Optimize your learning experiences and enhance your ability to acquire, retain, and act on knowledge effectively
Learning never stops.
Dear subscribers,
In this exclusive paid addition to the Learning to Learn Well Newsletter, we dive into the essential strategies and techniques to optimize your learning experiences. By utilizing these methods, you can enhance your ability to acquire, retain, and effectively act on knowledge in various aspects of your life.
Embrace active learning
I've observed in my classes where the students who were passive learners did not do well. They lacked the motivation and interest to achieve high standards because of their passivity.
To overcome this, you must do the following:
1. Engage in practical activities
To achieve your best, as I have seen with my top students, my friends’ lives, and my own, you must stay active when learning. You must not miss a beat. It would be best if you turned your learning into something practical. Most of your effective learning comes from your experiences.
You have to make something out of the practical aspects you’re learning about.
A passive learner learning about how to cook a recipe would just read the recipe and think about how good of a meal it would make but not actually make it.
An active learner learning how to cook a recipe would read the recipe and then actually make the meal.
One of the problems that may be causing you and other people not to act on what you learn (especially people who love to read a lot) is analysis paralysis which is when you continuously overanalyze a situation or something you are learning about. You may not feel like you know enough about it to move forward. So you continue the cycle by reading and learning more about what you want to do without making substantial strides because of fear of failure.
The best way to overcome this is to make small choices quickly. Rather than overthinking it, just do it, then learn from the mistakes or areas that need to be improved upon.
Here are ten examples of practical activities active learners (such as yourselves) can make small choices quickly and use practical experience to learn from and build your skills:
Sustainable living: Implementing eco-friendly practices in daily life, such as reducing waste, conserving energy, and choosing sustainable products.
Health and wellness: Incorporating healthy habits like regular exercise, balanced nutrition, mindfulness practices, and stress management techniques into their lifestyle.
Financial literacy: Developing a budgeting system, setting financial goals, exploring investment opportunities, and improving money management skills.
Personal development: Setting and pursuing personal goals, practicing self-reflection and self-improvement, cultivating positive habits, and enhancing interpersonal skills.
Social activism: Engaging in volunteer work, advocating for social causes, supporting local community initiatives, and participating in peaceful activism.
Cultural appreciation: Exploring different cultures through travel, cuisine, literature, and art and engaging in cross-cultural exchanges to foster understanding and appreciation.
Entrepreneurship: Starting a small business or side hustle based on their skills and passions, exploring entrepreneurship resources, and networking with like-minded individuals.
Technology proficiency: Acquiring new technological skills, such as coding, digital marketing, or data analysis, to adapt to the digital age and enhance career prospects.
Creative pursuits: Engaging in creative activities like writing, painting, photography, or music and sharing their creations with others through exhibitions, performances, or online platforms.
Community engagement: Getting involved in local community projects, joining neighborhood associations, attending town hall meetings, and contributing to the betterment of their community.
2. Summarize and share key points of your learning with others
If you want to make what you read active and retain it, then you should be filtering through what you read by taking note of the key points in your own words. Keep your notes in a specific place like Google Docs, RemNote, or a traditional notebook.
You could also keep the key points from the book on the inside cover and back inside cover of your books. That way it’s easily accessible when you open up a book to revisit it. It’s like writing your own table of contents in your own words so you can navigate your thoughts about the book.
I keep both physical notes (on the inside cover) and digital notes on RemNote that way, I can access and add to them anywhere I go.
The summarization and placement of your notes directly relate to how well you remember them and how easily you’re able to implement them in your life. Only keep the most relevant notes.
Share
It also helps your memory to take whatever ideas you feel worthy of sharing and post something about it online.
Sharing is completely optional as I know that not everyone wants to share their thoughts with the world, but I highly recommend it. You could share on various platforms and social media or even choose to keep it private or just a small group of people, similar to a mastermind or club.
For me, it’s been a game-changer to share how to learn well, and I’ve been doing it for the past 8 years. I started blogging in 2015, posting on social media in 2017, launching my website, bookmattic.com, in 2018, writing the Learning to Learn Well Newsletter in 2022, and still carrying on with all of it.
My journey all started with sharing what I was reading and learning. It turned into so much more.
3. Discuss concepts with others
If you don’t feel like sharing online you can always discuss with others. There’s a huge benefit in discussing what you’ve learned with a group of people, in person, or through a Zoom call.
Engaging in discussions can enhance your understanding of a topic, enable you to articulate your thoughts, and expose you to diverse perspectives. When conversing with others, you may encounter dissenting views that differ from your own. However, maintaining an open mind can help you appreciate that there are multiple ways of thinking about the subject matter. This, in turn, can expand your repertoire of ideas and strategies.
