Accelerated Learning

Accelerated Learning
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The Ultimate Guide
By Jeremy Sutton - Creator of PrecisionPrinciple.com
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**Free Gift ($40 Value) and Suggested Reading List

for Peak Performance at the end of this guide**
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Welcome to Accelerated Learning

Clearing the Way: The Core Four for Flow
I. Environment & Resources
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10
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Space
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Quality
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Distraction Free
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Public Vs Private
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Regular Practice Area
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Have More Than One Place
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Resources & Tools
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Consumerism Warning
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Quality is What Works for You
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Technology
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Organizations
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Schools & Universities
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Businesses
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Clubs & Leagues
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Online Communities
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Extras: Create Your Ideal Workspace
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Resources on Hand
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Reference Materials
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Inspiration
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II. Social Community
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Those Beyond Us
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Mentors and Old Pros: Take a Guided Tour of the Terrain
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Teachers and Coaches
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Those on Our Level
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Peers, Teammates, and Practice Partners
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Competitors
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Those Less Developed on the Path
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Asking Easy Questions
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Perspective Taking
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Non-Practitioners: Emotional Support
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Social Groups and Memory
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III. The Body
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From -1 to 0: When the Body is a Burden
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Sickness
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Injury
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Low Energy
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Fatigue
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General Low Energy Levels
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The Anchor of a Poor Diet
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Blood Sugar Spikes: Insulin Dumps
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From 0 to 1: Leveraging Health for Accelerated Learning
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Energy
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Discipline and Focus
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A Healthy Diet
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Fundamentals of a Diet for Performance
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Glucose
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Fish Oil
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Walnuts
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Brain Health
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Negative Effects of a Sedentary Lifestyle
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Exercise and Cognitive Performance
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Cognitive Performance
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Memory
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Exercise, Brain Health, and Aging
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Reduce the Potential for Dementia and Alzheimers
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Reduce Clinical Depression
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Emotional Regulation
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Exercise: Best Practices for Accelerated Learning
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Brain Health and Meditation/Mindfulness
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Meditation and The Brain: Key Takeaway
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Learning How to Meditate
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Growing Gray Matter in the Brain
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Lengthening Telomeres
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Left Hippocampus Growth

Meditation and the Aging Process
IV. The Mind
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Orientation
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Goal Oriented
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Process Driven
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Presence of Mind
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Meditation: Self-Awareness
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Attitude and Beliefs
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The Growth Mindset
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Optimism
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Can Do Confidence
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Perseverance
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Enjoy The Ride - Love the Grind
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A Learning State of Mind
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Clear and Focused
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Tips and Tricks for Clarity and Focus
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Relaxed Intensity
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Obstacles to A Learning State of Mind
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Emotional Hijacking
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Media Distractions
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Flow States
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Flow Part 1: What We Can Control
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Flow Part 2: The Fruits of our Labor
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Make It Stick
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1) Retrieval
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2) Spacing
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3) Variation
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4) Interleaving
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5) Elaboration
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6) Reflection
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Writing - A Learning Recall
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Mind Mapping
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Metacognition
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4 Stages of Awareness
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Why am I learning this?
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Call Yourself Out - Creating a Why
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See the Bigger Picture
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**Bonus Tip for the Bigger Pictures - Analogies**
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Interests and Curiosity
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Strengths
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Personal Preferences
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Self-Honesty with Self-Compassion
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Core Skills of the Mind
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Critical Thinking
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Tips and Tricks for Critical Thinking
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Creative Thinking
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Tips for a Creative Process
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Strategic Thinking
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Strategic Thinking Tips
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The Creative Problem Solving Paradigm
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Accelerated Learning Hacks -
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Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
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Deconstruction
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Lock in the Fundamentals
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Track Results
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Give Yourself a Deadline
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Take Short Breaks: Refresh Your Mind
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Breaktime Suggestions:
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Speed Reading: Think Gold Mining
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Techniques for Speed Reading
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Audiobooks
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Audio Speed up Apps
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Stick to the High Quality Info
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Next Level Productivity Systems
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Getting Things Done
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Scrum
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General Tips and Techniques
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Make it a Game
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Seek Immediate Feedback
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Correct Mistakes as They Arise
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Take a Nap
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Dont Practice When Youre Exhausted
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Wordless Music to Get in the Zone
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If It Doesnt Feel Like Work, Its Not Working
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The Paradigm Shift: The Ultimate Learning Strategy
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V. Congratulations and Conclusions
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VI. More on Accelerated Learning and Mastery in Life
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The Power of Synergy & A Gift ($40 Value)
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Suggested Readings for Creativity &
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Peak Performance
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Study Tips
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Seeing the Big Picture
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Skills of the Mind
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Body & Brain Health
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Mind, Focus, Clarity, & Peak Performance
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Welcome to Accelerated Learning

This guide will provide you with the most valuable techniques
and tricks for learning anything as quickly as possible.
The information here is ideal for you if you have any of the
following goals:
Master areas of knowledge or skills pertinent to
school, work, or entrepreneurship
Elevate your abilities in a physical activity including
sports, juggling, dance, music, yoga, climbing, etc.
Take your artistic abilities to the next level via
writing, painting, drawing, music, or any other
medium
Self-mastery, leading a life of thriving, and
becoming both an inspiration and pillar of your
community
This guide is full of details and descriptions for each of these
tips and tricks. Its meant to be used as a reference source to
meet you wherever you are on this journey to mastery.
Some of the most common questions I get asked revolve
around the topic of learning: how can I study more efficiently?
What can I do to learn faster, remember longer, pick up skills
more easily? How can I get more benefits in less time? And
so it's time to put it all down in one place.
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*The majority of quick tips can be found in Section IV:

The Mind.
But this guide is really about profound self-mastery and living
a life of thriving.
To learn as quickly as possible requires more than life
hacks. It takes alignment between all the pertinent factors
from the Environment through the Mind*
So buckle up and get ready for the ride. If you apply these
techniques, your learning universe may never be the same.
With the Core Four as our guide, were going to comb through
the most important, and often overlooked, factors that lead to
our success in accelerated learning.
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Clearing the Way: The Core Four for Flow
Learning takes place in the mind. But to learn as quickly as

possible, we need to get all the obstacles out of our way.
Doing so will help us drop into Flow States. So these study
hacks start with the most external factors and work their way
to the center of our minds.
This guide is organized around The Core Four. If you want to
get straight to mind hacks, then skip on down to The Mind
Section. But I recommend clearing the runway before digging
into the nitty gritty. This guide is organized as follows:
III. Body
IV. Mind
These four domains make up all that we do and alignment
between them allows for flow. Flow is a state of optimum
experience. Such experiences are often the most enjoyable
times of our lives. Furthermore, flow is essential to peak
performance. Regardless of how creative, intelligent, and
hardworking any one of us may or may not be, we will be
more creative, more intelligent, more focused, and more
efficient in a state of flow.
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Thats why its important to consider this process holistically

and remove all impediments in our way. Without further adieu,
lets get learning.
Well start with the outer rings and work our way in.
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When it comes to finding an ideal setting, there is nothing we

can do to guarantee accelerated learning. However, there are
many factors in the environment that can put us off even
before we start. So success starts here, with the awareness to
put ourselves in the best starting position to make it happen.
Some things here will sound obvious, yet I often see people
condemning themselves to slave away for minimal gains by
making big mistakes right out of the gate. Optimal learning
requires a good environment. And a good environment for our
learning will depend on the task at hand.
Overview of Environmental Factors:
Space
Resources
Technology
Institutions and Organization
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Extras: Creating Your Ideal Workspace

Resources on Hand
Space
First and foremost, you need the space to practice your craft.
The amount and type of space you need depends on what
youre doing. Playing basketball will require lots of space and
one with a hoop. Writing or meditating, by contrast, doesnt
require much room at all.
You need to match your space to your learning preferences
and goals. Some people focus very well in a crowded place
with a lot of background noise. They say they find it nice to be
in public where, if they get restless, they can look up and just
people watch for a few minutes. This allows them to come
back to the work clear again.
Many others need privacy and quiet. What qualities do you
need for accelerated learning?
Quality
We simply feel different when in a high quality environment

compared to a low quality space. And quality will depend on
many factors: Comfort, available resources, inspiration, and
more.
Is it comfortable to be there?
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Auras may not be real in the sense that we can measure the
energy put off by a certain place, but psychologically
speaking, places matter.
In Buenos Aires, there are cafes that mark out the very table
where the prolific writer Jorge Luis Borges would come, take
breakfast, and often write. While sitting at that table, one can
almost feel the energy from his shadow. Whether this is real
or not does not matter. What matters is that different places
can leave us feeling like here is a place where I get work
done.
Finding a place that elicits that feeling is a big factor in
determining what "quality" means for you.
Distraction Free
For whatever youre doing and whatever your style of learning

is, you have to remove the distractions. Every distraction is an
impediment to flow. Personally, I could never work at the
Borges table mentioned above because I need peace and
quite to study or write. People distract me from what Im doing
and cut heavily into my writing word counts. John Green,
however, claims that Starbucks was central to his writing of
The Fault in Our Stars.
So to each his own. Just recognize and be honest with
yourself about what constitutes a distraction free area. The
better you can focus, the better the study. And environment
will play a big role depending on where you are and your style
of learning.
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Public Vs Private
Some people cannot work in their home. They have too many
distractions, access to internet, TV, games, books, toys, family
and more. Maybe your internet is off but your spouse or
parents are watching TV in the living room and now thats a
distraction. If this sounds like you, you might need to get out
of the house. Find a quiet space outside of the home (like a
library).
One consideration for public spaces is that things can feel
rushed. If youre at a coffee shop, you may not be able to
occupy a table for 3 or more hours to work on your manifesto
or the calculus homework to end all problems. So just as you
start to reach your flow, you might feel rushed. Just notice
how you feel wherever you study and make sure it helps your
accelerated learning.
Public or private, you need to find an area where you can
work for as long as you need to. And once you find your zone,
you need to rinse that opportunity for all its worth. If your
environment is forcing you out of flow, this is no bueno.
Regular Practice Area
One of the biggest benefits from having a regular practice

area is that, after a while, the place will condition you to enter
the practicing state of mind simply by arriving. Ask anyone
who has studied martial arts, yoga, or music intensively just
how they feel as they enter the space.
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Walking into a familiar work zone can feel like stepping into a
new state of mind. For example, going back to my old band
room, where I studied music for 7 years through grade school,
feels like returning home. Not much has changed in the
passing decade, and I cant enter the room without an
undeniable urge to put that old sax together and work on a
new piece.
Have More Than One Place
If you only have one place where you can work, you run the
risk of becoming too dependent on that space. For example: if
you can only work at home, but now youre entertaining the inlaws for the holidays, their presence will likely interfere with
your ability to get things done. Now what are you going to do?
Even if people dont come in and occupy your territory, just
the regular presence of others might disrupt your regular flow.
So you need an alternative environment where you can
retreat when youre in a pinch. A local library might be ideal, or
perhaps this is where a coffee shop comes into play.
Either way, if youre too dependent on any single thing, youre
setting yourself up for disaster when conditions inevitably
change. Agility is more than a feather in your cap, its an
essential tool for ongoing success.
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Resources & Tools

After space, resources are the next most important factor. If
you dont have the tools for the job, you just make the work
harder for yourself. Subpar tools = diminished progress. So
do what you have to do in order to get the right tools for the
job.
Research of high productivity at work has shown that one of
the biggest factors for predicting employee productivity was
an answer of 5 on the following question: On scale of 1-5, do
you have the tools you need to do your job well?
This is obvious but many people arent willing to invest in the
right tools. If a good tool saves you tens, hundreds, or even
thousands of hours just get the damn thing already.
Consumerism Warning
There is a trap here, so be wary. Many people love to buy

gear. They get all the expensive gadgets, practice for a week,
and then never pick it up again. Dont buy things
unnecessarily. The whole world is ready to manipulate your
opinion into convincing you to buy, buy, BUY!
Be honest with yourself. But if youre really committed to
doing the work for years to come, make sure you have the
tools to make your work flow.
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And if you get a new toy, make sure you invest time and
energy into that activity so that you reap the benefits of your
expenses.
Quality is What Works for You
If there is a special tool that will really help you do what you
love to do, this is not the place in your life to cut costs.
However, low tech gear often works just as well as high tech,
and sometimes better. Many people trick themselves into
getting new items like expensive smart phones because "it's a
tool". And then they use their new gadget for little more than
social media and crushing candy.
This is why low tech is often superior to high tech in many
cases.
For example, having good pens can motivate you to write
more. For me, yes, I do most of my writing on a computer
(one that I really enjoy). But I outline on pads of paper, take
many handwritten notes, and then keep those notes around
me as I refine hard drafts. I love the feeling of filling up a
notebook with ideas and outlines. Its personally validating for
me to create hard artifacts that are evidence of my thinking
process.
So handle the basics. Nothing stops flow more quickly than a
splotchy pen that skips and bleeds. Have notebooks around
you, pens to do the job, or whatever materials you need for
your respective craft.
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Technology
Again, there is so much garbage out there. Most of the worlds

technology is designed to distract us. But there is also a
beautiful synergy that happens when we can use tech
resources to enhance our flow.
This dichotomy between trash entertainment and limitless
access to resources has led to the biggest disparity in human
history. Never has the gap been bigger between every
humans potential and what most people are actually doing.
We have never had the opportunity to learn so much so
easily, yet neither have we ever spent so much time pissing
our energy away on stupid games, mindless cat pictures,
social media, and VINE compilation videos.
Here are a few apps and resources to help leverage your
productivity:
The Great Courses - Audio lectures led by excellent
professors in areas of their expertise

Evernote - Save key websites, infographics, and resources
to all your devices
Audible - Listen to audio books on the go
Coach.me - Keep on top of your most important habits for
success
Good headphones - Wordless music can block out
distractions for better focus in public areas
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So when it comes to technology, be wise with its use. Stick to

the basics when possible, and look for ways for technology to
enhance, not hinder, your accelerated learning.
Organizations
Seek out environments that are central to your area of
learning or craft.
Some places encourage work and growth more than others.
In these special places, many of the resources we need might
be provided for us. Thus, we can't overlook the significance of
finding hotbeds where we can go to practice and learn from
others.
Schools & Universities
We've all been there, for better or worse. Formal education

works better for some more than others. Either way, we can't
ignore that these institutions can be a source of knowledge,
resources, and inspiration.
If you need a certification to practice your craft, or if it's simply
difficult to get access to the materials outside of a university
setting, you may want to register and pursue this course of
action.
Even if you don't sign up formally, university campuses are
often a hotbed of free lectures, information, and they are
places where dedicated students and teachers gather. That
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means they offer us resources for our own learning and

growth as well.
Businesses
Many businesses offer teaching, coaching, or learning

services that we can use to our advantage. Maybe even your
own place of employment will offer you resources to pay for
advanced qualifications or ongoing professional development.
Businesses leaders may also be a good place to start if you're
looking to find a mentor or would like to ask someone their
professional opinion about where you might go from here.
Clubs & Leagues
For most all activities, there are multitudes of people around

the world who are learning or practicing the same things.
Seek out clubs that meet and discuss your topic, or join
leagues that compete in your activity or sport.
Online Communities
Of course the internet allows us to connect with people from

all over the world. PrecisionPrinciple.com is just such a
community and right now I'm lucky enough to be working with
people ranging from the US, England, Thailand, Saudi Arabia,
India, and Tibet.
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Take advantage of the resources you find online, join

communities where people meet, and you'll be entering an
online environment that helps you do what you need to do to
survive.
Extras: Create Your Ideal Workspace

With this in mind, it's time to build your own workspace that
fits your needs and your activity. You might just need a quiet
corner of your house for a desk, you might construct an entire
office with library, or maybe even set up a home gym or art
studio in the garage. Here are some tips for creating your own
space.
Resources on Hand
It's important that whatever you need to do your work, you

can reach it from your work station. Every time you have to
get up, you likely interrupting your flow. So make sure the key
ingredients are at arms length. Any tools, notebooks, writing
utensils, paints, rulers, whatever it is. Create a space where
it's all there. Including any necessary...
Reference Materials
Books, articles, outlines, study guides, syllabi, working goals,

or an outline of the finished product of your vision can all be
helpful tools to keep you moving. The point is to have tools
and totems that can help you break through your
psychological inertia.
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Having these around you at arms length can help you get
some more ideas flowing at just those moments when you
start to slow down.
Inspiration
Keep things around your work station that inspire you.

