How to learn faster

up:: Productivity

Build safety net

You can improve your learning skills by asking basic questions and setting up a safety net - something that will give you a general understanding of what you are about to learn.
Those questions are:

1. What are we talking about? Explain yourself as you were 4 years old.
2. Why is this important?
3. How important it is?
4. Why and how should I care?
5. What can I do when I learn this? Learn new possibilities.
6. What can't I do even though I've learnt this? Learn limitations.
7. Where can I find further knowledge?
8. Who are the experts?
   Additional helper questions to ask:
9. So, what we're talking about is...?
10. So, what are you actually mean is..?
11. So, do you mean that when this happens then this happens?
    Start from simple explaination, omit complex definitions. Then get information about the knowledge - what is possible and not possible even you have it. To remember it for longer period, make the topic important to you, use mental associations, feel connection to it.

Learn like a painter

Learn subject in layers, but remember about The Anchoring Effect
Start from simple explaination and skip more difficult topics until they will be understandable.
If something takes you more than a few minutes to embrace it in your mind, skip it for now, try to change perspective.

Learn like a hunter

Become fascinated about the topic you are going to learn. Imagine yourself as a person, who already uses the power of knowledge. Ask questions like:

• How does this idea relate to something I know?
• How could I use this idea somewhere else?
• What happens to this idea under a different set of conditions?
  If you can't relate topic to prior knowledge, try to have some fun from learning.

Learn like an athlete

Regardless of how you feel, just do it. Identify your areas for improvement.Use self-reflection to find topics that need to be covered.
Waiting for motivation to come is counterproductive. You'll loose a lot of time for waiting for motivation. Only action can create motivation. Make action and persevere, then you'll have progress. This progress will provide motivation. Stay vigilant and learn even if you don't want to. If you'll make it non-negotiable, consisttent progress will become the motivation you need to keep getting started again.
Ask youself this question:

• What is the reality of the situation?
  When planning to learn hard topic, give yourself more time.

Based on YouTube video of Elizabeth Filips - You're Not Slow: Become a Speed Learner in 20 Minutes
and How to Learn Insanely Difficult Subjects Easily from Cajun Koi Academy.