6 Strategies Quick Learners Follow To Be More Efficient

Producer’s note: Someone on Quora asked: What learning strategies do people who are “quick learners” follow? Here is one of the best answers that’s been pulled from the thread.

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This is my strategy for learning and it has proven to be very efficient so far.

Define topic of interest: X

Split into sub-categories: {A, B, C, …} *

Define sequence of learning (from easiest to most difficult): {G, A, J, Z, …}*

* These parameters will be extended, reduced and modified on the way since perfect planning is never possible. Trial-and-error is the key word here.

Now – master each chunk using the following techniques. Focus on one chunk at a time. Don’t overload yourself with work – else the impact will be negative. The more of the strategies below you use – the more different brain regions will be activated and the higher the efficiency. Basically – surround yourself by Topic X.

1. Read books: Make a list of most significant books in the topic of interest. The 1st one will give you 80% of the knowledge. The Top 5 will cover 95%. Chuck the remaining boundary cases.
2. Watch video tutorials: Visualize information. In particular – late evenings after work – video tutorials are easier to work through than books / articles / papers.
3. Socialize: Talk to people who share common interests. People who know more and less than you. Your seniors will pass on their experience to you and passing on your knowledge to your juniors will reinforce the main concepts to you.
4. Do project work: Unless you are confronted with a real problem you won’t sit down and stretch your brain. Find an easy project. Get it done. Find another one. And another. Move forward at your own pace but keep a strict eye on your progress rate – it should be > 1.2 / day 🙂
5. Subscribe to learning material: Keep yourself up-to-date – be it through mailing lists, newsletters, blogs, magazines, “Like Pages” on Facebook or even “Topics” on Quora. Whatever the form – make sure you get to know different perspectives on the same topic.
6. Create a blog: Use your blog as a journal to monitor your progress. The more you write the more clarity you will gain and the more ideas will come to your mind. Here is mine: A How-To Guide: Enterprise Engineering.

Create memories. Enjoy the journey rather than focusing too much on the destination. Relax your brain.

Happy learning!

This answer originally appeared at Quora: The best answer to any question. Ask a question, get a great answer. Learn from experts and get insider knowledge.