Einstein kept portraits of Isaac Newton, Micheal Faraday, and
James Clerk Maxwell above his work station while he was
working on his general theory of relativity. They were his
predecessors whose work was seminal to his own discovery.
Who or what inspires you? Symbolic images? Examples of
excellent work? A gift from a mentor or the image of an idol
who captures the essence of what you're going for? A gift
from a loved one or friend that shows their emotional support?
A "lucky" item that helps you clear your mind and get to work?
As I write this now, I have a clear view of Csikszentmihalyi's
book Creativity, Stages of Meditation by the Dalai Lama, and
a wood carved mask that my fiance made during 40+ hours of
work while on a trip in Bali. These help me push through my
creative blocks, stay focused, and remind me that everything I
do is a labor of love.
Figure out what symbols and totems inspire you to keep going
and you'll keep up the pace even when things get rough
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Now we move 1 big step inward regarding the Core Four.
Inside the environment, we find people. People play a huge
role in everything we do, sometimes for better, sometimes for
worse. If we are easily distracted, it may not be helpful to
have other people around. But other people are also a rich
source of knowledge, experience, and inspiration.
Some people encourage us towards greatness; others tempt
us into distraction at every turn. Helpful or harmful to our
progress, 1 thing is certain -> Social community plays a major
role in everything we do.
It must be noted that in The Little Book of Talent Daniel
Coyle explains why it's essential to learn how to practice
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There he cited a study comparing world-class musicians to

amateurs which revealed the main difference between them the world-class musicians spent on average 5x as much time
practicing alone compared to the amateurs.
He added a quote from Anson Doris (North Carolina women's
soccer coach):
The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over,
drenched in sweat, to the point of exhaustion when no one
else is looking.
Nevertheless, there are distinct relationships that enhance our
ability to learn. And some activities simply require others in
the form of teammates, coworkers, or competitors.
We can roughly consider these different relationships on four
levels:
Those Above or Beyond us

Those on our level
Those less developed on the path
Non-Practitioners
Each type of relationship can affects the learning process.

Lets explore how we can position ourselves to both contribute
to and benefit from the community around us.
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Those Beyond Us
There aint much new under the sun, unless of course we are
in a cutting edge technological field, AND were at the
forefront of that field. So if that sounds like you,
congratulations, and go ahead and skip to the section on
competitors. But if youre like most of us, then there are
people up ahead who can help direct our efforts towards
Coaches, teachers, mentors, or old pros who have simply
been in the game for a long time are all serious resources.
Furthermore, people who have spent years in the struggle
usually enjoy passing on the nuggets of hard won wisdom
theyve gleaned over the years.
Mentors and Old Pros: Take a Guided Tour of the Terrain
Imagine entering a mountainous forest that youve never seen

before. Im talking Lord of the Rings style with any assortment
of terrible monsters, poisonous traps, and wrong turns along
the way. If we enter that forest by ourselves, yes, we might be
able to explore the territory over time and figure out how to
get where we want to go.
However, if we know someone who has already been there,
they can show us around. Of course they cant impart all the
details of their knowledge in a single passing. But what they
can do is point out the major contours and landmarks. In a
fraction of the time, they can advise us on where to start, what
to avoid, and the various traps and advantages along the way.
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Even a brief introduction by someone who already knows can

take years off the learning curve.
**If an old pro says, Trust me kid, start here, then you best
take that advice, because that's literally the voice of
experience talking.
Teachers and Coaches
A better idea still is to make solid contact with someone whos

ahead of you, and who agrees to advise and challenge you
over the long-run. They can provide both an immediate
orientation to the territory of your practice, and they can take it
a step further by helping you stay on course along the way.
The advantages of having coaches and teachers is that there
tend to be few people who directly challenge us. How often do
other people call us out, and make a specific request that we
push ourselves, our learning, our creativity even farther? Who
do we have to keep us accountable for the goals we commit
to? This is the beauty of a coaching or teaching relationship.
Yes, you need to do the majority of practice on your own. The
most important relationship, as well see, is the one you have
with yourself. But if you can touch base with a teacher or
coach, let him/her know how its going, and then get feedback
about how youre doing, now youre in the terrain of
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Those on Our Level

Next there are people who are right along side of us in this rat
race. They might be our peers, teammates, or competitors,
but all of these people can help us transform our practice and
take our skills to the next level.
Peers, Teammates, and Practice Partners
Sometimes we simply cant practice on our own. In tennis, we

need someone to hit the ball back. With math or science, it
helps to have others with whom we can commiserate and
compare notes. Even in the individual world of writing, we
need people on our side who will read our work and be honest
with where it needs help. People who dont understand the
struggle have a much harder time giving helpful advice.
So peers help us elevate our game. They are other points of
reference to help us see how were doing. How can we know
if were on track without others to compare to? How long
should it take me to learn integral calculus? Whats a good
time target for writing 2000 words in a day? Peers are an
often overlooked resource for accelerated learning, but they
can help us make quick gains.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of teammates and practice
partners is that they can help keep us motivated to get back to
work, even when we dont feel like it. Its not always easy to
push our limits and advance our skills. Sometimes we need a
partner who is there to say, Are you ready to hit the gym? or
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Lets write another song. Ive got this chord progression I

want to work on.
The power of self-motivation is critical, but its good to have
people there who support you and who are on the journey
with us. At times we can ride their motivational curtails, and
other times they can ride ours.
Competitors
There is some real magic in competition. Nothing gets the

juices flowing like looking across the way and seeing
someone who wants to best you at your own game. Batman
would be nothing without the Joker. And nothing pushes
athletes and artists to the best of their game like a competitor
who wants to take the title for best in show.
Even for those of us who arent looking to top the field but just
want to be our personal best, we can all be inspired to step it
up a notch when we see someone else do a damn good job.
We can look to these people and say, If he can do it than I
can too. Competition can help us tap into a deep reservoir of
motivation and even innovation.
In any endeavor the game evolves over time. Someone
invents a winning strategy, and then someone comes up with
a better one. Then the other team adapts and overcomes
them again, or someone new enters the scene and brings a
completely novel idea altogether.
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As the say, necessity is the mother of invention, and

competition can be a well-spring of necessity.
Those Less Developed on the Path

Of course there comes a time when we ourselves look at how
far weve come and realize that we have a nice wealth of
knowledge ourselves. Even if we arent pros or coaches, there
are some people who have yet to come as far as us and who
would love to be where we are. Few things yield more
benefits than teaching others who are on a similar path.
The benefits are two-fold:
1) Its simply good for the world to pass on solid information. If
someone wants to learn, and you can help them, then you
contribute to our collective well-being. But the benefits of
teaching come back to help us as well.
2) If you cant explain something simply, then you dont
understand it well enough - Einstein.
Sharing knowledge forces us think hard about what it is that
we really know. We have to comb through the topic, and this
inevitably helps us find our numerous blindspots. The problem
with awareness is that we simply dont imagine things that are
outside of our awareness. So explaining things to another can
quickly lead us to one of those shady areas. And this allows
us to refine our own knowledge.
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Asking Easy Questions
Everyone has different experiences and thus a unique

perspective. It doesnt take a master to ask a question that
stumps us. Often times the most overlooked points are some
of the simplest. When a novice asks, how does that work? or
why does that happen? then we often find ourselves
scratching our heads.
Perspective Taking
Even when we do know the answer, explaining it makes us

step outside of our own head. It requires perspective taking so
that we can imagine the activity from the other persons point
of view.
In the practice of Zen it's often encouraged to develop a
"beginner's mind" - a point of view that is not jaded to those
recurring things that we practice day in and day out. It's about
appreciating the practice and our activity in the same way we
did when we first began, experiencing it with all of our senses,
not glossing over any points.
Working with students or less developed practitioners gives
us a new look at a familiar task, one that we may have grown
accustomed to. Thus, our experience teaching can open our
mind to new possibilities, deepen our understanding of things
we already know, and point out the areas where we still have
more to learn.
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Non-Practitioners: Emotional Support

We all need emotional support: friends, family, fans of the
trade. All of these people may not know a single thing about
the activity we enjoy so much. But just having someone there
to say, good job or you know I love you even when things
dont go your way makes life a lot easier.
Be mindful of those people who are on your side no matter
how you do. Those are the ones who really care about you.
Just knowing they exist makes the work a lot easier.
Social Groups and Memory
In Your Best Brain by The Great Courses, Professor Medina

explains how having a rich social network has positive
benefits for your memory throughout your lifetime.
There are many reasons for this. Social interaction can help
reduce stress which preserves the brain's health. Social ties
also increase the amount of information that we deal with on a
regular basis. Friendships and understanding the
relationships among our various networks gives us a lot to
keep track of.
But mostly it's important to note that the research here does
not support that it's the total number of social ties that matter.
It's the richness of those ties.
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III. The Body
The body is a temple, or at least so its said. Either way, we

must take care of this vehicle because it's the only place we
will ever live. Its our second greatest gift, following our brain
and mind of course. So treating it with the respect of a temple,
caring for it, and keeping it in tip-top shape lays the
groundwork for accelerated learning
The bodys condition is the foundation of our lives. Whether
that foundation is solid or flimsy makes a huge difference.
If we are serious about creating lives of mastery, of true
thriving (which is of course the underlying reason we're here
discussing accelerated learning in the first place), then we
must make special efforts to condition our bodies for peak
performance.
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Here well consider both the negative and positive impacts the
body can have on our learning and performance, even in
intellectual or sedentary endeavors. Because the body is a
source of pain, pleasure, inspiration, and distraction. When it
is in our way, its an uphill battle; when we enjoy the benefits
of energy and physical power, it feels like theres not much
that can stop us.
Body:
From -1 to 0: The Body as a Burden to Accelerated Learning Sickness

From 0 to 1: Leveraging Fitness for Accelerated Learning
Brain Health
Exercise
Benefits of Meditation & Mindfulness on the Brain
From -1 to 0: When the Body is a Burden

When our bodies have a physical problems, learning or just
getting anything done, is impossible. Maslow places
physiological needs on the base of his classic hierarchy for
self-actualization. Thats because when things arent working
right here, health consumes all of our attention and resources.
Sickness
Sickness undermines our ability to learn. It can actually

damage our brain if we push ourselves when we are ill. So
staying healthy plays a major role in our long term growth.
People who get sick more often simply have less time to learn
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and grow. So its important to keep ourselves healthy and

firing on all cylinders if we aspire to do great things with our
lives.
In the next section well discuss some tips and tricks for
staying healthy. But for now simply consider that living a
healthy lifestyle (with adequate exercise, a solid diet, and lite
on the major vices) is the best prevention for sickness.
Injury
Being injured is another obstacle that can simply undermine

our development. Most of us dont play professional sports
where mobility is literally the name of the game. But sore hips,
bad lower backs, injured knees, and the like can chop us
down at the core. And this makes a big difference over time.
If you have a bad knee or back, then you will be reluctant to
exercise or even do anything that requires movement. This
sparks a negative feedback loop where you are encouraged
to be sedentary. This strengthens over time and before long it
may be difficult to move at all.
For anyone who has a significant injury that holds them back,
I implore you to seek routes to rehabilitation. Physical therapy,
yoga, basic strength training exercises, do whatever it takes
to work through these difficulties and to get your body back on
your side. An injured body undermines your success.
Even if you prefer activities that dont require much
movement, its difficult to concentrate if part of your body is in
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constant pain. We can, of course, practice focusing to look

past the pain. And strength of will plays a role, but its just the
case that its easier to focus and learn when we dont have to
contend with injuries. So do what you can to stay or get
healthy.
Here, I'm speaking from experience having worked through a
terrible condition of my lower back over the last 5 years
through diligent training and attention. Thus I've seen first
hand the transformation in my mind, body, and emotional
spirit from when I could not engage in physical training to the
point now where I'm a certified Ashtanga yoga instructor.
Low Energy
Learning takes effort which requires energy. So managing

energy levels is key to ongoing success with accelerated
learning.
Everyone has different sleep requirements, and our natural
energy levels vary depending how much sleep we get on a
daily basis. Some people can run on less than 6 hours of
sleep and still wake feeling fresh. Others require 9-10 hours.
Its important to know where you fall on this spectrum, be
honest with yourself though, and then make sure to get
enough sleep to account for your needs.
There is a delicate balance here. Recognize the difference
between how much sleep you need to wake feeling fresh and
when you are just laying in bed for a couple extra hours
because it's warm and feels good.
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But overall, you need your Z's. If you are tired, you wont be
able to focus. Without focus, you cant learn. Simple enough.
So Here are two types of tired to consider: fatigue and
generally low energy levels.
Fatigue
Fatigue is the feeling of being worn out. Think of performing a

