actions we take on a daily basis end up making the biggest difference in the long-term.
The following habits and practices are adjustments you can make to your current lifestyle and daily schedule so you can double your learning speed and build new skills in no time:
Fight the initial resistance.
Have you noticed how when you make yourself do something you don’t really enjoy, there’s resistance. Most of the times, and especially when we haven’t trained our mind to control it, we listen to it and simply don’t take action.
That’s how procrastination occurs. Unfortunately, if that becomes the norm you will never see progress with your goals or become a better learner.
Change it with mindfulness and in small steps. The very first thing you should do is to notice the resistance and acknowledge it. It usually is a moment that continues for a few seconds and that’s when you can decide whether you’re the one in charge.
Your mind can come up with excuses easily and you can immediately think of reasons why you shouldn’t take the action.
Maybe it’s learning 10 new words in the foreign language you’re currently trying to master, doing your homework, completing a lecture from an online course you’re taking to build a new skill that will help you with your career, or else. Whatever the activity, you should begin.
The first few minutes of starting are hard, but then it gets easier. The more you practice this mindful way of learning, the more your willpower will increase over time. Each next day, you will be stronger than the resistance.
Study in the morning.
Multiple studies suggest that finding focus in the morning is much easier. What’s more, there aren’t any distractions in the early hours of the day.
You have just had enough sleep and wake up energized. Leave bed a bit earlier and invest that power in your studies, business project or new skill/hobby.
You’ll notice that anything you learn during that hour or two before the day has started actually enters your long-term memory and stays there for longer.
Make a plan for the next 30 days.
Psychology has proven that forming a new behavior takes at least around 30 days. So, trust the facts and plan accordingly.
Open your calendar and add 30 minutes, an hour or more to each day or every other day for the next month that includes doing something related to what you want to learn.
Also, decide what you’ll be doing during that time so you don’t end up procrastinating or not knowing where to start and giving up.
Track your progress.
There’s a reason why grades exist. People care about the final score and numbers are powerful enough to keep them motivated.
Whatever it is that you want to memorize, learn and get better at, make sure you set milestones and track your progress. That’s the only way to know if you’re heading in the right direction.
Tracking will also allow you to see the big picture and feel motivated, as well as to notice the details from the day-to-day achievements or failures and analyze them.
Write down what you learn.
Another simple habit you should develop that can help you double your learning speed is the act of writing down what you learn right after you’re done with it.
Writing information helps us internalize it better. It allows it to get to our subconscious mind. This boosts our memory and makes the process of learning less overwhelming.
Sometimes, you might spend hours going over the material of a course or research something thoroughly, just to realize all the information in your head is not organized and you just need a break. That’s when writing down can help.
Some even say it can replace the actual learning process. Which means that whatever subject it is that you need to learn, you should begin by taking notes and writing down what you should remember about it. That might be enough to actually begin practicing it or even prepare for an exam.
Have a change of scenery.
To recall better, you should change the environment you’re usually in. A change of scenery is proven to give us a different perspective and help our minds process the study material better.
Outdoor learning is a popular thing too. Being in nature, for example, allows you to concentrate faster and remember more. Not to mention it unleashes your creativity and you can get more done.
Now you know what daily changes to make or habits to create in order to accelerate your learning process and see improvements in all areas of life. Where will you begin?
