How to Become a Better Learner

Learning isn’t about mindlessly consuming information. It’s about transforming knowledge into action.

Learning how to learn is a skill you can master.

Although we live in a world where knowledge is everywhere, learning effectively can be tricky. Whether you’re picking up a new language or mastering a skill, understanding and applying knowledge is a true superpower.

From mindset to science-based techniques, in this guide, I’ll share tools and tactics that have helped me develop many valuable skills.

It is inspired by a comment by someone wanting to learn faster and explore mind palaces. And though it will focus on mind shifts and active learning, as they proved most helpful to me, I’ll (also) touch on those.

If that resonates, stick around. If it doesn’t, don’t. If you like the content, consider subscribing and supporting me via the links in the description. On this channel, I talk about self-improvement, psychology, philosophy, holistic living, and esotericism. I also share ideas that helped me along the way and make the music you hear in my videos.

Growth Mindset

Probably the core thing that transformed my learning is a concept called ‘growth mindset.’ Invented by psychologist Carol Dweck, this reveals our abilities aren’t fixed but develop through dedication, practice, and learning from failure.

A Default to many, a fixed mindset holds that our abilities are static — either we have them or we don’t. Limiting our potential, such a belief, often goes hand-in-hand with the fear of failure. Conversely, embracing a growth mindset opens us to learning, adapting, and overcoming potential challenges. Doing so one realizes:

“You are not stuck with what we have. Your efforts determine our growth and success.”
— POTB

A simple yet effective way to adopt a growth mindset is highlighted in Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act. That is replacing limiting beliefs like:

“I cannot do that.”

with

“I haven’t done it yet.”

Such an outlook, teaches you is that that no matter how complex (or challenging), everything is figure-outable. Hence, if not today or tomorrow, with enough persistence, you’ll eventually build the desired skills and knowledge.

Learning is about growing and changing, not simply relying on what you already have. Think of it as new versus old money: new money represents your ongoing efforts and growth, while old money is what you have by default. For this, it is vital to create your own rules rewarding efforts, not pre-existing abilities. Let me explain.

In a study, they compared two groups of kids. One was rewarded for short-term results due to pre-existing talents, the other purely for their strife and efforts despite outcomes. When it came to long-term performance (and sustainability), the second group outperformed the first.

And according to DrRichardFeyimann’s Twitter account:

“Your intelligence is not determined by your examination grades but by your willingness to learn, your ability to think and solve problems.”

Desire and Curiosity

Leveraging a growth mindset and taking (enough) action proves that you can learn (pretty much) anything. On the contrary, finding pursuits (actually) resonating with your deeper self exponentially increases your chances of success. To identify such pursuits, nurture your inner child’s curiosity and let them explore.

Use desire and curiosity to approach/dabble with something new. Use enjoyment and fulfillment to master it.
— POTB

Schools’ major issue is that it often makes people dislike learning by associating it with meaningless, tedious facts with no practical application. The same applies to books and reading. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t hinder your learning journey. Instead, embrace permanent education guided by Mark Twain’s words:

“Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.”

— Mark Twain

and

“During the first few years of life, every child is a little “learning machine” trying out new movements and new words daily. The rapt concentration on the child’s face, as she learns each new skill is a good indication of what enjoyment is about. And each instance of enjoyable learning adds to the complexity of the child’s developing self.

Unfortunately, this natural connection between growth and enjoyment tends to disappear with time. Perhaps because “learning” becomes external imposition when schooling starts, the excitement of mastering new skills gradually wears out.”

Flow. P 47

By exploring various fields, you’ll discover some to align more with your nature while others less or don’t at all. This approach helps you become a T-shaped person: versatile in many areas but highly skilled in a few. Such a combination enables you to see (meaningful) connections where others don’t, which some define as genius, others as having what’s called a daVinci Perspective. It also lets you direct your efforts wisely based on who you (truly) are. More on that by the end.

Active Learning

As mentioned, learning is about transforming information into action. While schools (still) program kids to passively memorize, the fact of the matter is information is useless unless applied.

Some say reading without applying is like eating without exercising. The first leads to physical; the second — to mental obesity. The same applies to learning.

Learning without implementing is pure entertainment, not much of which sticks in the memory.

To prevent that to the rescue comes the active recall method. Associated with apps like Anki and Quizlet, that’s ‘actively recalling’ a piece of information. This strengthens your ability to retrieve that information from memory. Active recall methods like SQ3R involve creating your own:

• Surveys;
• Questions;
• Summaries;
• Flash Cards, etc.

Essentially, this is what SQ3R represents:

• survey,
• question,
• read,
• recite, and
• review

These can be verbal or written. Whatever the case, the method is meant to help you memorize and retrieve single pieces of information, which, IMHO, other than in taking tests and TV shows like ‘Jeopardy’, may or may not find much application.

Mind Palaces

Active recall brings us to the so-called ‘mind palaces.’ Also known as the ‘method of loci,’ this is an ancient memory tool (or mnemonic device). It was used for thousands of years, going back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It associates spaces, i.e., different locations and images with information you want to remember.

Think of it as creating your own correspondences like those in Esoteric systems. For instance, place X goes with image X, which goes with the information you want to retrieve. You imagine the place, and everything else resurfaces in your mind, unpacking the created attributions.

Identically, Qabalistic Psychology associates symbolic elements like colors, letters, and principles. For example, considering the planet Jupiter Qabalistically, we think of:

• The Sphere of Chessed;
• The 21st path;
• The Fortune Card and perpetual change;
• Principles of growth, expansion, and development;
• Purple violet, and dark blue, and Navy;
• The Hebrew letter כ (Kaph);
• The Letter Resh in the name ARARITA, such as;
• The names EL, Tzadkiel, Sachiel, Yophiel, Chasmalim, etc.
• Sagittarius and Pisces, etc.

Given that, although it is an abstract diagram, the Tree of Life could be the ultimate mind palace. Let me know if you agree.

There are several steps to using mind palaces.

1. Choose a Familiar Place: This must be a well-known location you visit regularly. The more familiar, the better. I.e., your home or parts of your block.
2. Assign Information: Ascribe/Place pieces of information at different spots of the location. For example, store a piece of data in your living room while another in your kitchen;
3. Create Vivid Associations: Make your attributions maximally memorable. The more vivid and emotionally charged, the easier it will be to recall them.
4. Visit Regularly: Walk through your mental palace in your mind. Such a practice strengthens the connections and makes it easier to retrieve the information when needed.

Teaching

“The best way to learn something is to (actually) teach it.”

— Jim Kwik

Going beyond the standard active recall, the Feynman technique takes a more active approach. Invented by Dr. Richard Feynman, it involves explaining notions as if teaching someone else… which is basically you.

Writing is essential here, as it allows you to organize thoughts and ideas, create bullet points, and rephrase concepts. Also, to develop analogies based on your life.

Hence, apps like Notion and Obsidian find utility.

When it comes to pure knowledge or facts from a lesson, teaching is enough. With actual skills, teaching should never precede practicing and hands-on experience. If it does, then it is mere theorizing and summarizing.

Only Learning
So, let’s consider this: Person A and Person B learn to ‘bodybuild.’ Person A finds about the greatest of all time, people like Serge Nubret, Vince Gironda, etc., and thoroughly, studies their philosophy, routines, and eating ways. They can replicate the information well, yet you never go to the gym or eat similarly.

In contrast, person B learns general concepts like the importance of enough protein, fasting, and volume training. They also go to the gym regularly while following a semi-decent diet. Obviously, in months or years, person B will have a superior understanding and physique.

Similarly, someone who reads plenty about ‘for loops’ in coding can explain them to you. They recognize the starting and ending points, the number of iterations, etc. But suppose they’ve never practiced Data Structures and Algorithms or built something with such loops. In that case, their understanding won’t compare to someone who (actually) has — even if that person hasn’t read as much. So, the point here is this:

Maximize your practice by remembering personal breakthroughs and aha moments. Distill the most pivotal, and teach it.

According to peak performers like Tim Kennedy, the fastest way to master something is to (actually) fail at it quickly. Such an approach provides insights you cannot get from books or manuals, especially with practical skills like:

• Coding;
• Bodybuilding;
• Writing;
• Entrepreneurship;
• Design;
• Producing and playing an instrument, etc.

According to N. Hill, every failure holds the seed for success.

Regular Practice

Regular practice requires building a habit to fit into a system that’s part of a lifestyle. Its starting point depends on factors like:

• intrinsic motivation;
• curiosity;
• willingness to organize and adapt;

Early consistency is key for progress, which reinforces motivation. When you start seeing results, your brain links the activity with enjoyment. As you continue, neural pathways strengthen, expanding your ability to engage with the habit. Said differently, your brain rewires itself for the task, enabling you to operate more efficiently. So the message here is this

“Ensure frequent engagement without risking burnout. That balance is pivotal.”
— POTB

Now, consider bodybuilding. Many gym rats train daily (with plenty of volume and intensity). Yet most started with three-day splits and full-body workouts. Similarly, coding mentor Stephen Mischook offers 15-20 minute practice sessions for beginners. As these become a piece of cake, you can scale them, extending their duration and/or frequency.

Iteration changes your cognitive landscape. The more frequently you practice, the more you understand. The new neural connections start making the skill second nature, reinforcing your curiosity and enabling you to build mastery.

It’s crucial to practice and study concepts that are challenging enough to sustain your curiosity and engagement but not too complex to make you want to quit. As found in a moment, this keeps you in flow states, focusing on the task at hand and approaching deeper levels of the matter.

Building a Habit

Regular practice requires building a habit which implies intentional planning. As the saying goes, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’ So here’s how to do it.

• Habit Stacking: Also known as ‘chaining,’ this leverages momentum from established habits. It attaches new behaviors to existing ones. For example, after your morning coffee, you can seamlessly incorporate a 30-minute learning session, followed by meditation or reading you’ve been already doing. The established routine reinforces the new practice, making it easier to maintain.
• Temptation Bundling: Mentioning coffee, you can have that while studying or practicing, using what’s called temptation bundling. That is combining pleasurable with necessary and productive activities. If music helps, you can also play some as a background. If it doesn’t, don’t. Something I found is that due to having nostalgic (and retrospective) feeling so-called Lo-Fi study beats could be distracting. In contrast, something like a deep micro house or dub techno facilitates focus.
• Optimize for productivity: Structure your sessions around your natural rhythm. Many people’s cognitive sharpness peaks in the morning, making it ideal for challenging tasks like learning or creative work.
• Utilize the ‘if-then’ rule: Adaptability is vital for consistency. The ‘if-then’ rule provides a fallback solution if it happens that you miss a session. For instance: “If I miss my morning practicing or studying, I’ll do it right after lunch.” Besides keeping you on track, such flexibility removes unpleasant emotions emerging when not doing so.

Attention

We covered that teaching and practicing are vital to learning. Also, that they require gradually building a habit, holding your progress. The third factor is the quality of your practice. Some say:

‘Practice makes it perfect.’

Others:

‘Perfect practice makes it perfect.’

and third

‘Strive for improvement, not perfection.’

While all of them hold truth, striving for perfection may not be appropriate for beginners. On the contrary, ensuring maximum focus with every session is crucial, no matter how advanced.

As Tony Robbins said:

“Energy flows where attention goes.”
— Tony Robbins

In regards to learning, your attention or the quality of focus makes all the difference.

“Attention is a Psychic Energy(…) Each person allocates his or her limited attention either by focusing intentionally like a beam of energy (…) or by diffusing it in desultory, random movements. The shape of the content of life depends on how attention has been used.

“Attention is like energy in that without it, no work can be done, and in doing work, it is dissipated. We create ourselves by how we invest this energy. Memories, thoughts, and feelings are all shaped by how we use it. “And it is an energy under our control to do with as we please; hence, attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience (…)”

“At one point, we are saying that the self directs attention at another and that attention determines the self. In fact, both of these statements are true: consciousness is not a strictly linear system but one in which circular causality obtains. Attention shapes the self and is, in turn, shaped by it.”

“(…) experience depends on the way we invest psychic energy — on the structure of attention. This, in turn, is related to our goals and intentions. These processes are connected to each other by the self or the dynamic mental representation we have of the entire system of our goals.”

— Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. Flow P .33-35

Eliminating Distractions

The first thing this tells us is that no matter how short or long, your learning must be sacred and free from distractions. This means ensuring a distraction-free environment.

It is far better to spend less time learning or practicing with no distractions as opposed to wasting hours with a scattered mind.

By leveraging your attention and keeping yourself in flow states, your learning process will shape your identity and mastery of the field you pursue. So the message here is this:

“The quality of your focus determines the degree to which you’ll bring the self having mastery over the things that you want.”
— POTB

A gold-standard method to manage attention is the Pomodoro technique. This means alternating between periods of intense focus and short rests. During the first, nothing else matters. During the second, you relax, take a few steps, hydrate, etc.

Traditionally, that’s alternating 25 minutes of work with 5 minutes of rest. Yet, I personally go with 30 minutes for the first. Whatever the case, I suggest tracking those as bullet points in your bullet journal, among your other habits and routines.

Talents and Genetics

Last but not least, whatever you aim at learning, it should be because of yourself, not anyone else, because of your genuine curiosity. The more that’s true, the more you’ll likely succeed, sticking to the learning process despite the obstacles.

Consider your genetic predispositions. According to certain Esoteric schools, they usually overlap with your passions and interests. This forms what we call Ikigai or Pure Will, transcending a single choice of career.

While a growth mindset allows us to excel at (virtually) anything, based on what I’ve seen, Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule can make one exceptional at coding, another — good, and a third decent at best.

When it comes to writing, music, or sports, these outcomes might be completely different. Minding this, remember what we covered about becoming a T-shaped person, investing your efforts and attention into what’s most meaningful and sense-making to you. But that’s just my opinion. Let me know if you agree. Support my work through the links in the description. Check my products, music, and books. Subscribe to the channel or don’t. Thank You For your time.