long days work followed by vigorous exercise. When we
arrive home after such a day we feel fatigued, exhausted
even. When our energy is low like this, we dont have the
resources for accelerated learning. Thats because the mind
is like a muscle and gets tired.
Focus requires self-control, and we have a limited supply of
that. Psychologists call this decision fatigue or (counter
intuitively) ego-depletion. It should be called higher selfdepletion in my opinion because when we experience egodepletion these are the times that we tend to give-in to our
instinctual urges (those desires that we tend to associate with
the idea of ego as its generally used).
The point is this: Both work and exercise require will-power.
Doing either one can deplete our energy reserves. So a long
days work, exercise, or study all draw on similar resources.
When we feel fatigued, learning is just more difficult. We all
know this intuitively; it feels like not wanting to study when
were tired.
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However, going for a walk or a job after a long study session

can sometimes get our blood pumping and the cognitive
juices flowing as well.
So we really need to become mindful of fatigue so we can
notice how its affecting our performance in the field of
learning. Also we can take this into consideration for those
times that we have an especially important task to master.
Make sure you have the requisite energy for your upcoming
study/practice session.
General Low Energy Levels
Energy levels depend on many factors. Some of them depend

on our natural biology.
But many others have to do with lifestyle which we can
control. Diet, exercise, and activity levels on a general basis
affect how much energy we have on any given day.
Furthermore attitude and a willingness to overcome a lack of
energy can help us push past certain barriers, elevating our
overall energy levels. But well cover that in section IV on
Mind.
If you experience generally low energy levels, this must be
addressed. Its impossible to go anywhere without the fuel to
take you there. An energy abundance allows us to reinvest
into our work, and this fosters a positive feedback loop.
Feedback loops drive the long-term changes we seek so
getting them going makes a big difference. (More on
Feedback Loops under Mind)
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Getting regular exercise makes all the difference. It doesnt

have to be anything especially rigorous either, though there is
a dose/benefit correlation. More intense exercise, especially
strength training, leads to an increase in lean body mass. Our
basal metabolic rate is based on the percentage of lean mass
we have in our body compared to fat, and muscle is the most
dynamic lean mass to gain.
If we can put on some muscle, we burn more calories on a
daily basis, and we tend to feel the difference in our basal
energy levels as well. If you suffer from generally low energy
levels, look to a cleaner diet plan (see more below) and a
simple exercise routine to help get the wheels turning.
The Anchor of a Poor Diet
Modern luxuries are a double edge sword. Convenience frees

up time for other endeavors including spending more time
learning things we care about. However, many of the easier
food options lead to more problems than they solve.
Everyone needs to find a diet that suits their needs. People
who tell you that vegetarianism or gluten free is the only
option are probably biased and stuck in their own perspective.
These options are indeed ideal for many people but we all
have to actively investigate and experiment with what works
best for us.
That being said, here are some dietary choices that can act
as anchors on our voyage to peak performance.
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Processed foods
Low quality (or excessive) fats: especially trans fats
Excessive simple carbohydrates
Soda and juice
This may be a cliche but its true: you are what you eat. Your
brain is made of fat. So you need good fats like those found in
fish oils and nuts (more on this below). But too much of
anything is bad news. And some things are consistently
unhealthy.
Processed foods tend to be low in nutrition, high in chemicals,
and made primarily of white flour and simple carbohydrates.
We dont have time to get into the intricacies of nutrition here,
but if your energy levels arent where you would like them to
be, do some experiments and just see how you feel.
Exchanging more colorful vegetables for snacks, reducing the
above list of items to moderate levels, while increasing lots of
vegetables, lean proteins, and high quality fats is a clear cut
way to increase the efficiency of your body in the way it
processes food.
Blood Sugar Spikes: Insulin Dumps
The main argument against eating too many simple

carbohydrates is a chemical one. Simple carbohydrates can
be broken down into sugars and absorbed into the blood
stream very quickly.
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So eating things like pasta, white rice, pastries, or sweets can

cause a blood sugar spike. That is, the amount of sugar in our
blood stream goes up quickly. Our body responds to this spike
in blood sugar by releasing loads of insulin into the blood
stream.
The body uses insulin to take these sugars (used for energy)
to wherever they need to go. But if we have more sugar than
we need, then the insulin stores that energy as fat.
The relevance of all this in terms of accelerated learning is the
following:
When the body produces large quantities of insulin, it makes
our energy crash. This is called an "insulin dump". It's that
feeling of terrible sluggishness after a sugar high.
When it comes to learning, these energy peaks from sugar
and troughs from insulin wreak havoc on our ability to produce
high quality work throughout the day.
On the short term, these ups and downs undermine our
overall ability to focus, study, practice, and produce work.
Over the long run they can cause us to store extra fats and
reduce our long-term energy levels. Generally speaking, this
is not conducive to accelerated learning. In the next section
you'll find diet tips that are more amenable to our aims here.
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From 0 to 1: Leveraging Health for Accelerated

Learning
Now lets consider how to take a solid baseline of health to
the next level. Doing so will result in an energy abundance.
This energy can be reinvested to increase focus, intensity,
and duration of study/practice. You can transform your energy
into problem solving, creativity, and accelerated learning so
lets take a look.
Energy
Perhaps most importantly, people who exercise simply have

more energy. Energy is the golden resource in terms of
learning or accomplishing anything at all. Without it, there is
nothing we can do. We can leverage our energy even more
by working during our cognitive peak, but we'll discuss that
more below under it's own section.
With a regular exercise routine, we simply have more energy
to reinvest into any other part of our lives. So whether we
have a business venture, interesting hobby, or the desire to
take our learning to the next level, exercise and energy are
fundamental.
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Discipline and Focus
With more strenuous exercise, it takes discipline to stay with

it. Activities such as strength training can make our muscles
burn. We have a tendency to turn away from that pain and
retreat to a mental "pain cave". If we go against our natural
instincts and actually turn towards the burn, a mindfulness
based practice, then we can actually expand our abilities to
focus and endure.
The burn of intense exercise does not have to be tortuous or
a source of suffering. Pain and feelings of discomfort might be
there, but suffering only happens when we constrict our mind
around the pain or to try to escape from it. When we see
these feelings for what they are, the path that takes us to
where we want to be, then we can actually come to enjoy it.
Schwarzenegger famously said that the experience of lifting
weights was as pleasurable to him as a sexual orgasm,
though that wasnt his precise phrasing.
This ability to turn towards uncomfortable sensations is a gem
for accelerated learning. Such concentration expands our
mental abilities as well as bodily abilities. The struggle of
staying put, that is focusing on learning a difficult subject such
as a foreign language, computer programing, or
developmental psychology, is much easier when we notice
the tendency for our minds to turn away from difficulty.
Exercise builds our mental muscles as well, leaving us with
the strength of mind to make the hard choices and stick to a
practice, especially when things feel rough.
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A Healthy Diet
If a bad diet can undermine our energy levels, then a good

diet can be the fuel to the fire we need. Generally speaking,
our energy mirrors our digestive process. Foods that churn in
our gut for long periods of time tend to make us feel sluggish
and tired. Sluggishness is not our friend when we aim to learn
quickly and efficiently.
Light foods that the body can process easily, such as
vegetables, lean proteins, and high quality fats, help us feel
lighter and more agile. This goes for our thinking as well.
Fundamentals of a Diet for Performance

I'm not here to tell anyone what they should eat or not. The
point here is to explore options that are most likely to assist us
in the task of accelerated learning. Generally speaking,
healthy, natural, fresh food is more conducive to learning than
processed, heavy, low quality foods. So take this section with
a grain of salt ;).
The most sound dietary advice is to eat as many colorful
vegetables as you can squeeze into your diet. The less you
cook them, the more they will retain their nutritional integrity.
Many vitamins and nutrients break down in the process of
cooking them.
Here are some good general tips from TGC: Nutrition Made
Clear
Page 46
Eat colorful vegetables

Stick to lean proteins
The best food items don't come with an ingredient list or
nutrition panel - i.e. whole foods
The benefits of these foods in terms of learning is that they
keep you feeling fresh, light, healthy, and agile. They are high
quality foods that your body can process easily. When you
make these a staple of your diet, your energy levels will be
generally higher and the task of learning will be easier.
Glucose
Though we need to be wary of too much sugar (more on

insulin dumps above), glucose is the fuel that our brain needs
to thrive.
To concentrate requires energy. And glucose is what our brain
uses for fuel. The problem is that the brain doesnt store
glucose so efficiently. In fact, the brain can only store about
15-20 minutes worth of glucose. After that, the brain needs to
be refueled by our blood sugar. (Check out Thinking Fast and
Slow for more on this topic).
This doesnt mean you should go out and cram the chocolate
during a study session. However, Daniel Kahneman does
explain how snacking on fruit at the rate of about half a
banana every 30 minutes during a study session can keep the
brain supplied with enough glucose to kick those study
sessions into overdrive.
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Having a small snack to supply glucose can keep us rolling,

but eating too much sugar (or other simple carbohydrates)
can lead to a blood sugar spike. This is met by an insulin
surge to drop our blood sugar levels. Then we end it with an
insulin dump, where we feel sluggish. So the blood sugar
balance can be precarious. However, a little fruit can go a
long way with intense study sessions.
Fish Oil
Lastly, heres a life hack thats good for maintaining brain

health. Your brain is most made up of fats. You want high
quality lipids (fats) as the building blocks for your brain. The
better materials your brain is made if, the more smoothly it
operates.
Fish oil is very good for your brain because it contains DHA
and EPA. The research is not conclusive as to how much of
each you need. But a good baseline is to start with at least
500 mg of each daily. Some estimates range as high as 1200
mg of each daily.
There doesnt seem to be a danger in consuming too much of
this, but as usual with supplements you should be sure to
source them from a high quality provider. If you have any
specific dietary restrictions or allergies, please consult your
doctor before starting any plan of supplementation.
Walnuts
Walnuts also have high quality fats that are good for your
brain. There is research to suggest that eating around 6
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walnuts/day can help with memory. Careful here as walnuts

are high in fat and so should be consumed in moderation for
optimal holistic benefits.
Brain Health
When it comes to learning, the brain is the bodily organ that
runs them all. So, as we'll see, good brain health directly
affects accelerated learning. Here are some physical and
mental practices that are scientifically supported for keeping
your brain healthy and firing on all cylinders.
For more in depth information on this section check out these
titles by The Great Courses:
1) Your Best Brain
2) The Science of Mindfulness
3) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
4) Mind Body Medicine
Negative Effects of a Sedentary Lifestyle
First, the bad news.

One of the best predictors of a deteriorating brain throughout
a lifetime is a sedentary lifestyle. Thats a big deal.
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This one factor, whether we are active or not, can give an

accurate prediction of how well we will perform on a wide
array of cognitive and emotional tasks as we age.
The main point is this: not doing regular exercise is
paramount to condemning ourselves to rapid deterioration as
we age.
On the bright side, check out how an active lifestyle can
preserve a healthy brain which ultimately preserves our ability
for accelerated learning well into the golden years.
Exercise and Cognitive Performance
Now for the good news.

Our activity levels are squarely within our own control. We
have the power to influence our exercise routine which means
we have the power to maintain our brains in a healthy state
thats optimal for learning.
Cognitive Performance
In Your Best Brain, professor Medina exclaimed how regular

exercise was shown to improve cognitive performance in
virtually every way you can measure cognitive performance.
That is a huge claim for anyone to make, especially a
professor who conservatively reserves his conclusions to
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those things that can only be heavily supported by peerreviewed scientific research.
Just a few of the benefits pertain to memory, focus, fluid
intelligence, emotional regulation and this is just the
beginning.
Memory
Especially relevant in terms of accelerated learning is

memory. Aerobic exercise has ample evidence to support
claims that physical activity increases our ability to remember.
Exercise, Brain Health, and Aging
Professor Medina went on to explain how regular exercise is

especially important throughout the aging process. But even if
we have not been active up to this point, it is not too late to
start. The benefits form exercise will pick up from whenever
you start. And there is no age limit. Whatever your age,
exercise will help brain health throughout the entire lifetime.
Here's what it can do for you.
Reduce the Potential for Dementia and Alzheimers
Comparing groups of aging people who exercise to those who

lived sedentary lifestyles has shown that regular exercise can
reduce the risk of Alzheimers by 60%. Wow
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Reduce Clinical Depression
Exercise has also been shown to reduce the rates of

depression among those at risk. And we dont have to look far
or wide to see how movement and mood are intertwined.
The theoretical basis for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
is that there is are relationships between what we think, what
do, and how we feel.
Physical exercise can break us out of a negative mood spiral
because it directs our attention on external goals. It gets us
moving and the physical movement affects both what were
thinking and how were feeling. This isnt a cue-all for
pathologies such as depression but its a power ally.
Moreover, we can use exercise anytime to inspire a change of
mood, and thus put ourselves in a better place to accelerate
our learning.
Emotional Regulation
Daniel Goleman, Harvard psychologist and author of

Emotional Intelligence has discussed the phenomena of
emotional hijacking (sometimes known as amygdala
hijacking). Its the process of becoming emotionally
overwhelmed. Its the end of rational thought and in those
moments its our emotional body that is running the show.
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You might think of it as emotional autopilot. It's these times

where we are especially likely to behave in ways we will soon
come to regret.
It feels like being swept away by depression, rage, sorrow,
excitement, apathy, or simply "losing control".
Well, exercise helps us protect against emotional hijacking by
improving our ability to regulate our emotions. Ultimately this
means a healthy brain helps keep our higher thinking self,
executive processing, in charge of this ship. Thus, with a
healthy brain we are better able to keep our studies on track
and our mind focused at the task at hand.
Exercise: Best Practices for Accelerated Learning
It doesnt take much to start reaping the benefits from a

regular exercise routine. In particular, 150 minutes of aerobic
exercise each has been shown to be especially powerful.
Exercise here is not even defined as anything especially
rigorous. 2 and half hours of walking or gardening might be
enough to do the trick.
Any activity that increases the heart rate by 10%, and then is
maintained for a prolonged period of time will increase our
brain health. This to work primarily through the cardiovascular
system which is responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients
to the brain.
This increase in blood flow helps keep the brain free of
impediments and firing on all cylinders.
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Point and case: if youre not doing exercise on a regular

basis yet, its time to start. This is especially true if you are
dedicated to taking your learning to the next level.
Brain Health and Meditation/Mindfulness

