Improve the Way You Learn With These 3 Tips

If you would like to improve the way you learn, this article has some great tips for you to do just that, so keep reading!

Have you ever walked across a sandy beach?

Take a moment to imagine the heat from the sun on your face and the slight cooling breeze coming in from the sea.

Can you hear the soft sounds of waves breaking against the shore?

You are heading home holding your shoes in your hand as you walk across the warm, soft sand.

You have ended up with some sand, in between your toes, on and under your feet.

So as you leave the beach, you stop and brush yourself off.

It doesn’t matter how good and thorough job you do, there are always some tiny little grains of sand left behind.

They are almost invisible to the eye.

So small that some escape your attempt to remove them, getting into everything.

A few grains of sand are left in your socks, shoes, and between your toes and they powerfully affect how it feels to walk.

Poor man’s pedicure or not, your experience of walking is completely different.

In life, some of the best habits are tiny almost invisible acts like tiny grains of sand, that can transform your life in the most powerful and positive ways with almost no effort from you.

Keep reading to discover three easy ways to improve the way you learn.

How do I get through the boring stuff and still learn a lot?

I remember being told to “sit up and pay attention” in school over and over again, when I had zoned out, of a boring or difficult class.

I did as I was told, good girl that I am, and sat up – although before long I would have zoned out again.

If anyone had asked me after leaving the classroom, what I had just learned I would not have been able to tell them anything but the headline themes with confidence.

It has been years since I left school, so many in fact that I prefer not to count.

It is only in the last few years that I have learned that my teacher shouting “sit up” at me was the greatest grain of sand to learning ever.

If only it was explained or I was taught to understand how to put into practice this tool for successful learning and information retention.

1. Sit Up and Pay Attention

These days I always sit up, lean in, and ‘act’ interested and engaged.

It may sound so simple, but it really does help improve the way you learn.

Please don’t discount it as too simple because, like that grain of sand stuck between your toes, the act of sitting up has the power to affect your learning experience.

The most effective way to get through boring situations such as meetings, lectures, and seminars is to ‘act’ interested and engage.

I hope you noticed the word act sneaked in there.

For me, when I am interested in something, my whole body is aligned differently.

I take notes, I ask questions, and I contribute.

Now, when I am not so interested in a meeting or seminar, I do the very same things I do for situations that do interest me.

The results of what I am able to learn are amazing!

As soon as you sit up straight and lean in, your whole body and mind engage.

Somehow our senses are fooled into absorbing so much more information than you think possible.

Sometimes I have even managed to turn my feelings around enough that I might start out bored out of my mind but end really interested and motivated.

Although to this day I have never managed to find any meeting to do with finance interesting, I still approach those meetings in the same way.

Maybe one day!!!

2. Note it down

Taking notes will inevitably improve the way you learn.

I mentioned earlier ‘take notes’ but not the kind of notes that consist of just headline themes or ideas.

Make notes of every single thought you have.

If it makes you think, ‘oh,’ ‘a ha’ or ‘umm.’

Note it down!

Note down your action points and those of your team, or anything you feel is relevant.

Or even if it doesn’t feel relevant, note it down.

If you sit in a meeting for an hour and you usually leave with half a page of notes try to actively double what you note down.

Try to listen for that one thing that is a little more engaging or relevant to you, shining out like a diamond in the rough.

At first, you may find it hard to identify your diamond but as we British say, ‘You wait ages for a bus and then three come at once.’

It is those diamonds that help connect everything else together.

Rest assured your notes don’t have to make sense to anyone else but you.

Aim to use your notes like your second brain or active brain dump and free up some headspace.

I would always recommend taking loads of notes and not relying on your memory.

Our brains are like computers with only so much headspace available to use at any one time.

Once you hit your headspace limit, the store closes, the shutters come down and nothing else gets in.

Now that you have taken copious notes, actively review them within 48 hours.

Add any new thoughts or insights to the notes as you read through.

The amount you absorb and recall will greatly increase when you use your notes as a memory and inspiration aid.

3. To Improve the Way You Learn, Talk it out!

One more grain of sand to deal with and that’s – Talk it out!

Before you go to sleep that night, you need to debrief.

If you’re at work, tell a colleague about the meeting, be the guy or gal who offers to bring the person who couldn’t make it up to speed.

If you are a student, make it part of your regular study buddy briefing.

Tell them absolutely everything like they were there in the actual meeting, lecture, seminar, etc.

etc.

You get the idea!

If you don’t have someone to tell, 99.9% have smartphones that can record what you are saying so speak into your phone and record yourself.

Just talk it out in as much detail.

You can review your notes and use them as a prompt then put them down and start to speak.

Remember – Sit up! Note it down! Talk it out!

It is a 1-2-3 step process but you can get away with just trying step 1 and you will see an immediate improvement in what you have learned and retained.

The more reference points and connections between what you have heard, learned, recorded, and acted upon the more the information is anchored into your memory.

The key is to actively participate, actively take notes, and actively recall.

Have you tried any of these techniques for better learning and retention?

Do you have any more tips to improve the way you learn?

Tell us in the comment section!

Check out these related lifestyle articles:

11 Ways You Can Use Neuro-Associations to Increase Productivity

Did you know you can increase your productivity using neuro-associations? You don’t actually have to “do” more. Find out how!

5 Psychological Barriers That Super Successful People Destroy

All of us struggle with psychological barriers at some point. They are common. Discover the psychological barriers that super successful people destroy.

7 Reasons to Become a More Responsible Person

Responsibility represents a key attribute for men, women, and children, one that is fine-tuned over an extended period of time and tested constantly.

Why Hard Work Beats Talent Every Time

Discover why hard work beats talent and why it’s the sustaining factor that will push you to the top of the heap and keep you there!

Check out these related quote articles:

Education Quotes About Learning & Students

Check out this list of education quotes that will help you appreciate the power of learning.

Short Inspirational Quotes For Daily Motivation

Our mind is activated when we read something encouraging, funny, or thoughtful.

Inspirational Quotes For Kids About Success

Learn to fly and soar into the adult you want to be, with these inspirational quotes for kids.

Funny Inspirational Quotes About Life

Here are our favorite funny motivational quotes about life, work, and becoming successful.