You’re living in a fast-paced society, and there’s overwhelming information available out there. With just a click, you can find out a wide array of information about almost everything. That’s why learning things faster is proven to be a valuable asset nowadays. People who can understand new concepts, process information quickly, and apply this acquired knowledge to form skills have more edge than those who don’t.
But, fret not, as everyone can learn faster. You have to know the right tools to help you get your desired results. If applied properly, you can master any concept or skill, and you can significantly increase your productivity.
Without further ado, here are some ways to quickly speed up your learning process:
1. Teach What You’re Learning To Someone
Teaching a concept you want to learn can speed up learning the information and increase your chances of retaining it. This technique helps you organize the topic's key points into a coherent structure. Simplifying it into bite-size chunks of information can help you understand it easily.
Thus, when you can discuss the topic to someone without difficulty, it means you’ve already understood the material thoroughly. If you don’t have someone to teach it to, you can always imagine as if you’re talking to another person.
2. Consume Dietary Supplements
One of the most effective ways that require almost no effort in speeding up your learning capability is consuming dietary supplements.
Nootropics are substances that enhance the user’s cognitive functions—attention, memory, focus, and motivation. These are also known as ‘smart drugs’ or ‘cognitive enhancers.’ The most common type of nootropics, which you might not be aware of, is coffee. This enhances the alertness or the wakefulness of the consumer.
Nootropics like Alpha Brain Instant can improve the user’s memory and focus, which, in turn, helps someone to learn faster. However, as with any other dietary supplement available out there, you must use this with caution and consult your doctor first.
3. Exercise Regularly
Whether you’re a student or a working professional, incorporating some physical activity into your daily routine will improve your health, as well as enhance your ability to learn faster.
When you engage in any exercise or physical activity, it increases the blood flow to your brain. More blood flow promotes nerve cell growth in the brain, especially in the hippocampus. This is the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Also, exercise helps the hippocampus to be responsive to the proteins involved in enhancing one’s memory. Not only will your overall health and physique improve, but you’ll also experience improved mood, increased energy levels, and better concentration. All of these are necessary to improve one’s learning capability.
4. Take Notes By Hand, Don’t Type
If you’re a student, you may be accustomed to this tip. You might probably argue that typing notes on a device during a lecture can be more thorough; it’s counterproductive. Research has shown that writing your notes by hand can help you retain more information than if you type your notes. While taking handwritten notes can be slower and inconvenient, it fosters your comprehension because you need to reframe the information in your own words. Thus, it’ll help you retain it longer and recall it better during exams.
5. Get More Sleep
Sleep is an underrated way to improve someone’s learning speed. Downtime is necessary to retain what you learn, as most memory consolidation occurs when you’re asleep. That’s why taking a nap in between study sessions is an excellent strategy to speed up your learning.
However, depriving yourself of sleep to cram all the information at one go is counterproductive. This will only hinder your ability to incorporate new information into your short-term memory. If you find yourself reading the same paragraph of text repeatedly, and nothing seems to stick, you should rest. Otherwise, it’ll only build up stress and cause information overload. This will make your brain effectively shut down, leading you to ‘zone out.’
Final Thoughts
As the world is constantly changing, having a fast-learning ability also means adapting to almost anything quickly. Some are better than others, whether learning a new language or perfecting a skill required for your studies or work. The tips mentioned above will help you unleash that capability hidden within you.
Learning something new and unlearning certain things that might not work for you anymore are nothing short of exciting. Whatever the case, every accumulated information you take in will help you live your life accordingly. So, never stop learning and always be curious.