The benefits of exercise are incredible. But the benefits of
meditation and mindfulness are almost miraculous. The
evidence for the transformative effects of a regular meditation
practice is truly remarkable. And when we come combine a
regular meditation habit with daily exercise, its like taking our
total mind/body health to a level that you simply cant fathom
until you try it out for yourself.
Here, The Science of Mindfulness is just a gold mine of
practices that have scientific support for their benefits.
Meditation and The Brain: Key Takeaway
If you dont want to read through the nitty gritty of this section,
heres the main point:
*Meditation improves brain health, well-being, and (in terms of
accelerated learning) enhances our abilities to remember,
learn, think on our feet, and exhibit self-control.
In other words, meditation helps us develop countless skills of
the mind and it literally grows parts of our physical brain.
Meditation is so good for you that it's practically a crime
against yourself not to do it.
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***If you havent already, I highly recommend beginning a
daily meditation habit starting today.***
Resources on how to meditate
Short written instructions for meditation

A free book by a Buddhist Monk
A Video series explaining the basics of how to meditate
A Game for bringing benefits of mindfulness and meditation
into the rest of your life.
Now lets consider some of the nearly miraculous findings of a

daily meditation habit and how they relate to accelerated
learning.
Growing Gray Matter in the Brain
In as little as 8 weeks, regular mindfulness practice has been

shown to measurably increase the gray matter of our brains.
Most importantly for fast learning, these practices particularly
seem to affect the regions of the brain responsible for
emotional regulation, learning, focus, attention, awareness,
and self-control. These are all central abilities for peak
performance, creativity, problem solving, and accelerated
learning
Specific physiological changes include the following:
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Lengthening Telomeres
At the ends of every strand of DNA there is a little cap. This

cap is called a telomere and its often compared to the small
piece of plastic at the end of a shoe lace that keeps it from
unraveling.
A regular meditation practice has been shown to maintain the
length of these telomeres throughout the lifespan and even
lengthen them. This is significant because aging seems to
deteriorate these telomeres. And consequently it is believed
that maintaining these telomeres is responsible for staving off
many of the negative effects of aging.
Left Hippocampus Growth

The list below explains the significance to us (as learners) of
maintaining the size of our left hippocampus. But just note
that this is only one region of the brain, in particular, that is
affected by a regular meditation practice:
Meditation and the Aging Process
As we age, many of our mental faculties tend to decline. A

regular meditation practice has been shown to reduce the
negative effects of aging in the following ways:
Maintain our ability to learn

Maintain our ability to remember
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Increase ability to focus and concentrate

Reduce stress (prolonged stress actually shrinks parts of
the brain including the hippocampus)

Increase emotional regulation
Increase capacity for perspective taking
Maintains fluid intelligence - ability to solve new problems
and to think on our feet
Maintains executive functioning - focussing on whats
most important at any given time
Improve mood and feelings of well-being
Overall, a regular meditation practice can improve almost all

aspects of our mental faculties. It helps maintain our brain
health which ultimately means it increases our ability to do the
things we need to do. Focus, attention, solving novel
problems, and taking perspectives are central to the process
of accelerated learning.
And this is really just the beginning of the benefits of such a
practice. Beyond that which is listed above, the habit of
mindfulness can widen our awareness and ground ourselves
in the present moment on an ongoing basis.
Ultimately this means we can direct our lives through our
moment to moment actions. And it enhances our subjective
well-being which is really what we're all looking for on this
path to mastery.
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IV. The Mind
When it comes to learning, the mind takes center stage. Few

people are concerned with the brains chemical changes or
the physics of memory; what we really want is to be able to
recall an idea when we need it.
Consequently we focused on environment, community, and
body so that we can clear the way for the landing of
knowledge and information. Such preparation is a powerful
step indeed for the learning process. And once we remove the
main obstacles, we have a straight shot to the goal.
The Mind is where the most powerful and diverse study tips
and techniques exist for improving our learning. So well start
with an ideal orientation, get to some specific tricks, and take
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a tour of a multitude of ways that we can upload and use new

information, skills, and techniques at the speed of thought.
.... Ladies and Gentlemen... it gives me great pleasure to
introduce....
The Mind
Section Overview:
Orientation
A Learning State of Mind - Preparation
Flow States - The Path to Peak Experience
Make It Stick
Meta-Cognition
Accelerated Learning Hacks - Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
"Next Level" Productivity Systems
Extra Tips and Techniques
*** One Tip to Rule Them All: The Paradigm Shift ***
Orientation
The way we think affects what we do. Optimism, focus,
attention, and work ethic all come into play here.
Deciding to sail out towards to the horizon or stay safely on
the shores will depend on how you look at things. Do you
persevere when times get rough? Do you give up before the
trials even begin? Do you look for answers or problems? And
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is the potential for gold at the end of this journey the only
reason you're setting sail in the first place?
Here we'll discuss some advantageous ways of orienting
ourselves in the process of accelerated learning.
Goal Oriented
For accelerated learning, we need to be goal oriented yet

process driven. If we are purely goal oriented, then we set
ourselves up for obsession and/or failure. However, without a
goal, theres no reason to take this learning voyage in the first
place. We need to know where we want to go before we have
a chance of getting there. So identifying a learning goal gets
on the journey underway.
By identifying the objective of our learning, we target only the
most relevant ideas. If we have an outcome in mind as we
begin, we also have a mental model to which we can apply
the ideas. As we study or practice we can reflect, how would I
use this in a game, or in my work, or in the field?
Reflecting on these questions as we study/practice helps
things stick in our mind (see Make It Stick down below for
more on this).
Process Driven
However, if we focus purely on the results then we set

ourselves up for failure. Big goals, those that most motivate
our pursuits, tend to be far off. So if we focus exclusively on
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targets too far down the road, then we can burn ourselves out.
Because big goals take time.
If attaining the goal is all that matters then were unhappy
most of the time. Being process driven means learning to love
the journey.
The feeling of a workout session, of creating, or learning
something new can be inherently enjoyable. Only through the
repetition of practice can we access flow states (more on that
later).
So learn to love the process. The result will be a more
enjoyable journey where you experience success with each
and every practice session. This accelerates your learning,
stokes your desire to keep going, and results in a positive
feedback loop empowering your success.
Presence of Mind
The essence of being process driven is presence of mind.

Learning (and everything else we'll ever do) only happens in
the 'now'.
Being process driven mean being in the moment while we
work and practice. As our mind wanders, we must come back
to what we are doing. Don't fret about the long-term goal, or
how far you've come so far.
Maximum benefits in this practices session are only available
if you are engaged with what's happening right now. Come
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back to your body, root your focus in the task at hand, and
watch the rate of your learning go through the roof.
Meditation: Self-Awareness
In the above section (The Body) we discussed how the skills

we develop through a formal meditation habit are central to
focus, learning, and peak performance. We learned how
meditation can actually grow and change the physical nature
of our brain.
In terms of mind, meditation is an indispensable tool for selfawareness because we are the biggest obstacles to our own
accelerated learning. Nothing can ever hinder our progress
more than that voice in our own head and a heavy feeling of
resistance.
Our minds tend to speak up just at those critical moments
when we tell ourselves we are ready to work. When we sit
down to read a book, what part of us keeps chatting away or
fantasizing about those new gadgets and exciting new
experiences we could have elsewhere? Why do we spend so
much time thinking about what we'll do after practice, or
tomorrow, or this weekend? Why is it so hard to stay focused
on what we're doing?
The answers to these questions are complex and have to do
with our past conditioning, underlying desires, and personal
preferences.
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Key Takeaway: Meditation helps us come to grips with that

voice in our head (ego, instinct, the reptile brain). Emotional
drives distract us whenever we make the decision to put in the
work. When we sit to meditate, we have an ideal opportunity
to refine our relationship to that voice.
We have a similar opportunity every time we start an internal
debate regarding whether we should sit down and do the work
on this next project (learning, creative, or otherwise).
A meditation habit gives us the tools to notice when that voice
in our heads leads us astray. Thus it gives us the power to
stay the course with focus and efficiency.

How we think and what we believe affects everything we do.
When it comes to accelerated learning, there are several
ways in which this plays out. Just know for now that you can
learn anything if you apply your mind in the right way. Here
are some attitudes and believes that are indispensable for
owning your learning process.
The Growth Mindset
This was first described by Stanford psychology Carol Dweck.

Check out this infographic to get a fuller picture, but the
basics are simple:
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People who believe that intelligence is fluid (that it is

something they can actively influence) actually learn more.
The point is that we all have the power to learn. The
knowledge that we have the capacity to influence our learning
gives us both confidence that our time will not be wasted and
the assurance that we can do it.
Become a life-long learner. Say it in your mind or out loud, I
am a life-long learner. I am committed to doing whatever it
takes to learn those things that matter most to me.
Tell yourself that you can learn anything and that the learning
process is never finished. This is true, and internalizing this
attitude is one of the strongest factors you have in your favor
for accelerated learning.
Optimism
People who believe they can achieve things are the ones who
do. Our beliefs about ourselves influence everything we do,
and we seek out ways to confirm our beliefs. If you know
there is a way, yet you fail on the first attempt, then you will
think to yourself, I just missed my target, but now I have more
experience that will help me on my next attempt. Then you
will keep going.
If you are pessimistic, and you fail at a first attempt then you
might think, I just failed and this proves that I cant do it.
Thomas Edison supposedly corrected a worker of his while on
the long path to the invention of the light-bulb. The worker
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said something like, we have failed 1000 times already, cant

we finally give up? And Edison supposedly responded, We
havent failed 1000 times but rather have successfully found
1000 options that dont work. We will find one. And they did.
True or not, that story points to the power of optimism. As
Margaret Mead once said, never doubt that a small
committed group of citizens can change the world, for intact
they are the only ones who ever have. This attitude stands
both for changing the world or changing our personal
potential.
Can Do Confidence
If optimism is the framing that there is a solution, "can do"

confidence is the internal fire that drives us to find that
solution. It's the will to lay it all out there, face down our fears,
and go for it.
Some people let self-doubt undermine their success. So Im
here to tell you that yes, you can do it. You can learn what you
need to learn in order to achieve the results you desire. It may
not be easy, but the answers are out there.
Can-do confidence might mean taking a leap of faith (an idea
thats unwisely looked down upon in a world that loves to see
itself as hyper rational). But no one knows whats going to
happen in the future. We are people of the 21st century. We
have greater access to resources, knowledge, and facilities
than at any previous time in history.
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If someone has achieved the outcomes you desire, then they

are available to you. You can do it. So go find the solution to
any problem that might plague you.
Perseverance
We all get tired. Any activity can become tedious after

repeating it again and again. Even with activities that once
fueled our inspiration require tedious and repetitive practice
from time to time.
So mastery in any endeavor means getting over this hump
that often stops most people in their tracks.
Those who really take things to the next level find a comfort
and enjoyment in the repetition of old skills. In his book
Mastery, George Leonard describes the feeling he would get
from arriving at his dojo and returning to his aikido practice. At
times he would feel strong resistance and not want to go, but
the experience of putting his feet back on the matt would feel
good and put him in the zone once he arrived.
Similarly, even Bruce Lee said I fear not the man who has
practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has
practiced 1 kick 10,000 times. Thats because he was a
master and recognized the truth of learning. Those who
persevere in the face of their own resistance are the one who
overcome even the most daunting challenges.
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Enjoy The Ride - Love the Grind
Here's a practical tip for how to persevere in the face of

resistance.
Famed University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari
encourages his players to love the grind. The ups and
downs of practice can wear on all of us. If we are serious
about a topic, there will come a time when the honeymoon
period fades. Our pure passion wont always inspire us to hop
out of bed and hit the gym, get our fingers on the keys, pick
up the paint brush, or run over our scales.
When this time comes, the only option is to learn to love the
grind. Loving the grind is what transforms mere learning into
an existential, even spiritual, experience. Here we come face
to face with our inner demons, and we have a choice. Either
face what Steven Pressfield describes as the the dragon of
resistance or give up.
But for anyone interested in accelerated learning, giving up
isnt an option. Greatness isnt about avoiding challenge but
rather confronting it head on. Therefore we have to turn
towards that dragon and learn to enjoy that battle. Thats
loving the grind.
A Learning State of Mind
Is your mind a ground of fertile soil, ready to nurture the ideas

you plant there? Or is your mind a hard barren land resistant
to work and hostile to any new additions?
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For peak performance in any endeavor, we need to cultivate

the ideal state of mind for the task at hand. This applies for
accelerated learning as much as anything else. If youre
practicing a high energy physical activity, you might need to
take it up a notch. But even with high octane sports like a
American Football, we can easily go to far.
When it comes to accelerated learning, putting ourselves in
the following states is likely to lead to success.
Clear and Focused
No tool beats a clear and focused mind when it comes to

performing or learning. Taoist philosophy calls this a "mind like
water." It's ready, agile, and responds precisely to the
situation as needed.
In this state of mind, we are ready. We have removed the
mental obstacles that get between us and the material. This is
the mental feeling of power and control. Here are techniques
for cultivating this state of mind regularly.
Tips and Tricks for Clarity and Focus
1) Three Deep Breaths
Before hitting the gym, going for a run, practicing your golf
swing, or cracking open those books, taking just three deep
breaths with focused attention to set the intention of this next
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work session. It brings our energy down a notch and begins to

focus our awareness on whats immediately relevant.
2) Regular Meditation
Yet again, meditation is an intimate friend to our accelerated

learning. By formally setting time aside in the morning to clear
our minds and focus, we prime ourselves to reenter that state
when we need it.
3) Yoga
Here's another practice to take focus and clarity to the next

level. In a yoga practice we combine physical strength with
mental focus for a prolonged period of time. This practice
increases our baseline ability to focus when then time is right.
A morning routine including a short meditation followed by 20
minutes of light yoga can be an ideal start to the day. Such a
habit can provide a baseline of clarity and focus for when we
need it.
Relaxed Intensity
Theres a sweet spot for learning. Too relaxed we become

loose and sloppy; too intense and we become high strung and
rigid. The optimum state of learning will vary from person to
person but somewhere in the middle is where accelerated
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learning lives. Thus a sense of relaxed intensity implies an

agile mind with energy to spare.
You cant force high performance. Even with intense activities,
we have to remember to breathe, to be in the moment, but
remember that relaxed doesnt mean soft.
The ideal learning state is relaxed yet "on our toes." Baseball
offers a good example in athletics. Peak performance requires
the defensive players to be in position, but no one can move
until the ball is hit. At that moment, the players must be ready
to spring into action, and the direction could equally be one
way or the other. So they are intensely focused, but relaxed
enough to respond as needed.
Even with more intellectual activities such as writing, painting,
or studying, this flexibility of mind ensures we are ready and
open to learning. Its intense because it takes focused work
and attention. But its relaxed because we were flexible and
ready to respond.

