THE SECRET TECHNIQUETO LEARNING ANYTHING FAST

THE SECRET TECHNIQUE TO LEARNING ANYTHING FAST - LIFEHACK.ORG 

Introduction 

If you’re reading this, you value learning and personal growth. You probably want to learn more efficiently so you can learn more. 

And the truth is, you can! 

Unlike what many believe, learning fast isn’t a smart person’s privilege. Anyone can learn faster and smarter.   

Learning is a skill that anyone can take up. If you find yourself learning slowly all these years, it’s likely because you haven’t been learning the right way.  

This worksheet can help you re-learn how to learn and learn anything effectively. 

 

Learning the Smart Way 

Whenever you want to start learning something new, I’m sure you’re always hoping to get good at it quickly. But the reality is, that sometimes it does take days, months or even years before you can confidently master a skill. 

That’s simply how learning works. You try, you gain experience, you learn from it, and you try again. And each time, you’re improving and making progress.  

Everytime you repeat this learning process, you’re going through something called a Feedback Loop. You’ll have to go through multiple feedback loops before confidently executing any skill. 

Learn with a System -- Feedback Loop 

What separates a fast learner from a slower learner is not some innate, natural talent. Instead, the fast learner understands how they learn, and has a systematic way to apply it all the time to learn a variety of things. They know how to effectively use their Feedback Loop to speed up the learning process. 

A good, smooth cycle will help you continuously make improvements with each loop, which will create steady progress and upgrade your understanding of the skill. 

To make sure your Feedback Loop is effective, you will have to look at 3 key factors:  

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THE SECRET TECHNIQUE TO LEARNING ANYTHING FAST - LIFEHACK.ORG 

I. Consistency 

Being consistent means having a regular way to get the same quality of feedback. You need to be able to compare every practice or learning experience in order to measure, learn and make adjustments.  

If your feedback is not consistent, then you’re going to have a hard time knowing what went wrong or what went right. 

For example, say you’re learning to play the guitar. If you play a different song every time you practice, you’re going to get very inconsistent feedback. Because the difficulty, rhythm, and pace of every song is different, you won’t have a reliable way to compare how well you played the current song versus the last. So, the best way to learn would be to play the same song over and over again until you get to a certain proficiency. 

This sounds simple to follow, right? Let’s look at the next factor.  

II. Speed 

The best forms of feedback are almost instantaneous. The shorter the time it takes for one Feedback Loop to complete, the better. This is because you’ll have more attempts, which means more improvements within the same timespan. 

The key to getting fast feedback is to take the skill or knowledge and break it down. Try to break down the skill into different components. They could be broken down into steps, subskills or processes, or even by difficulty. 

By Steps 

Let’s think about the skill that you intend to learn; can it be broken down by steps? 

E.g. Learning to cook 1. finding fresh ingredients 2. food prep and handling 3. preparing sauces  4. ... 5. serving and plating 

       

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THE SECRET TECHNIQUE TO LEARNING ANYTHING FAST - LIFEHACK.ORG 

By Sub-Skills / Processes 

Or you can try and break it down by sub-skills/processes. Identifying the sub-skills that make up a larger skill and creating feedback loops for each of them individually: 

E.g. Learning to use professional photo editing software 

1. Edit lighting / exposure 2. Portrait/people image touchup 3. Environment / scenery image touchup 4. Add special effects to images... 

          

 

By Difficulty 

Or you can do it by difficulty. Try and break down a more complex skill by scaling it down from something simple and ramping up the difficulty over time: 

E.g. Learning to juggle 5 balls 

1. Juggle 2 balls with two hands 2. Juggle 2 balls with one hand 3. Juggle 3 balls with two hands 4. Juggle 4 balls --- 2 balls with each hand... 

         

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THE SECRET TECHNIQUE TO LEARNING ANYTHING FAST - LIFEHACK.ORG 

III. Accuracy 

To get accurate feedback, we have to have a way of measuring it.   Quantifying is a way to accurately measure your performance. It means attaching a number to it. This helps to give objectivity and consistency when comparing your current performance with your previous performance. Quantifying feedback can give you constructive information that will help you improve during each cycle of the feedback loop. 

These numbers we use to quantify feedback are called Metrics. 

Metrics can take many different forms. Some common examples of formats that metrics may take: 

As a Quantity 

● Number of mistakes made or successful attempts 

● e.g. Able to juggle 5 balls at once 

As a Ratio 

● Ratio of successes attempts 

● e.g. 10 onions chopped per minute 

As a Time 

● How long an attempt lasts, or by when it can be done 

● e.g. Being able to hold a yoga tree pose from 10 minutes to 20 minutes 

Now, can you think of some metrics to get accurate feedback? 

E.g. Learning to use professional photo editing software As a quantity: able to create standard smoke effect on 5 different kinds of images               

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THE SECRET TECHNIQUE TO LEARNING ANYTHING FAST - LIFEHACK.ORG 

Bonus Tip: Ask for External Feedback 

The right External Feedback can help you accelerate your learning and avoid costly periods of trial 

and error. It only comes at the cost of relying on someone else to help you.  

This means that finding the right person to give External Feedback is essential. You are looking for 

experience in the form of a coach or mentor who can provide critical guidance.  

If you’re wondering how to find a coach or mentor that’s best for you, take a look at this article: 

How to Find a Mentor That Will Help You Succeed 

 

Become a Fast and Smart Learner 

Remember, learning isn’t an innate skill, but a trainable one.   

As demonstrated in this worksheet, learning comes down to a solid system that is applicable to any kind of skill and knowledge. Even though it’s something completely new to you, you can take up the skill as long as you are willing to take baby steps to get started. And, with the help of the Feedback Loop, which helps to break down your progress, you can learn faster.  

If you want to learn more effective techniques to become a smarter learner, stay tuned with our email newsletter. All the tips and tricks that help you learn fast will be delivered to your inbox! 

 

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