Master Learners: 6 Key Habits of Rapid Learning Abilities

Being a Super Learner is one of the most important skills you need to be successful in the 21st century. Staying ahead in the age of technological change depends on constantly improving yourself.

In a rapidly changing world, the ability to learn a new skill as quickly as possible is increasingly becoming a necessity. The good news is that you don't need to be a natural to get better at learning something new.

Many successful people, including Charles Darwin, Leonardo da Vinci, and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, claimed that they did not have extraordinary intelligence.

In short, we all have enough brainpower to master a new discipline. Using the right technique, almost anyone can learn anything. Even better, your learning process can become more enjoyable thanks to these techniques. If you're aiming to learn a new skill to improve your career this year, these 6 habits will be useful for you.

1) Super learners read a lot

Reading tells us; It gives us the freedom to wander through history and look at ideas, concepts, emotions and our knowledge from a deeper perspective.

When you read a book, your brain grows, changes and gains new connections depending on the type of material you read. When we look at people who are talented at learning, we see that they read a lot.

Elon Musk reads one or two books a day. Bill Gates reads 50 books a year. Mark Zuckerberg reads at least one book every two weeks. Warren Buffett spends five to six hours a day; He spends his time reading five newspapers and a 500-page corporate report.

2) Super learners see learning as a process

Learning is a journey, new knowledge, but not a destination. This enjoyable journey is a lifelong process. Understanding any topic, idea, or new mindset requires not just keen observation but a constant sense of curiosity.

“A learning journey is a curated collection of formal and informal learning assets that can be used to gain skills for a specific role and/or technology domain,” says IBM's Sonia Malik.

Learning is an investment that often pays off in increased earnings. In the changing business world; If you want to be indispensable and improve, learning will be more useful than ever.

Super learners value the process. They do not have a clear goal for learning and seek consistent improvement. (New principles, processes, world views, thinking models, etc.)

3) They adopt a growth mindset

If you've adopted a growth mindset, you're on the right track. This thought, Dr. Developed by Carol Dweck; It is a learning theory that revolves around intelligence, ability, and the belief that you can improve your performance.

Author, futurist and businessman Alvin Toffler, known for his works discussing modern technologies, says: “21. The illiterates of the century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn.”

Taking this approach can help you focus more on the goals you most desire in life. It can make it easier for you to see opportunities to learn and develop your skills.

Having an open mind, acquiring better knowledge and having the ability to apply it when necessary will significantly improve your life and career.

4) Super learners teach others what they know.

According to research, learners retain approximately 90% of what they learn when explaining the concept to someone else, teaching it, or trying it out in practice.

Teaching others what you know; It is one of the most effective ways to learn and remember new information. Psychologists call this “retrieval practice.” It is one of the most reliable ways to create stronger memory traces.

Learn by teaching others a topic in simple terms so you can quickly identify gaps in your knowledge. This habit is a mental model created by famous physicist Richard Feynman. The Feynman Technique is also clearly explained in James Gleick's book “Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman”. The ultimate test of your knowledge is your capacity to transfer it to someone else. The best way to learn, process, retain and remember information is 50% learning and 50% sharing. If you want to try this technique; Instead of completing a book, try reading 50 percent and remembering, sharing, or writing down the key ideas you learned before moving on.

5) Effective learners take care of their brains

Everyone wants to live an active life for as long as possible. However, the realization of this desire depends on strong brain health. Keeping your brain healthy keeps your intelligence sharp. What you do or don't do for your brain can significantly change the way you memory, process and retrieve information.

Brain health; It means eating lots of foods that are associated with slowing cognitive decline. For example, get protein from blueberries, vegetables (greens like kale, spinach, broccoli), whole grains, fish and legumes, and consume healthy unsaturated fats.

Fruits and vegetables combat age-related oxidative stress, which causes wear and tear on brain cells. If we do nothing to protect them, our brains will naturally begin to decline. However, you can slow down the regression process if you intervene early. Maintaining a healthy brain is much easier than trying to repair a damaged brain.

6) They take frequent short breaks

Study time is crucial for the information you want to learn and permanently commit to your brain. last done According to the researchtaking frequent short breaks can help you absorb information better and even increase your recall rate.

“Everyone thinks a 'practice, practice, practice' system is necessary when learning something new,” said Leonardo G. Cohen, senior investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders. “Instead, we found that frequent rest for learning is perhaps as critical as the aforementioned system,” he says.

Quality and frequent breaks will help the brain digest information and make it permanent. No matter what you learn over time, it's important to optimize your rest intervals to get better results.

Experts at Louisiana State University's Center for Academic Success recommend 30-50 minute sessions for studying. “Studying for less than 30 minutes is not enough, but studying for more than 50 minutes also creates too much information to load into your brain at once,” says graduate assistant Ellen Dunn.

Your brain's neural networks need to process information, so spacing out your learning will help you memorize new information more efficiently. Make sure to give your brain enough time to rest and recover as well as to learn.

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