Here are a few distractions that can take us out of that
learning state of mind at a moments notice. The first has to do
with the effects of emotionally laden situations, and the
second is a habit that conditions us to be scattered throughout
our day.
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Emotional Hijacking
If we have just come out of an emotional situation like a fight

with family, friends, or a partner, then we get emotionally
hijacked. This can also happen if we feel intense pressure
from other worldly situations (impending bills, overload at
work, externally imposed time constraints, etc.).
Daniel Goleman describes this phenomena in his seminal
book Emotional Intelligence.
In a nutshell, the amygdala kicks in and directs our focus with
a wave of emotion that we cant easily overcome. Thus our
own minds undermine our ability to learn or perform
effectively.
Accelerated learning is out of the questions because even
regular focus is nearly impossible. Our attention is at the
mercy of our emotional selves.
So broadly speaking it's essential to conduct our lives in such
a way that we have limited social conflict (a common catalyst
for emotional hijacking). Focus can be difficult enough without
the extra load of regular confrontation and it's destabilizing
influence.
Media Distractions
On a more mellow note, even if were not in the midst of an

emotional storm, being generally scattered also trips us up.
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Social media, stumbling through sensational blogposts or

videos all encourage distraction.
Facebook gives us access to 1000s of pieces of new, and
potentially exciting, information all at once. If something
doesnt catch our eye in about .01 seconds, were off to the
next thing. Flowing through our news feeds conditions our
mind to maintain the attention span of a mosquito. Actually
thats not fair; most mosquitos are more persistent once they
set their sights.
So avoid social media, email, or other activities that
encourage constant clicking and stumbling through a plethora
of information. This gets us scattered makes us unable, or
unwilling, to focus for prolonged time.
The benefits of a clear and focused mind is also why
meditation can be so helpful as a practice. It gives us tools to
zone in before we get into a study or practice session. Well
discuss some other techniques and tools to help this process
along down below.
***ProTip:
No Email, Social Media, or Web surfing before 4 pm - For
maximum productivity, self-impose an internet, social media,
and email restriction. High performers, creatives, and
entrepreneurs alike, including Tim Ferris, recommend
checking email only during specific windows. Ferris
recommends limiting yourself to only an hour or so per week.
But even a simple rule like no email or social media before 4
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pm can help us keep a clear and focused state of mind

throughout the day.
Flow States
The renowned psychologist Csikszentmihalyi called Flow a
state of optimal experience. In this state we lose our sense of
self and time. Hours can pass without us noticing because we
are engrossed in the activity. Its in these states that we learn
most efficiently, solve problems with grace and efficiency, and
simply enjoy our lives.
In his book, Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery
and Invention, Csikszentmihalyi explains 9 factors that are
central to a flow experience:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Clear Goals
Immediate Feedback
Challenge matches Skills
Action & Awareness Merge
Single-Pointed Focus
No Worry of Failure
Self-Consciousness Disappears
Time Distortion
Enjoy the Activity for its own Sake - Autotelic
Some of these factors we can control while others are more a

result from full engagement. So lets distinguish which of
these are directly in our control and which are byproducts of
immersion into the flow state. Heres how we can harness the
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research of flow to perform at our best and get into a state of

Flow Part 1: What We Can Control

Here we'll start with those things that are within our influence.
We set our sites to accomplish these tasks and the rest is
more likely to fall in line.
1) Clear Goals
Setting clear goals is well within our control. We can do this in

a number of ways but a powerful technique is to visualize your
ideal outcome. Why are you studying or practicing in the first
place? Are you working towards proficiency in a skill or are
you working towards passing a test or performing an action?
If you cant imagine and describe the intended outcome of
your learning then you are likely to meander during your
practice. When you know what youre going for, you can focus
your attention and target your efforts.
2) Immediate Feedback (or seek it out)
Imagine walking on a balance beam. If your balance is spot

on then you remain on top almost effortlessly. But if you lean
too far one way or another, you fall. This is immediate
feedback. Some activities, especially sports and arts, have
immediate feedback built right into the situation. You hear
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when you play the wrong note. You can see when the ball
doesnt go in the hoop. Then you can adjust.
The quicker we can get feedback, the more effectively we can
enter into states of optimal performance for accelerated
learning.
When studying more intellectually based skills, immediate
feedback is not inherent in the situation so you need to take it
upon yourself to seek honest feedback however you can find
it. This might require seeking out the opinion of others who
also are in the field. Or you might check your answers against
someone elses online.
Either way, its essential to figure out if what youre working on
is actually working or not. If its not, then you might be wasting
precious time and energy. The sooner you get results back,
the sooner you can correct course.
3) Challenge Matches Skills
The learning theorist Vygotsky coined the term Zone of

proximal development for those tasks that are just beyond
our current abilities yet within reach. Tasks in this area are
what push us to take one more step forward.
If we take on challenges that are too difficult, we tend to get
frustrated (and possibly quit). If things are too easy, then we
tend to lose interest. So match the challenges of your learning
to your current skill set.
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Tip: Find a ladder of skills or challenges that encourage you to

work towards increasingly more difficult goals as you get
better and better. Some great examples of this are the body
weight strength training program Convict Conditioning (here's
an overview but I recommend getting the book for better
understanding), or the math learning program designed by
Kahn Academy
4) Single-Pointed Focus
To perform at our best we have to be focused. The challenge

of the 21st century is that there are endless distractions that
encourage us be anything but focused. Nevertheless, the
ability to concentrate on a single task with intensity is
something that can be developed.
Start by simply staying focused and becoming aware of those
moments that you become distracted during your practice
session. Dont allow your attention to drift far from the task.
Notice when an urge arises to check Facebook, or go to the
bathroom, or step to the other room for whatever insignificant
reason. Ask yourself if this impulse to break is valid or if your
mind is seeking distraction.
To work directly on the skill of concentration, here are some
meditative techniques that have been practiced for millennia.
They were designed specifically with the intention of
increasing our ability to focus.
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Another trick is to join The Game. It can help you bring your
attention back to the present, which is the only place
accelerated learning can happen.
Flow Part 2: The Fruits of our Labor

When we set up the first half of the Flow equation correctly,
and we put ourselves into an ideal environment to do the
work, then these following traits have the potential to emerge.
This is where the whole of our practice or performance
becomes more than the sum of the parts.
5) Action & Awareness Merge
When we have a goal, were focused, and the challenge

matches our skills, we can start to lose ourselves in the
activity. Were not thinking about what were doing; were
simply doing it. Our awareness and actions are not separate.
Were in the present. Things are happening.
Its a delicate balance. And the moment you think about
whats going on, you knock yourself out of that state. Its not
about thinking. Its about just doing it.
And as we enter this state, we have.
6) No Worry of Failure
Because failure or success are things that happen in the
future. When we enter into flow, all that exists is what were
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doing. We just arent concerned with anything that happened

earlier today or what will happen after we practice. Were not
thinking about our results and.
7) Self-Consciousness Disappears
We actually lose our sense of self. Or at least the thought of

I, me, mine simply isn't there. All that exists are the
sensations, motions, or possibly the ideas that were studying.
Its the feeling of becoming absorbed in a book, movie, game,
work, or art.
There is no I and we drop back into a moving state of
meditation thats not so different from the Buddhist notions of
the witnessing self.
8) Time Distortion
In such a state, time has no bearing. Hours can go by in what

seems like minutes.
Or time might seem to slow down. Some of the greatest
hitters in baseballs history talk about being able to see the
seams of the ball rotating as if in slow motion when they are in
their zone. This way they can identify what type of pitch is
coming at them.
Thus they are able to excel to a level beyond the ordinary.
And ultimately flow is about...
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9) Enjoying the Activity for its own Sake - Autotelic
Lastly, flow is described as a state of optimal experience

because it simply feels good to be at our best.
An Autotelic experience is one that is enjoyable for its own
sake. Its something that we do just because we like it. So to
achieve accelerated learning on the highest level we have to
learn to love the work. Enjoy the feeling of learning, the
experience of expanding your awareness or refining you
skills.
Get this one right and youll unlock a lifetime of accelerated
learning.
Make It Stick
Speaking of psychological research that can help accelerate
our learning, Peter Brown, Henry Roediger, and Mark
McDaniel gathered up a small treasure chest of invaluable
information in their book Make it Stick. Here are 6 techniques
that have significant empirical support for increasing our
ability to remember.
If you just want 2 practices that use apply most of these
principles, skip the next 6 points.
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1) Retrieval
If you want to be able to remember something, you have to

practice remembering it.
That is, you have to practice retrieving the idea from wherever
you brain stores it. Doing so strengthens the neural pathways
to that memory which in turn makes it easier to recall in the
future.
The easiest way to practice this is to ask yourself: What did I
just learn?
Ask yourself this question during study sessions, after study
sessions, before bed, and the next day. If you cant remember
what you learned while youre reading it, you wont remember
it tomorrow or any other time that you need the info.
This practice shows us what weve already learned, and it
increases our ability to use that information later.
2) Spacing
Its more effective to practice a little each day than for

extended sessions once in a while.
In a nutshell: 20 minutes of study 6 days per week is better
than 3 hours of study every Wednesday.
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When we come back to a topic, this forces us to practice

retrieval; we have to remember where we left off. So we have
more chances to practice remembering.
Also much of learning consolidates in our brains while we
sleep. Daily practice gives our brain more opportunities to
internalize the info and we remember it better.
3) Variation
While practicing a single activity, we learn faster if we mix up

the practice styles. This goes against our intuition and it can
be uncomfortable but heres how it works.
Imagine you are learning to shoot baskets. If you practice by
taking 10 shots from 1 spot, then 10 more from another, it will
feel like you are improving quickly. This is because the quick
feedback makes it easier to remember how to adjust the shot
in the short term.
However, this style of practice is not very effective for
remembering how to make the shots tomorrow.
By contrast, if you take the same 20 shots, but vary the
practice between the two spaces (take one shot from here,
then one from there) then you are more likely to perform the
shots better tomorrow from both spots.
Another example is if you have a chemistry test and there are
3 problem types, you will do better by studying one type, then
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the next type, then the next type (1 at at time and changing
after each problem).
***This feels counter-intuitive but it works***
People find this uncomfortable because they want to rep a
single style until they get ahold of that question, then they
want to move on to the next. But this natural style of studying
is less effective in terms of actually putting our learning to use.
Mixing up your practice feels like more work, and it is. Thats
precisely why its more effective for learning. Learning is a lot
like exercise: if what youre doing doesnt feel like work, then
its probably not working.
4) Interleaving
When we have to study multiple topics, its better to divide our

time between the subjects than to focus on only 1.
For example if you have two different skills to learn for your
business, say video editing and writing, you may feel inclined
to focus on one today and the other tomorrow. But its better
to split your time between the two skills each day.
That is, if you have one hour to study each day and two skills
to learn, start with one for 30 minutes and then go to the other
for the remaining 30 minutes (or better yet spend 25 minutes
on each and take 5 minutes between to reflect on "what did I
just learn?").
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It will take you longer to finish each book individually, but you
will remember much more from each book once you complete
them.
One reason for this has to do with spacing and retrieval.
Another reason is because we tend to remember the first and
last thing we hear in a string of information. By switching
topics, we increase the starts and stops by 2x. Thus we can
more easily remember the things we learned from each book.
And we learn much more than if we would have focused on
just one of those books for twice as long.
5) Elaboration
This is the practice of taking what we learn and applying the

ideas to new situations. If Im learning about psychology, I
might think, how can I use this idea in achieving my goals?
If youre practicing a skill for a sport or in music, you might
think when and where is a good place to use this skill during
a performance or game?
If you have a clear goal for doing your work, then this is much
easier because you have a reason for learning the topic in the
first place. You can think of your ideal outcome and find ways
to apply your developing skills or knowledge to that situation.
Doing so will help solidify the ideas in your mind. And it will
root them into your mind more firmly.
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6) Reflection
This is like elaboration but looking backwards instead of

forwards. It means taking the ideas and trying to see how they
have applied to your experiences in the past. When did I see
this idea in real life before? Or how did I use this in the past
in such a way that worked or didnt work?
Finding real examples of how you found success from these
ideas, or how you could have used them to your advantage
will again help you lock them into your brain.
2 Study Tips for Making it Stick
Here are two practices that you can use which incorporate
multiple techniques to Make it Stick all at once.
Writing - A Learning Recall
One of the most effective strategies for combining these

techniques is to do a learning recall. A learning recall is
where you sit down with a writing device and try to remember
everything you can from your previous learning session. You
could do it with a word processor or pen and paper.
***Writing is thinking***
So when you write those ideas down, you have to remember
them. Via writing you can clearly see what topics stuck in your
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mind, making it obvious what you remember and what you

dont (retrieval).
You can write about how you would apply them (elaboration).
Or how they have worked for you in the past (reflection).
If you do this daily (spacing) then you will leverage your
results for truly accelerated learning.
And writing these ideas down is a way of mixing up your
practice habits (Variation).
Mind Mapping
Learning recalls dont have to be restricted to linear, list

building. Mind maps are a great tool for unbounding our
thinking. Here you can expand your thoughts into pictures, or
think of entire scenarios where they could apply.
If you are up for a challenge or are more creative you can
incorporate the ideas into a story, a picture, song, or drawing.
This takes more abstract thinking and is more challenging but
will result in a memory that is hard to forget because you
naturally incorporate what 7 time World Memory Champion,
Dominique OBrien, calls the the 3 greatest memory
techniques of all time:
Association - Connecting new ideas with pre established
knowledge.
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Location - Relating lists of data to physical locations. This is

the basis for creating a "memory palace".
Imagination - Creating vivid images in your mind that are
unique and unusual, thus memorable
Mostly, if your review session doesnt feel like work, its
probably not working. Stretching our limits is not an easy
activity. So if what youre doing feels to easy, then its
probably not that effective either.
This study tip involves the use of mind maps and reflective
writing to exercise your thinking, creativity, and memory.
Metacognition
Everything that we are doing here as we consider accelerated
learning is an exercise in metacognition.
Metacognition is the ability to think about thinking. Its the
ability to reflect on and direct our own thought processes. Its
about self-awareness, understanding our preferences, how
we function best, how our mood influences our performance,
and even how we can influence that mood so we can perform
at our best more frequently.
Instead of just going about the learning process, we are
thinking about how the mind works, how the conditions and
people around us affect our ability to learn, and then were
aiming to use those natural forces to our advantage.
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For specific tips, consider the above section Making it Stick.

Here we specifically examined how the mind works in terms of
memory. Then we actively use these specific techniques,
many of which require us to take action that doesnt
necessarily come natural to us:
I.e. its not natural to stop take a moment after studying and
think What did I just learn? and then answer that question.
But it is an effective learning technique. This is metacognition
in use.
Lets explore the general process of learning so that we can
help it along.
4 Stages of Awareness
There is a sequence with which we take in anything that can

be learned.
1) Unconsciously Unknown -
In this first stage we dont know even know what we dont

know. When people say ignorance is bliss, this is the stage of
awareness they are talking about.
Consider the topic of accelerated learning. At some point, we
simply dont even know these ideas exist. They are outside of
our awareness and they are completely unknown to us. But
then we might stumble across an article like this and then we
move to stage 2.
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2) Consciously Unknown
Once we become aware that an idea or tools exist, then the

topic is consciously unknown to us. We know its there, and
we know we dont know how it works just yet. In terms of
accelerated learning, its like recognizing that these ideas
exist, but not yet having a firm grasp on how we can use them
to our advantage. The how is still unknown to us.
When Socrates was recognized by the oracles of Delfi as the
wisest man in the world, it was because he realized more than
anyone else how much he still didn't know.
But for many specific tasks he took it upon himself to develop
proficiency. Thus he moved to stage 3.
3) Consciously Known
Once we know something exists, we can start to work on it.

With mindful practice we can use these techniques for
accelerated learning even though they dont come naturally.
Thus when we consciously think about it, we know how to use
these ideas.
The caveat in stage 3 is that it still takes overt work, extra
energy, to put these ideas to use. We still have to think about
it so we haven't integrated the skills
But eventually they just start to come naturally
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That is stage 4.
4) Unconsciously Known
This forth stage is about intuition and mastery. Here we have

the skills, have internalized them, and they come naturally to
us. Consider the way you use language. It's just a tool in your
toolbox. Your rarely have to think hard to speak except for
maybe those "tip of the tongue" moments when you can't
remember a word. Or if you're a writer who is consciously
refining your linguistic abilities.
Let's come back to accelerated learning. In practice stage four
looks like stopping a study session midway through and
thinking What did I just read? Do I remember any of that?
It's about just noticing that your mind is wandering, and then
getting back on track.
This is fluency and mastery in the task. We learn easily and
can drop into flow states with ease and grace. This is what we
strive for whenever we begin any path of learning.
(This is yet another reason why meditation is so helpful. A
regular practice helps us become master's of our own
psychology or at least a lot more familiar with the feelings of
distraction. Meditation is a way to develop meta-cognitive
awareness which is a key study tip for accelerated learning)
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Why am I learning this?

Nietzche once said, he who has a strong enough why can
bear almost any how. In other words, we can get through just
about anything if we know why were doing it. Purpose is a
powerful motivator.
This is true for sports, arts, academic skills, work, or personal
enjoyment. Failing to understand why can undermine our
motivation for accelerated learning more quickly than
anything.
If you do know why you are learning something then you can
draw on that to overcome those dark times when the practice
gets tough.
Call Yourself Out - Creating a Why
You dont have to be working on your lifes purpose to find

motivation for learning.
Even if you have to learn something you don't like for work or
school, so be it. You can take your learning to the next level
by upping the stakes via a challenge to yourself.
Use this difficult learning situation to test your limits. Give
yourself a secondary purpose of pushing your discipline and
will-power to the next level. Ask yourself, Is this task the task
that brings me to the limits of my potential? Is learning this
seriously beyond what I am capable of as a human being?
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If you have any sort of competitive drive within yourself, the

likely answer is a resounding, no. And youll kick your focus
up a notch to prove to yourself that this is just a small trial in
the grand scheme of things.
See the Bigger Picture
Seeing The Big Picture means starting with why (as

explained above). But it goes beyond that as well. Recognize
how what youre learning fits into the field you are studying.
Then you can even step back again and notice how that field
fits into the larger whole of society, the biosphere, or even the
cosmos.
For example, imagine youre studying psychology and how
people are biased to favor groups they are part of. You might
tie that into psychology as a whole by noting: people tend to
value themselves and thus consider things that they are
associated with (like groups) as being better. On the larger
scale, this helps explain why there are so many conflicts
between different groups around the world. Most people care
more about themselves, thus more about their own group,
and ultimately this is a factor in all the major conflicts
throughout history including war, racism, genocide, and
nationalism
When you make connections between new details and the
bigger picture, you root your new learning into a vast network
of knowledge that you already have. As a result you connect
these new points to anchors in your mind. The more
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connections you can make, the better you will remember and
see how this new idea applies throughout the rest of you life.
Thus, connecting ideas to your larger conception of the
cosmos, and maybe even seeing how this fits inside your
personal worldview, is a way of making learning last.
**Bonus Tip for the Bigger Pictures - Analogies**
One way to make connections between new and old learning

is through analogies. An analogy is where you describe how
one thing works in terms of a totally different thing. In this way,
you can take quite difficult concepts and convey the essence
of the idea more simply. Ask yourself how is this like
something else.
A popular example is explaining Einsteins theory of space
time and gravity:
The planets arent really moving in ellipses around the sun.
They are moving straight, but space itself is curved by super
massive objects like planets or the sun. Imagine a bowling
ball sitting on a trampoline. The trampoline is space, and the
weight of the ball is mass. So mass causes the space to bend
and curve. The planets move straight through space but that
space looks bent to us because we cant see the warped
effects of mass on spacetime.
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Interests and Curiosity
Of course its way easier to study hard when a subject

naturally appeals to your interests and curiosity. Its fun and
exciting to learn about things that interest us (see the above
section on Flow - point 9 - Autotelic activities).
The many virtuosos throughout history may not have had any
innate talents beyond an unusual passion for playing with
their craft. People who love things and are curious about them
will simply do them more. Mastery is primarily a result of
consistent effort, learning the foundations, getting to the limits
of the field, and then experimenting with what might lie ahead.
If you follow your strengths and curiosity you are like to
accelerate your learning to another level.
Strengths
Howard Garner changed how most of us conceptualize

learning with the popular explosion of his theory of multiple
intelligences. Simply put, not all learning is the same. Just
because someone is smart with math doesnt mean she will
be great at music or social skills.
We can all expand our learning in any one of these areas, but
most of us have natural abilities for some more than others.
Identify which of these intelligences resonates with your
natural abilities and you are likely to pick up these skills with
ease and grace:
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1) Musical/Rhythmic
2) Visual/Spatial
3) Verbal/Linguistic
4) Logical/Mathematical
5) Bodily/Kinesthetic
6) Interpersonal - Self Knowledge/Awareness
7) Intrapersonal - Social Skills
8) Naturalistic - Recognizing animals, plants, and skills
pertaining to farming, hunting, and nature
If you can identify which intelligences come more natural for
you, and then you use the accelerated learning techniques
described here to take your abilities even further, then you
have your best chance to become world-class in that activity
and really contribute to the world.
Personal Preferences
It would be impossible to apply all the study tips suggested in

this post at once. And some of them might simply not work for
you. So you need to figure out your own learning preferences.
What time of day is your cognitive peak? Do you work better
alone or with people? What topics do you prefer? What
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materials do you need to do your best work? What specific

things do you need to get motivated?
Basically, you have to recognize how you work. Dont try to
force this, just reflect and notice what does and doesnt work
for you. To help with this, apply the study tip of tracking your
results (found below).
Self-Honesty with Self-Compassion
Humans have a natural bias to see things as all or nothing,

black and white, left or right. Decisions where we can't help
but see only two options are sometimes called "A Sucker's
Choice."
That's why we need to be both honest and compassionate
with ourselves throughout the learning process. Our human
tendency is to go all out, sacrificing one for the other: either
being too soft or too hard on ourselves.
On the one side we tend to protect ourselves from criticisms
of our work. When people tell us weve done something wrong
we often get defensive and allow good advice to roll off us like
water on a raincoat. It doesnt sink in. We're not being honest
with ourselves.
On the other hand, there are people who are hyper sensitive
to criticism and take any advice as a wrecking ball that
absolutely crushes them. They take things too seriously; they
are not self-compassionate.
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But there is a sweet spot in the middle where we are both

honest with ourselves about what we do well and where we
need to improve. We dont shield ourselves from good
constructive criticism; we are self-honest. But we are also fair
to ourselves and realize that we have both positive qualities
and things to work on; we are self-compassionate.
Metacognizers actually seek out criticism and constructive
feedback. They look for ways they can improve while
acknowledging how far they have come. This is healthy
confidence with the open-minded honesty that allows them to
keep growing and learning.
Core Skills of the Mind

In this section, well discuss some baseline abilities central to
our potential as humans. These are not techniques that we
simply apply to help us quicken our studies. Rather these are
abilities that are useful for getting results in any area of our
lives.
These are tools of the mind. By analogy think of a carpenter.
The more carpentry skills he has, the wider variety of items
the carpenter can make. But also the quality of all the items
he makes will be better all of the time. Similarly, these tools of
thought give us the power to solve problems, overcome
challenges, and achieve goals that would otherwise seem
impossible. And they will help us perform our regular tasks,
including accelerated learning, to the highest level possible.
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Critical Thinking
Nothing has changed the history of humanity and the planet

itself more than our ability to critically, and skeptically,
interrogate those things that seem obvious to us.
Critical thinking means asking questions. It means
questioning our own thoughts, beliefs, ways of doing things,
and reasons for behaving the way we do. It takes courage to
engage in honest critical thinking because doing so can reveal
the ways we make mistakes. Then it takes strength of
character to actually enact those changes.
Critical thinking is about gathering data, analyzing that data,
brainstorming possible courses of action, and then applying a
plan to the situation. It is an essential skill thats based in the
process of digging deeper.
And it is a process. More than a system of beliefs itself, its a
system for investigating and learning as much as possible. Its
about not being afraid of being wrong and asking the difficult
questions.
Processes trump intelligence. Evolution is a process that, over
billions of years, has crafted bodies and minds so subtle and
dynamic as us. So we too must develop processes that
continue to accelerate our growth and personal evolution.
Tips and Tricks for Critical Thinking
1) Self-Reflection - Find Your Unexamined Assumptions
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What are your strongest beliefs? How do you evaluate

"truth"? What are the most important values to be held? How
can you tell if someone is a good or bad person? Where do
your thinking patterns, values, and beliefs come from?
How similar or different are your beliefs from those of other
people around you? How do other people, your culture, and
your country influence what you think?
We all have hidden assumptions and beliefs that weve never
thought about directly. By bringing them to the forefront of our
attention we give ourselves the power to create the ideal life
we want for ourselves.
This is important because we tend to seek out ideas that
confirm those things we already think are true...
2) Confront the Confirmation Bias - Seek Opposing Evidence
The bravest people are not afraid to consider the ways they
might be wrong. Those braver still can admit their errors when
there is enough support against their original position.
So if you hold a strong belief, look for evidence that
contradicts your reasoning. Are there any facts of data that
contradict what I think? Why do others who disagree with me
believe what they believe? Can I understand why they think
their position is correct?
The Confirmation Bias is a well documented phenomena of
psychology. In a nutshell its the tendency for us to look for
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ideas that confirm our beliefs, or the beliefs that we want to

have, while discounting data that contradicts our position.
In other words, we believe all the good things about the stuff
we like, and we know that all the negative things must be
biased attacks by others who couldnt possibly know what
theyre talking about. (Sarcasm intentional)
***Here is a resource that I highly recommend for every
person on the planet: The Great Courses - Your Deceptive
Mind
Creative Thinking
Creativity is a power that at times seems divine. Some ideas

feel as though they could have only come from The Muses
because they seem to transcend our human experience.
In fact, the ability to create something from nothing is one one
of the only qualities that we attribute to The Gods. So by
developing our ability to transform ideas in our minds into
artifacts in reality, we are aspiring to our highest potential.
Furthermore, creativity is the basis for directing our own lives
so that we can become who we want to be. This is the
essence of self-authoring. It's the process of mindfully forging
ourselves into the people we want to be.
Whether we think about it or not, we create ourselves in every
action we take. Whether we choose to hit the gym or watch a
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marathon of television, we condition who we are and who we

will become with every passing action.
So creativity and learning are intimately connected. To create
new things requires applying new information and skills that
weve learned. In a sense, the creative act is the only true test
of our knowledge. Can we use what weve learned or not?
What else do we need to know in order to create our vision?
Perhaps most importantly, if we dont actively create
ourselves and our vision of what we hope for the world, then
we must necessarily work to help others create their visions.
This isnt a problem if we agree with that other persons vision
and find it a noble cause worth building. But flexing this
creative muscle is the necessary tool for us to create great
lives for ourselves.
Tips for a Creative Process
Here's a free ebook for 12 ideas to take your Creativity and

Productivity to the next level. For now, here are 6 ideas to get
you rolling.
1) Divergent Thinking
To have a good idea you first need to have many ideas. The
process of having many ideas is called divergent thinking. Its
about coming up with as many ideas as possible, silly,
random, pointed, or otherwise. During this session we leave
the inner editor (that critical voice in our heads) out of the
room. The motto here is there are no bad ideas in a
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brainstorm. Think a lot, flex that creative muscle, then move

to step 2: convergent thinking.
2) Convergent Thinking
Once we get the ideas out, we can then whittle them down to
the best ones. In other words, we converge on the best
ideas. And if we come up with many possibilities then there is
a much greater chance that 1 or 2 of them will stand out
among the rest.
After finding the best 1 or 2 ideas we can think different ways
to make them even better. Thus we take the best ideas and
use that as a starting point for even further refinement. We
actively shape the best idea so that it fits our precise needs.
3) Take Action
Next is the hardest step for many people. We have the best
ideas, now all thats left is to actually follow through. Figure
out what done should look like. What is your ideal outcome?
And what would it look like if your new idea was working
perfectly?
Then take the steps to make that happen. Well discuss this
more in the section below "Getting Things Done."
4) Create Something Daily
Like so many tools of thought, creativity is like a mental
muscle. The more you use it, the more you will see creative
solutions everywhere you look.
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Draw picture, take and edit a unique photo, create a video,

give a speech, write down your thoughts, a poem, mind map
what youve learned, start a new business or NGO, fill up
notebooks with your ideas.
The more you create real artifacts (physical or digital) that can
be seen and interacted with by others, the more you are
flexing this creative muscle. So the more you create, the
easier it gets.
5) Study the work of and lives of creative people
All of the Great people throughout history have been great
creators of some kind. Ghandi and MLK created civil rights
movements. Einstein created a whole new conception of how
the universe really is. Not to mention the technology
visionaries of the 20th and 21st centuries like Steve Jobs and
Elon Musk. They have created new pictures of what's
possible and products that might help make those visions a
reality.
There is no perfect creative process, but by studying the lives
and processes of others we can get a sense of how prolific
people find and express their unique vision and sense of self.
As Austin Kleon said, Steal like an Artist. Take what works
for you and make it your own. Because the ultimate goal is
to....
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6) Make Your Life Your Greatest Masterpiece

