Top 10 simple habits that can help you learn anything twice as fast

You can speed up your learning by creating mental images that link new information to what you already know. This technique includes using abbreviations, homophones, or related objects that help you remember recently acquired information. Associating what you're learning with something interesting will also enhance your study effectiveness.

Your brain, like your body, becomes stronger and more efficient through practice. Learn new things, even those that were once unfamiliar to you. Set new challenges for yourself, or even play brain games to improve cognitive abilities.

Try learning a new language, exploring things you’ve never attempted before, following new trends, or confronting things outside your comfort zone. Setting personal challenges or playing brain games can boost your focus, memory, and logical thinking. The more you train your brain, the faster it will absorb information.

Humans have four types of brainwaves: alpha, beta, theta, and delta. Among these, the alpha state (typically ranging from 8 to 13 Hz) is when our focus and ability to learn are most heightened.

The Alpha state is considered an ideal mental state for concentration. You can guide your brain into this state by listening to music with beats around 8 to 13 Hz. Try to avoid music with lyrics as it might distract you.

Đây là một phương pháp có thể giúp bạn ghi nhớ những gì bạn đã được học một cách vô cùng hiệu quả. Khi đi dạy cho người khác, bạn có thể giữ lại được trong đầu bạn từ 85 - 95% những gì bạn được tiếp thu từ trên lớp hay ngoài đời, đặc biệt là bạn nên dạy cho người khác những gì bạn tự học được.

Chia sẻ kiến thức với người khác không chỉ giúp họ học được những thứ mới mà chính xác là bạn cũng đang tự giúp mình ngấm mọi thứ nhanh hơn bởi hoạt động này khiến não phải hồi tưởng, hệ thống lại và tìm cách diễn đạt trôi chảy mọi thứ vừa được học.

Nothing can surpass the value of hands-on experience. Book knowledge only holds real value when applied in the real world. For example, you might read many books on stock market investing, but it is only when you begin buying your first stocks with your own money that you fully understand the process and what it demands.

Another approach is to immerse yourself in the learning experience. For instance, if you're learning Spanish, spend a few months living in Mexico, striving to speak only Spanish in daily conversations or engaging frequently with Spanish speakers in your community. During these few months, you'll learn more than years of studying at home.

Integrating a variety of learning methods (such as visual aids, reading, writing, and emotional/motor activities – also known as the VARK model) can enhance a learner's engagement. If you are a visual learner, draw many pictures, mind maps, or create PowerPoint presentations to stimulate yourself. If you prefer tactile, hands-on learning, why wait? Get your hands on something new you're learning (or sometimes explore related concepts)?

Once you've identified the best learning method for yourself, you can accelerate your learning by applying it more frequently. However, it's best to combine different methods. For instance, if you're learning coding from an article, read it aloud, visualize how you will implement it, then immediately apply it to building your own website/app.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of the bestseller Outliers: The Story of Success, introduced the famous principle of “deliberate practice.” Deliberate practice means focusing intensely on improving a specific skill and pushing yourself beyond your usual “comfort zone.” This is also what enables many athletes and musicians to progress much faster than others.

Recent studies show that by altering your training methods (for example, by adding pressure in terms of time or difficulty), you can significantly increase your learning speed. The reason for this is that changing your approach forces your brain to reinforce what you already know. The ideal time to change your learning method is after six hours of practicing one approach.

Across the globe, you can easily find numerous successful entrepreneurs, both financially and socially. A common trait among them is their habit of reading a lot of books, and they maintain this reading habit daily. No one can deny the benefits of reading books for personal growth.

However, knowing how to read effectively is also an important skill that not everyone is aware of. Speed reading doesn’t mean skimming through pages and forgetting everything the next day. It includes various techniques such as chunking the text, reading silently, scanning for key content, and using tools like highlighters or sticky notes. You can even explore apps like Spreeder to help train your speed reading.

Location: Everyone has a different level of concentration. For example, if you have a high concentration level and dislike cramped spaces, consider spending a small amount to work in a coffee shop with spacious and open areas. However, if you're someone who struggles with focus and gets easily distracted, a library would be the best option for you.

Time: According to each individual's biological clock, focus ability varies. Some people concentrate best in the early morning, others late at night, or maybe during the daytime. Therefore, take time to observe when you're most alert and focused.

Mindset: This is arguably the most crucial factor. To achieve the best results, you need to feel comfortable and be in the right mindset to focus. Create that comfort by doing things that help you relax before studying, like taking a shower or listening to music.

Note-taking helps the brain process and summarize what we are learning. It also plays a crucial role in helping our brain recall previously absorbed information, an essential factor in learning anything.

Studies have shown that handwritten notes have a more significant impact compared to typing on a computer. Writing by hand allows for slower, more thoughtful engagement with the information you've just encountered. Thus, to enhance your learning speed, try to jot down important details on paper.

Cloud-based note-taking apps like Evernote (free with a basic plan) are highly useful in this context. Evernote not only lets you sync your typed content across devices and platforms, but it also allows you to scan handwritten notes for long-term storage.