Through discussion, you may discover new partnerships that would have never existed without the discussion.
Discussions get your creative juices flowing. Use those juices.
Using your creative juices means you’re following through and not just letting them evaporate. You’re doing something about it. Whether that’s through a partnership or an action, you take yourself.
Your discussions could be with your co-workers, close friends, or people you’ve met online.
4. Write a (learning) journal about what you’re learning
Keeping a learning journal is just as important as sharing and discussing, as this is where you can express your ideas in your own words anytime and anywhere you want to. You don’t have to fear other people seeing your learning journal because it’s naturally a private thing. However, there may be times when you can use what you’ve written in your learning journal. This is the whole purpose of keeping one because it gives you time to reflect on and develop your ideas so that you can act on them.
As someone who has both learned and taught, I have come to appreciate the value of reflective thinking and learning. It is a powerful tool for organizing your ideas and can be particularly useful in the long run.
I have found that excellent ideas often require time to develop fully. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain a consistent learning journal. This will allow you to revisit your entries regularly and build upon them over time. By doing so, you can ensure that your ideas are fully developed and that you are always moving forward with your learning.
Pick a time during the morning, afternoon, or evening to sit with your learning journal and write for a solid duration. For me, it’s a matter of 10-15 minutes which gives me just enough time to sort through the major lessons I learned that day.
Prioritize Deep Comprehension
The best things in life take a long time to develop. When you’re working on a skill, it takes just as long as the best things in life. It takes deep comprehension of every aspect of the skill or topic.
One of the best ways to achieve deep comprehension is to do deliberate practice. Deliberate practice can be applied to learning a topic, skill, or profession.
Essentially, deliberate practice is when you analyze every aspect of the topic, skill, or profession and work on the small parts related to it. It must be worked on consistently and progressively more advanced over time for progress to be substantially effective.
Without deliberate practice, you won’t make progress. Take this everyday example of driving a car. You may be great at it, but you probably aren’t at the professional level of a NASCAR driver because you just drive in everyday traffic, not at high speeds and sharp turns. That takes a lot of practice. Deliberate practice.
Deep comprehension through deliberate practice applies to academics as well. In this case, it’s like continually going down the rabbit hole. In order to have a deep understanding of a topic you need to analyze and question what else you can learn about it, go find a text or activity that can help you understand, then repeat the process. You should also consider writing about what you do and do not understand that way you can better uncover the gaps in your knowledge so you can seek to fill them.
So, I encourage you to look closely at what you’re working on and analyze the areas where you can dig deeper and gain a deep comprehension of the topic, skill, or profession.
Other honorable ways you can acquire, retain, and act on your knowledge
Employ effective note-taking: Develop a personalized note-taking system that suits your learning style. Whether it's traditional handwritten notes, digital annotations, or mind maps, find a method that helps you organize and synthesize information effectively. Reviewing and revisiting your notes regularly will reinforce the concepts and boost retention.
Practice retrieval and spaced repetition: Actively retrieving information from memory strengthens your long-term retention. Incorporate regular review sessions with spaced repetition, spacing out your study sessions over time. By revisiting material at intervals, you reinforce your learning and prevent forgetting.
Connect new knowledge to existing knowledge: Capitalize on the power of associations by linking new information to your existing knowledge framework. You can easily do this by using an effective note-taking system and platform like RemNote. When trying to connect your new knowledge with existing knowledge seek to identify connections, draw parallels, and relate new concepts to real-life examples. By building these bridges, you create a cohesive network of knowledge, making it easier to retrieve and apply information when needed.
Engage in varied learning experiences: Expand your learning repertoire by incorporating diverse learning experiences. Supplement traditional reading with multimedia resources, podcasts, videos, or interactive online courses. Embracing a variety of learning modalities enhances your understanding and provides different perspectives on the subject matter.
Apply what you learn: Actively seek opportunities to apply your newfound knowledge in real-life situations. Whether through practical exercises, discussions, or projects, applying what you learn deepens your understanding and helps you internalize the concepts more effectively. Don't shy away from challenges; they provide valuable opportunities for growth.
Reflect and evaluate then repeat all of the above: Regularly reflect on your learning experiences. Identify what techniques and strategies work best for you and continually refine your approach. Evaluate your progress, set goals, and celebrate your achievements along the learning journey. There is never going to be an end to your learning and growth while you’re alive. This reflective practice enhances self-awareness and helps you optimize your future learning endeavors.
There’s so much more
This topic is vast and everything above just touches the tip of the iceberg.
I’m curious which aspect of this newsletter was most useful to you? Which one would you like to learn more about? Let me know in the comments.