The act of creation ultimately comes down to creating
ourselves. Its about mindfully deciding who we want to be
and then taking the steps to actually get there. Be your
greatest masterpiece by creating your self in every action.
Make every day count.
Yet at the same time consider who the world needs you to be.
Can you create a life for yourself that adds value to everyone
around you? Can you be an inspiration and a pillar of your
community? I am confident that you can. So make your life
your greatest masterpiece, and make it one that benefits
everyone.
Strategic Thinking
Here we have the nexus between critical thinking, creative

thinking, and making our visions a reality. As my dad once told
me, "Most people know where they want to go, the problem is
they don't know how to get there."
Strategic thinking is about finding a way to get there.It's
connecting the dots, getting from point A to point Z and
figuring out all the steps in between.
Part of strategic thinking means understanding the whole
situation. It starts by critially assessing what is helping and
what is hindering our outcomes and then making changes that
help us move towards the results we desire.
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In other words, strategic thinking is the application of metaawareness. By creating a system for accelerated learning, we
are using strategic thinking right now.
Strategic Thinking Tips
1) Look at the Whole System

Often times problems are the outcomes of a system that
produced them. So are solutions. We have a tendency to look
at a person who has produced an undesirable result and
place the blame on that person. However, people tend to act
rationally, at least from their perspective.
So we must ask ourselves if any problem is really due to the
specific disposition of the individual, or due to the incentives
and options that the system presents to the individual. Would
we act any differently had we been in their shoes?
More practically speaking in terms of learning, if were not
getting the results we want or if our motivation is not where
we would like it to be, we may need to look at the whole
system rather than get down on ourselves for being stupid or
lazy.
That is precisely why we started this article with The Core
Four above.
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2) The Lens of the Core Four

The Core Four is a tool to step back and look at the whole
system and all the variables that influence it. When we create
alignment among the environment, social community, our
bodies, and mind in then we are set up for success.
The Creative Problem Solving Paradigm
The combination of these potentially life changing skills

(critical, creative, and strategic thinking) is creative problem
solving. In essence, its the ability to critically assess the
situation and figure out what is important and what is not.
Then we use creative thinking to brainstorm a vision of
excellence. We think about all the individual moving pieces
and how they fit together. Next, we figure out what needs to
happen first.
Ultimately we use strategic thinking to outline the next steps
leading to the desired outcome.
This is humanities super power. Its how we take mere ideas
and physically manifest them into actual reality. This is not
some esoteric secret. This is the process for making any
dream an actual reality.
This is how we put a man on the moon. This is how we
invented computers, automobiles, and made it possible to
have a face to face conversation with someone 10,000 miles
away via a device we can carry in a pocket.
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But its also how we unleashed the power of an atom to

destroy entire cities. Its how all the genocides that have ever
existed came into fruition. And its how robberies and theft are
conducted daily.
So the real question is what will you do with this incredible
gift?
Accelerated Learning Hacks Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

These days it seems like everyone is just looking for life
hacks: tricks that work quick and dont take that much effort.
Of course we all want to be efficient, but the danger here is
becoming addicted to tricks instead locking in the
fundamentals of mastery. Thats why this section comes well
after the deeper skills for the foundations of learning.
Nevertheless, these are powerful techniques for learning
quickly. But they are more of the icing on the cake rather than
the foundation of thriving. Used strategically, these skills can
help us get to the top of our game.
Deconstruction
Every whole is made up of parts. If something is made of low

quality parts, then we shouldnt expect the whole to be
anything exceptional. So when it comes to specific skills or
the learning process, the same thing goes.
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Deconstruction means looking at the fundamental factors that

make an activity what it is.
Combining deconstruction with variation (see Making it Stick
above) is best practices fast learning here. In practice this
means figuring out the core skills that make an activity what it
is. Then we switch up our practice between these
fundamentals in order to creating a rock solid foundation as
quickly as possible.
For any activity, dont guess about the core essentials. Find
high quality info or someone whos been in the field and ask
them. What are the essential starting points? Then start from
there.
Lock in the Fundamentals
Even pros practice the fundamentals. World-class guitarists

often begin their study sessions with finger exercises and
scales. Though the specific types of exercises and scales
tend to be advanced compared to what a novice should do,
this is where they start nonetheless.
Lebron James still works on footwork, free throws, and lay ins.
Tom Brady warms up his shoulder by playing catch.
If you want to perform with flare and style, you have to have a
foundation to build that style on. Otherwise you just have a
gimmick.
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Track Results
There is a famous phrase in world of productivity, "that which

gets measured gets monitored."
The mechanics are easy to understand. When we track
things, we pay more attention to them. Thus we cant help but
do those things more mindfully. If you start tracking every
single calorie that you eat then youll start to eat less. Track
every penny you spend and youll become more frugal in how
you allocate your funds.
When I started tracking the number of words I write everyday
and how much time it takes me to do it, I started writing faster.
When I started tracking the number of books I read in a year,
that number seemed to have increased (today I finished my
55th book in the last 6 months). Though I dont yet have a
baseline to compare that number to, it feels like I've ticked off
more books this year than last.
So if you really want to take your learning or practice to the
next level, start to track the most significant factors in your
study:
the number of perfect practice serves in tennis

how many paintings produced in a week
how much time spent on your priority work tasks
number of sales calls/day
number of materials produced
number of minutes spent meditating each week.
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Tracking depends directly on the nature of your work or

studies. Whatever matters most to your learning, track it.
Youll see improvements over time. Especially if you combine
this practice with the Scrum Reflections found below.
Give Yourself a Deadline
We all know what its like to procrastinate. Regardless of how

much time we have to accomplish a task, we tend to fill up
that time and do most of the work just before the deadline.
So impose quicker deadlines on yourself so to create a
natural current of productivity. Generally, most tasks take way
less time and energy than we think. Once we sit down and get
to work, we tend to finish before we even realize it. The
hardest part is starting.
**Tips for Setting Deadlines:
Check out Getting Things Done below. Combining this system
with Scrum style work sprints creates a 1, 2 punch that will get
any project knocked out in no time.
Take Short Breaks: Refresh Your Mind
There is a limit to how long we can focus at one time. If you

try to push through these limits, youll just hit a wall. Overall
productivity will fall, or worse, you'll make errors that require
even more time to fix.
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Taking short breaks every hour or so can refresh your mind.

When you return to the work you will feel energized and ready
to forge on.
For example, consider strenuous exercise. There is of course
benefits from moving straight from one exercise into another
(depending on your specific goals). But generally speaking, if
you do a set of pull-ups, then you'll need to break for a minute
or two before hopping up for another set. Muscles need time
to recover or they are literally too tired to do a productive 2nd
set.
Even for creative endeavors such as writing, it can be good to
take a break for a minute. After 2 years of tracking my own
results, Ive found the following strategy is most efficient for
quick writing of with quality results:
1) Brainstorm and mind map a topic
2) Note the exact minute that I start writing.
3) Write until I slow down.
4) Note the minute I stop and record how many words I
produced during that session.
5) Repeat the above process in work sessions lasting from
20-60 minutes. Longer at first and getting shorter as I get
deeper into the work session.
At the end of the session I will calculate the words per minute
at the end of the session, as well as count the monthly total at
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the end of the month. This general pattern can be adopted for
almost any any form of study, practice, productivity work, or
athletics. Just substitute your activity of choice and substitute
relevant practices
During the break between sessions its helpful to direct your
attention to another project, to disengage from the heavy
thinking for a minute. Whatever you do to unwind, you should
get up and move a bit.
Breaktime Suggestions:
When you take a break in a study, work, or creative session,

you can refresh your mind in several ways:
Have a light snack

Play music
Solve a puzzle (rubiks cube, sudoku, crossword)
Juggling
Stretching
Short informational videos (I recommend Crash Course on
the subject of your preference)
Mindful Breathing
Mental Rehearsal
The point of these activities is to create a little distance from
your activity so that you can come back to it with a fresh mind.
If you are doing extended study sessions of multiple topics,
after the break you might want to come back to a new topic.
Or if youre in the same subject, you might want to mix up the
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problem types that you are doing. This introduces variability to

the practice.
Avoid:
Social Media
Internet Article Black Holes
Initiating chats with friends
Video Games
Speed Reading: Think Gold Mining

Almost certainly you have not read this article straight through
to here, but have probably jumped around to the parts most
useful to you. That's a speed reading technique.
Speed reading often gets a bad rep because people dont
understand its purpose. If youre reading an epic novel series,
this is not the time for speed reading. However, if youre
reading for research or how to solve a specific problem, then
speed reading is your friend.
Think of speed reading as gold mining.
The point is to find those valuable little nuggets of information
that perfectly help you in your present efforts. If youre trying
to figure out how SEO works for youtube videos, then you
should skip over any article that discusses the specific use of
microphones or video camera recording techniques. These
are valuable to your youtube career, but are not relevant to
your present problem.
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Techniques for Speed Reading
1) Use a Tracer
Take a chopstick or the back end of a pen and run it under the
line of text youre reading. This helps your eyes pan the text
more smoothly and more quickly
2) Dont Vocalize In Your Head
Mentally speaking the words we read is natural but it slows
you down. Practice reading with your eyes without vocalizing
the words in your mind and your rate will increase.
However, your comprehension will likely drop at first as well at
first. Use the Make it Stick techniques to reflect: "What did I
just read?" Doing so will help you lock in the info as well as
move through the text quickly.
This techniques is especially good when you are cruising
through sections that don't seem as relevant to your learning
but you want to check to make sure. If you find something
more important, slow down and dive in.
3) Skim for headlines and topic sentences
Good writing should make the most important ideas obvious.
Look for bullet points, headlines, and topic sentences to get to
the gold quickly. Use the multiple passes technique to spend
the right amount of time on the sections that matter most to
you.
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4) Take Multiple Passes

Every time you go over a text, it should be with a specific
goal. Here's a good general strategy to work with.
1st Pass - The first pass should give you an idea of the main
ideas of the text and what sections are most relevant to your
studies.
2nd Pass - The second pass should be more in-depth, maybe
reading whole paragraphs that caught your attention before,
but still moving quickly.
3rd Pass - The third pass is to really dig into the most
valuable areas you identified in the first 2 passes. Here is
where you will want to spend most of your time now that you
have an idea of the big picture.
With every pass, stop periodically and ask yourself: what is
this about? What did I just learn?
These questions keep you engaged with the text and help you
recognize if you actually picked up anything of value or if your
mind was wondering.
Audiobooks
Without a doubt, one of the biggest transformations in my life

has been the discovery of Audible.com and The Great
Courses in particular. With this app, you can listen to
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audiobooks or courses on the go. Your transit time is

transformed into a mobile university.
Brian Tracy has argued that the main difference between a
CEO and the lowest paid employee at the same company is
that the CEO on average will read 50+ books each year and
attend 3-4 professional development conferences. This is how
those with a lead break away from the pack even more. But
you dont have to be a CEO to make learning a priority. Using
your transit time to learn will absolutely transform your life:
imagine the difference in your learning if you read and extra
50 books every year for the next 50 years of your life.
Similarly, Tai Lopez (investor, entrepreneur, and business
advisor) recommends investing no less than 1/3 of your
disposable income on learning. Were so easily enticed into
spending money on our vices but become frugal (if not stingy)
when it comes to shelling out 10-20$ on books, audio books,
or online courses that have the chance to profoundly affect
our lives and productivity.
Once you make the switch to feeling good about investing in
books, you wont look back. If you choose your information
products wisely, then the money invested in your learning will
come back 10 fold.
Its no coincidence that both Bill Gates and Warren Buffet (2
of the wealthiest people in the history of the planet) both
agree on their preferred super power given the chance: They
would both choose to be the fastest reader in the world.
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Audio Speed up Apps
Different information has different value. With most of whats

available on the internet, the most productive thing you could
do is just close the window and get back to work.
That being said, most ideas when consumed via audio or
video are presented very slowly. You can drastically increase
your efficiency in learning from these sources, especially
youtube or audio books with apps and add-ons that speed up
your audio:
Video Speed Controller for Google Chrome - Google

Chrome add on
Book Mobile App - Increase the rate of any audio track on
your phone
Audible.com App - Source for audio books (check out The
Great Courses) and has audio speed up capabilities.
For internet tutorials and how-tos, check out Video Speed
Controller for Google chrome or a similar speed up app for
whatever web browser youre running. It allows you to
increase the speed of most internet videos. This may not be
ideal for an evening of Netflix, but if you want to learn the
basics of podcasting and have 2-4 hours of videos to watch,
then this is a good time to kick the speed up a notch.
You can watch most videos at 1.5-2x speed without losing
much information. But more importantly, only a small fraction
of any video is actually valuable to what youre doing. Skip
prolonged intros and the rest of the nonsense at 2-3x speed,
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then slow it down to a comfortable rate once they hit the topic
you need. Then speed it up again to skim the rest incase
there is something valuable.
Now your 2 hours of study time was just cut in half, and most
of that time was focused on the most relevant info to you,
while skipping the filler. Now that is literally accelerated
learning.
Stick to the High Quality Info
We are drowning in information and most is a waste of time.

Dont allow nonsense to weigh you down. Find what best
serves your needs. Ideally find key works that suit you
perfectly or check out posts like this one that draw on a wide
variety of high quality info and synthesize if for you.
Even if its for entertainment, books have been written in
almost every genre for centuries. If you like mysteries, check
out lists of the top 10 mystery books of all time. Peoples
opinions will vary but if you find 5 of these lists, there will be
some agreement among at least 2 or 3 of these titles. Go read
those because youll never exhaust even the top 1% of that
genre anyway.
Next Level Productivity Systems

Accelerated learning and creative projects are the essence of
productivity in the 21st century. These activities require full on
engagement of mental resources to optimize results.
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These following systems are masterpieces for increasing our

productivity and creativity. They help us organize our thoughts
and to-do's in such a way that we dont get distracted by the
clutter and can focus on what matters most.
Getting Things Done
David Allen has devised a revolutionary system for personal

productivity and self-management. For anyone interested I
give my highest recommendation to check out his book
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity. But
in the meantime, here are 2 deceptively simple questions from
this system that can transform anyones productivity process:
1) What is the ideal outcome?
Its impossible to know what to do, how much work is left, or
where to even start if we dont know where we want to go.
This echoes Steven Coveys classic advice: Start with the end
in mind.
Once we know what were going for, the whole process of
learning becomes easier. Just ask this simple question before
you start a study or practice session and you will focus in on
the most important factors. This alone will increase your
productivity by multiples if you arent using this technique
already.
Start today by simply thinking of any goal or challenge you
have, and think: What is the ideal outcome here? How would
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things be if they were perfect for me? What would have to be

different in order for that to work?
Once you know the ideal outcome, you can start mapping out
a path from where you are to where you want to go. This first
question naturally leads to the 2nd.
2) Whats the next action?
Once we know where we want to go, its relatively simple to
figure out the next step. And if we dont know the next step
already, then we still already know where to start: research
the topic/problem and brainstorm some possibilities.
For most of what we want to do, someone has already done it
AND documented the process along the way. Perhaps we just
need to find and implement their plan. Or at a minimum we
can start with their plan and deviate where it suits our needs.
This is ideal for many learning situations.
This simple (metacognitive) question helps us find the next
step, connecting all the dots along the way to our goal. We
can identify skills and knowledge we have and figure out what
we need. Then we dont waste our time learning useless
items. This is a practical way to implement strategic thinking
starting now.
(This is only a tiny fraction of David Allen's full system. For
anyone interested, do yourself a favor and check it out. If it
seems daunting to implement, I can help you get it up and
running.)
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Scrum
Scrum is an organizational strategy for teams, designed to

produce the highest quality usable outcomes as quickly as
possible. Though its optimal for teams, there are elements
that are very effective for individual productivity as well. Thus
we can apply these techniques as study tips for accelerated
learning.
One small fraction of the Scrum system is the review that
takes place after every sprint (1-4 week period of intense
focused work). This (usually team) review focuses is also
effective for us individually. Reflecting on these questions at
any time is a powerful technique for making constant
improvements.
Such a review centers on the following questions:
1) What went well?
2) What were the biggest sticking points to effective work?
3) What can we change?
These three questions will get you results whether you are
studying for chemistry, organizing a basketball practice, or
producing complex code for high-end medical technology.
1) What went well?
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For peak productivity we want to figure out what works and do

more of that. This is obvious but we shouldnt turn away from
things that are working unless theres good reason to believe
that a new approach may be significantly better.
Also its important to acknowledge and congratulate your
strengths. Starting the reflective process by building up your
self-worth via pointing out whats going well can help give you
the strength to take a critical look at whats not going so well
yet.
2) What were the biggest sticking points?
Flow is the name of the game. When we are in a flow state,
we produce high quality work at the most efficient rates
possible. So we need to identify which factors are getting in
the way of our flow. The goal here is to remove impediments
that disrupt our process.
This is one important reason for understanding the Core Four
above. Impediments to flow can come from anywhere
including the environment, our social community, our bodily
health, or our mind. When we make the changes to get these
in alignment, weve got a straight shot to excellence.
Find the greatest sticking points and then ask:
3) What can we change?
Some things simply have to be how they are and cant be
changed. So for improvements we have to look at what parts
of the system are malleable and/or adaptable.
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Find the pliable parts of your system or routine and start

turning knobs. What happens when you adjust one? How
does it affect other parts of the equation. Often, even our own
systems dont work quite as we think. Only through
experimenting can we refine our process to the highest levels.
So keep trying out different things, track your results, and
hone in your ideal process.
Scrum Overall
Asking these 3 questions and implementing the answers is a
time-tested strategy for refining our performance. From
accelerated learning, productivity, creativity, health,
entrepreneurship, to anything else we might want to do, these
questions will direct our focus and leverage our efforts.
They arent difficult to do; most people simply wont take the
time to put these strategies to use. And that's sad because
the evidence for their effectiveness is everywhere. These
techniques work and you can use them all of the time.
General Tips and Techniques

Finally, here are some loose ends for accelerated learning
and developing our skills to the highest degree.
Make it a game
Seek immediate feedback
Correct mistakes as they arise
Take a nap - increase efficiency
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Don't practice when youre exhausted

Use wordless music to get in the zone
If it doesnt feel like work, its not working
Make it a Game
One reason tracking our results works so well is because it

makes the activity more fun. We have a baseline to compare
ourselves to. And we just want to beat our previous efforts. So
give yourself points even for meaningless things and youll
find youll work harder to do better.
If youre doing math problems or memorizing vocabulary in a
foreign language, track how long it takes you to finish a set
and track how many answers you get correct. Then try to beat
that number on the next set. By doing this, youre chunking
your study down into parts which allows you to take mini
breaks. And you have the increased motivation to beat the
last session.
In athletics, see how many shots you can hit in a row, or how
many times you can place a tennis serve in an even tighter
area of the service court. The point is to challenge yourself
and compete with your previous results.
An often overlooked benefit comes in the realm of selfawareness. You'll start to notice the differences of state of
mind between times your excel and times youre out of whack.
Then you can add the meta-strategies to get yourself in the
zone more often.
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Seek Immediate Feedback
We talked about the importance of feedback in flow. But the

difference here is time. In a flow activity you need feedback
almost as you are doing the task: I.e. the ball missed the
hoop; I fell off the balance beam; this line of my painting is
thicker than I intended.
Here were extending this idea to the bigger picture. If you do
a project for work or school, ask the evaluator what went well
or what could be improved? What did they like? What was off
the mark?
This is like doing a Scrum review with a partner so you can
hone in the next project for optimal results. Seek out feedback
and you'll have a better idea of what to try next.
Correct Mistakes as They Arise
In Scrum, Jeff Sutherland explains the importance of

correcting mistakes when you notice them. In research on
productivity for programmers in technology companies the
following astounding results were found:
If programers noticed a problem with their code and they
waited a week to fix it, it generally took 24x longer to correct
the problem compared to when they fixed it the same day
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they noticed it. That is, a problem that would take 1 hour to fix
if done today would take 24 hours to fix if they waited a week
or more.
This is because we construct a whole mental vision of what
were doing as we we work. It takes time to build this image in
our mind. So if we fix a problem as we find it, then we're still
working with the same mental frame of mind. If we wait a
week or more, we have to reconstruct our previous vision of
the problem, figure out why we made all the decisions we
made before, AND THEN we can start to fix the problem.
Fix problems as they arise and you can save yourself time
and energy exponentially.
Take a Nap
Our bodies have natural energy cycles. Generally, we have

more energy in the morning. Energy drops after lunch, and
then picks up again in the mid/late afternoon before trailing off
until bed time.
Taking a short nap after lunch can recharge our battery and
boost productivity in the afternoon. The point here is to work
with the natural ebbs and flows of your biology. Go with the
flow, dont try to swim upstream. Accelerate when things are
going well, and figure out how to create the conditions to
make things flow in your way more frequently.
Which means
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Dont Practice When Youre Exhausted
It doesnt help to push yourself when youre already

exhausted. In fact it can do more harm than good. Its more
difficult to unlearn bad habits than to learn things well in the
first place.
When you practice new skills when youre already exhausted,
then you tend not to use best practices. Youll clip corners, not
making the full range of motion, take short cuts, and more.
These bad habits can get saved into your memory and they
diminish your ability to perform in the future.
Furthermore, by practicing when youre exhausted you risk
creating the association in your mind that this activity is not
enjoyable. Its good to have the mental discipline to keep
going when the time is right, but you also need the wisdom to
know when to back off for the night.
Wordless Music to Get in the Zone
When it comes to intense studies, some background music

without words can help us zone in. The problem with music
with words is that words direct our attention too easily. It takes
energy to suppress the ideas that are thrust upon us with
even simple words.
Funk instrumentals, beats, electronic, classic or any other
genre without words tends to be ideal for long periods of
study. Things that are upbeat tend to work better for me, but
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everyone has preferences. Below is a youtube playlist of

some extended tracks that might help. The point is just to put
on some noise that can drown out the background and let you
focus on whats important.
Study Music Playlist
If It Doesnt Feel Like Work, Its Not Working
It takes real work to make real gains. We should certainly try

to work efficiently as possible and there are many tricks for
doing so. But if what youre doing doesnt feel like work
(mental or physical), then its probably not working.
If a new exercise routine only takes 5 minutes and doesnt
even make you break a sweat, then dont expect results. If
learning a new concept doesnt strain your thinking at least a
little, its probably not pushing your abilities. Thats why we
have the metacognitive technique of asking what did I just
learn?
This questions causes us to flex that mental muscle and go
back into the ideas we just covered. Reproducing them on our
own is more difficult than passively letting the ideas run
through us. This type of self questioning requires work. And
our efforts are rewarded by locking the ideas into our minds
more firmly.
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The Paradigm Shift: The Ultimate Learning Strategy

Throughout life, we experience multiple psychological
transformations. When we are young, we are identified with
our selfish urges. We can't imagine what it's like to take on
other people's perspectives. As we age, our identity shifts.
And this last tool for accelerated learning is actually a
transition into our higher selves. It happens when we identify
with something larger than our egoic drives and find meaning
in something that we truly feel is bigger or more important
than ourselves.
This is the paradigm shift. It happens when we look at a goal,
see the work, and actually feel like the easiest thing is to face
the challenge and do the work.
Its the difference between thinking damn I have to work
out today and I love getting my workout in, and I hate it
when I things come up and I cant fit it in.
As we get older our emotional body loosens it's grip on our
psyche and we start to identify with our dreams, our vision,
and our higher self. This is the side of us that knows whats
best for us and feels good when we do the work. Its that
internal drive to be the best versions of us. The Greeks called
this drive for evolution Eros.
Its the energy of ascension. And when we identify with this
side of ourselves, accelerated learning becomes an intrinsic
part of our lives. We enjoy the work and feel pain or
discomfort when we miss the opportunity to practice. This is
the ultimate goal of anyone on the journey to mastery, and
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who intends to use accelerated learning as a vehicle to get

there.
V. Congratulations and
Conclusions
If youve made it this far then Congratulations! You are a
dedicated sojourner on this path to self-mastery and thriving.
If you have any questions regarding the information above or
would like to discuss specific personalized strategies for
implementing these ideas, get in touch and ask me directly
right here.
Did you find any of the advice here helpful? Let me know.
Or if you have tips or suggestions to add to this guide, send
them my way. This is meant to be a comprehensive resource
for anyone seeking mastery. Together we can make it as good
as possible and help others take control of their lives
Thank you again for joining me here and make every day
count.
Page 129
VI. More on Accelerated

Learning and Mastery in Life
The Power of Synergy & A Gift ($40 Value)
Real magic starts to happen when you harmonize many of the above tips
and tricks for maximum results. But it can be a real puzzle figuring how to
best coordinate these pieces into an individually tailored whole-life picture.
The crux of my work is to help aspiring professionals, high achievers,
creators, athletes, and budding entrepreneurs solve this puzzle of synergy
in order to take their Game to the next level.
If you want to take months or even years off your personal journey to selfmastery, achieve financial independence, or are just ready to move into the
drivers seat in your own life, then perhaps its time to take your
development more seriously.
Send me a message at Jeremy@PrecisionPrinciple.com with the subject
line Game On before December 1st, 2015 and Ill offer you a free laserfocused 20 minute coaching session at no charge.
Suggested Readings for Creativity &

Peak Performance
The learning techniques, tips, tricks, and research for this post come from
the following books and my personal experiments in peak performance.
Even if youre not looking for personal performance coach right now, I
sincerely hope that you make your ongoing development a priority in your
life.
Im a dedicated life-long learner and finish from 80-100 audio books and
university audio courses in a typical year. The following short list includes
Page 130
many of the best titles out there for taking your life to the next level ASAP.
So enjoy the learning and make everyday count.
Study Tips
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Make it Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, &Mark A. McDaniel

Mastery by Robert Greene
Mastery by George Leonard
Accelerated Learning by Brian Tracy
The Practicing Mind by Thomas Sterner
Seeing the Big Picture

1. Cosmos - Television Series hosted by Neil DeGrass Tyson
2. A Theory of Everything by Ken Wilber
3. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Skills of the Mind

(**Huge Savings Tip - The Great Courses (TGC) are high quality, entertaining
university courses that cost anywhere between $50-$300 if ordered directly through
their company. ->** They are available for $10-12 through audible.com if you sign up for
membership credits)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
TGC - Your Deceptive Mind - A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking

TGC - The Creative Thinkers Toolkit
TGC - Strategic Thinking
TGC - The Science of Mindfulness
Creativity by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi
Body & Brain Health

1. TGC - Nutrition Made Clear
2. TGC - Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health
3. TGC - Your Best Brain
Mind, Focus, Clarity, & Peak Performance

1.
2.
3.
4.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Flow - Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen
Scrum by Jeff & J.J. Sutherland

Accelerated Learning

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Accelerated Learning

The Ultimate Guide

By Jeremy Sutton - Creator of PrecisionPrinciple.com

DISCLAIMER AND TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT

**Free Gift ($40 Value) and Suggested Reading List

Welcome to Accelerated Learning

I. Environment & Resources

Regular Practice Area

Have More Than One Place

Resources & Tools

Quality is What Works for You

Schools & Universities

Clubs & Leagues

Extras: Create Your Ideal Workspace

II. Social Community

Mentors and Old Pros: Take a Guided Tour of the Terrain

Teachers and Coaches

Those on Our Level

Peers, Teammates, and Practice Partners

Those Less Developed on the Path

Asking Easy Questions

Social Groups and Memory

III. The Body

From -1 to 0: When the Body is a Burden

General Low Energy Levels

The Anchor of a Poor Diet

Blood Sugar Spikes: Insulin Dumps

From 0 to 1: Leveraging Health for Accelerated Learning

Discipline and Focus

Fundamentals of a Diet for Performance

Negative Effects of a Sedentary Lifestyle

Exercise and Cognitive Performance

Exercise, Brain Health, and Aging

Reduce the Potential for Dementia and Alzheimers

Reduce Clinical Depression

Exercise: Best Practices for Accelerated Learning

Brain Health and Meditation/Mindfulness

Meditation and The Brain: Key Takeaway

Learning How to Meditate

Left Hippocampus Growth

IV. The Mind

Attitude and Beliefs

The Growth Mindset

Enjoy The Ride - Love the Grind

A Learning State of Mind

Clear and Focused

Tips and Tricks for Clarity and Focus

Obstacles to A Learning State of Mind

Flow Part 1: What We Can Control

Flow Part 2: The Fruits of our Labor

Writing - A Learning Recall

Why am I learning this?

Call Yourself Out - Creating a Why

See the Bigger Picture

**Bonus Tip for the Bigger Pictures - Analogies**

Interests and Curiosity

Self-Honesty with Self-Compassion

Core Skills of the Mind

Tips and Tricks for Critical Thinking

Tips for a Creative Process

Strategic Thinking Tips

The Creative Problem Solving Paradigm

Accelerated Learning Hacks -

Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

Bonus Tip for the Bigger Pictures - Analogies