9 Tactics for Rapid Learning

from https://www.scotthyoung.com
Pegging (or How Mental Magicians can Perfectly Recall Hundreds of Numbers)
One of my favorite learning tactics, that is rarely mentioned, is pegging. This
is a great tool for remembering numbers, provided you practice it.
The systems I ve seen typically work with a special cheat sheet. This is a list of
the digits 0-9 which each correspond to the sound of a consonant. All you need
to do is memorize the corresponding consonant and digit match (e.g. 0 = t, 1 = s
, 2 = k, 3 = r, etc.)
From there, you can translate any series of numbers into a series of letters. No
w all you need to do is make groups of letters into nouns by adding vowels betwe
en the consonants. So 201 becomes, k-t-s, which can become kites , for example.
Then, once you have your string of nouns, you just need to create a story that c
ombines each of the nouns in a sequence. To translate them back you only need to
remember the story and decompose the objects back into their original digits.
#2 Metaphor (Juliet is the sun or is she a chemical formula?)
Here s a quick way to separate the rapid learners from the average learners. Ask t
hem to give you an analogy for whatever they are learning. The rapid learners pr
obably have already thought of at least one analogy, application or metaphor. Sl
ower learners usually are baffled by the question.
Linking ideas allows you to retain them longer and understand them better. Shake
speare isn t the only one who should be making connections between ideas.
#3 Total Immersion (Or How a Guy Can Become Fluent in 8 Languages)
Benny Lewis became fluent in eight languages in under a decade. More, his curren
t goal is to become fluent in a new language in under 3 months. When I asked him
how he achieved this his answer was straightforward: I stop speaking English. I
do everything in the language I want to learn.
When you re totally immersed in a subject (or language), even if you re lost, you ll l
earn far faster than everyone who just dabbles.
#4 Visceralization (What does a derivative look like?)
When we were kids, we played with crayons and drew pictures of fantastic things
that never existed outside our imagination. What happened?
Now most of us feel embarrassed if we try to imagine anything exciting or creati
ve with what we learn. This is, I believe, a key reason many people struggle sch
olastically. They try to memorize exactly the way they were taught, instead of v
isualizing the material in an inventive way.
When I recently had to write a test on international labor law, a key topic was
the International Labor Organization. Rather than memorize facts, I drew a pictu
re of a creature which had three heads for each of the sections of the ILO, one
with 4 mouths for each of the different delegates. In all, I managed to incorpor
ate a page of notes into one picture.
Learning only needs to be boring because you make it that way.
#5 Linking (Or How to Remember a Grocery List Without the Paper)
Like pegging, linking is another trick mental magicians use. The idea here is th
at you form a chain, linking each item in a sequence to the next item. You form
these links by imagining bizarre and surreal pictures which combine the two elem
ents.
For a simple list like Milk -> Honey -> Apples, you would need to form a link be
tween milk and honey, which you could imagine a giant cow that had bees which ca
me from its udders instead of milk. For the honey and apples, you could imagine
an giant apple beehive swarming with tiny apple seeds.
Like pegging this technique can go far beyond the scope of this article. I ve used
it successfully to remember lists of abstract principles that need to be memori
zed in a sequence for tests.
#6 The 5-Year Old Method (Try explaining quantum physics to a first grader)
Most rapid learners know how to simplify an explanation. Obviously, actually exp
laining your masters thesis to a first grader might be impossible. But the goal
is to reduce the complexity, by explaining, breaking down and using analogies, s
o that someone far below your current academic level could understand it.
If you can teach an idea, you can learn that idea.
#7 Ambiance Catalysts (Or How Drinking a Pint Can Improve Your Studying)
Cal Newport, wrote about the importance of context when studying. If you lock yo
urself away in a library to get work done, no wonder you re going to hate it. If t
he ambiance is appealing, it can push you to get working.
He suggests even going to a quiet bar with your reading material and ordering a
beer.How s that for a more inviting study setting?
#8 Diagrams (Who said doodling in class was wrong?)
It turns out doodlers perform better in mental retention tests than non-doodlers
. I would add even that if the drawings you create in a class are related to the
course material, you would probably learn even better.
#9 Speed Reading (Or How to Read 70 Books in a Year)
Speed reading is less about speed and more about control. Just as racecar drivin
g is more about controlling speed for tight turns, rather than just hitting the
accelerator.
If you want to speed read, the basics are:
Use your finger as a pointer to underline the text as you read it. This redu
ces the impact of saccades and distractions in slowing your reading time.
Practice reading books faster than you can comprehend, by moving your finger
faster. This practice skimming helps you improve your comprehension at higher rea
ding rates.
Stop subvocalizing. Practice reading faster than you can say the words aloud
in your head. Subvocalization can help at slower speeds, but if you require it
to read, your top speed will be reduced.