Four takeaways and ten action points that can help you become a better learner
Recently I caught myself in a thinking process about information. There’s no doubt that deep knowledge in any field is a leverage and a moat for you as a professional or for your business.
In our era of information so-called “knowledge” is everywhere. That’s why I wondered what are the main criteria for valuable knowledge gaining. After some thought, I defined two main components — the quality of the information and the ability to remember and use knowledge effectively.
To answer the second question I have enrolled in an amazing course on Coursera — Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski. The course itself is very interesting and fun to go through. Barbara shares information in a very clear way and always backs it with scientific researchers. For those, who want to embrace the full experience — I recommend enrolling yourself, besides, the course is free.
For those who want to get key takeaways and action points, I invite you to read this article.
4 Key Takeaways
1. Diffused and Focused modes
Our brain operates in 2 different modes — diffused and focused.
Focused mode is activated when you concentrate on solving a task or carefully listening. In this mode brain uses existing thought patterns and goes by the existing “neural roads”.
Focused mode is crucial to absorb and understand new concepts and ideas as well as build logical chains and solve problems step by step.
Diffused mode is a mode when your brain is in a relaxed state and you don’t concentrate necessarily on anything. While in diffused mode, the thought pattern is chaotic and goes from one thought pattern to another. In this mode, the brain can connect two previously unconnected thought patterns.
The diffuse mode allows the brain to work on an idea unconsciously “in the background”. This is why in a shower you suddenly get an amazing idea of what you should do next. When two unconnected neuron patterns are connected — you get a new idea that is generated by your brain.
2. Chunking
Our brain in order to remember the information connects it with other knowledge. Kinda puts information in one folder, in order to group data. This information incapsulation is called chunking.
As you go deeper into the topic of your research, more and more thought patterns are connected to a group and then can be recalled altogether. Also, previous knowledge fundament is helping you to learn faster and recognise patterns which makes education easier over time.
For example, when you talk about “investing” and you are an expert in it, this word encapsulates in itself a lot of knowledge, without the requirement to recall every detail of it while you are thinking or talking about it.
What makes a person smart is a collection of “chunks,” or in other words, folders containing various knowledge areas. When you possess a wealth of seemingly unrelated knowledge, your diffused brain can connect these pieces, enabling you to identify patterns across different, unrelated spheres.
In fact, Professor Oakley suggests that many new discoveries have been made by young individuals or professors from adjacent spheres.
It’s your choice whether you want to delve deeper into one chunk and become an expert in it, or maintain numerous chunks that may not be as deep but can provide unexpected solutions.
3. Memory
Learning, from a physiological perspective, involves the creation of new synapses, which are connections between neurons.
The brain possesses two types of memory: working memory and long-term memory.
Working memory is located in the prefrontal cortex. Working memory has 4 slots for chunks that it uses in its work. Working memory is activated when you focus on a subject. It remembers the information but easily forgets after some time. Repetition is a way to remember.
That’s why it’s important to focus on the environment when nothing disturbs you and you don’t feel stressed, as these factors will take one of the important working memory slots.
Long-term memory is a huge database of all the information you have collected throughout your life. Working memory is requesting information from the long-term to use in a current task.
Knowledge from working memory to permanent memory transitions during sleep. The hippocampus retains facts and events that occurred throughout your day. The brain reviews the experiences and events of the past day, discarding information it deems useless and reinforcing what it considers important. Essentially, every time you wake up, you awaken with an upgraded brain. That’s why it’s crucial to filter what you are “feeding” to your brain.
The intriguing aspect is that whenever you recall a memory, it changes the one. The memory is retrieved from long-term memory into working memory, where it is altered, and after sleep, it is loaded back into long-term memory, now modified. This phenomenon is known as reconsolidation. It is even possible to implant false memories that are indistinguishable from real ones simply by suggesting and imagining them. This is essentially how it becomes possible to alter people’s opinions and memories regarding any idea or event over time.
4. Procrastination
Procrastination is happening when you are thinking about something that makes an unpleasant feeling. Then the brain automatically switches to something that gives short-term satisfaction. That’s why, instead of doing a side project, you are watching YouTube.
It’s important to understand that it’s completely normal to have unpleasant feelings before you start studying or working. You need to go through it and once you start, you will jump into the flow and will enjoy the process.
Also, focus on the process of learning/working instead of the result. By paying too much attention to the result you may feel frustration, as the end goal of finishing the project can be too big and complex. Instead, focus on the process for a specific time. Think “I will just study this book for 25 minutes, instead of I have to read 3 chapters”.
10 Action Points
- Switch between focus and diffuse modes. Focus intensely on the topic or task at hand, and then take a moment to relax. Activate your focus mode and then transition to the diffused mode of your brain. Allow your brain to rest and form new connections.
- If you are stuck with some problem. Pull back, take a rest, do exercise. Let the diffused brain do its work and find a solution for you.
- The best tools for memorization are
- Recall — immediately after studying something, glance away and attempt to recall the information you’ve just learned.
- Practice — practice whatever you have learned, and try to solve the problem yourself. Lack of practice can lead to the illusion of competence, where you’ve only read about something but have never actually attempted to apply it.
- Spaced repetition — in order to strengthen neuron patterns of the studying, make cards and try to recall the information on the back of the card throughout multiple days. I use the Anki app for this. - Mnemonics and visualization are important tools, particularly when it comes to language learning. Try not only to employ visuals but also to imagine the smell, sensation, and sound associated with the object or concept. This will create a vivid memory that is difficult to forget.
- Try to understand the concept or idea you are learning. Switch to the big picture and locate where this new information can be used. To see the big picture, it’s good to go through the book before reading it and look at the chapters and graphs. This will give you initial knowledge of what you are going to study.
- Tip: In order to better understand the idea try to find a metaphor or an analogy to the term you are studying. - Make sleep a top priority. It is crucial not only for the health of your systems but also for memorization. Without adequate sleep, your brain can be affected by neurotoxins that hinder your memory and focus from operating at full capacity.
- Tip: Recall what you want to remember before bed. The brain while sleeping goes through memories of the past day. Therefore you increase the chances of this information staying when you wake up. - Engage in regular sports and exercise. Research indicates that physical activity boosts the number of neurons, not to mention that it also sets the brain to a diffused mode.
- Have a schedule for tasks you should implement throughout the day. Have dedicated time for study and work. When you know that this time is dedicated to tasks, it’s easier to start doing it.
- Build a habit by having a clear trigger (location, time, feeling) — routine — reward. The reward component is especially important to show yourself and your dopamine system that a challenging task could be a pleasure.
- Focus on processes rather than end results. Utilize the Pomodoro technique to concentrate on a task for 25 minutes. It’s simpler to commit to a brief period of work, telling yourself that you can take a break after just 25 minutes. And it’s very painful for the brain to tell it that you can rest only when you finish reading the 186-page report.
There are many more tools and techniques that I left aside in this article such as rewriting a habit, memory palace, study groups, test preparation, neuromodulators, interleaving, and conditions such as impostor syndrome, the illusion of competence, and the Einstellung effect. In this article, I wanted to share the core and most useful techniques I found useful for myself. If you want to get full knowledge — check out the course.
I hope this article helped you to learn more about the process of learning and how the brain functions.
If you enjoyed the article, check my previous posts about productivity:
