Effective ways of learning

"In today's fast-changing world, it's not so much what you know any more, that counts. Because, often, what you know is old. It is how fast you learn. That skill is priceless", quoted Robert Toru Kiyosaki. In this rapidly growing, ever-changing world, speed is a crucial factor. 

In this article, we shall outline ways in which one can learn any skill quicker and more effectively than usual. 

How to learn anything faster? Tips to improve memory

Test your Memory

Before beginning this article, let's get your memory tested. If you are in a hurry, you can skip this part.  Ten general words are given below. You have exactly 30 seconds to remember as many as possible. After 30 seconds, take a pen and a paper and write down the words you remember. There's no point in cheating. For, this is self-assessment. The words are given below.

1. Article

2. Emphasis

3. Calculus

4. Roosevelt

5. Vampire

6. Confectionery

7. Desktop

8. Kindle

9. Renaissance

10. Coffee

After you are done with it, check how many you got right. In order to remember the words above, you must have applied a particular technique. If the technique you applied is right you would remember most of them. But, if you didn't know any of it, it would have been tough for you. 

Fortunately, there are effective ways and tips to improve your memory. 

How to learn anything faster?

To be able to learn faster is to be able to grasp more information in a shorter period of time, effectively. Do you have trouble learning and remembering? Do you often forget what you learned? Do you take longer than usual to learn stuff?

If that is so, this article, 'How to learn anything faster? 9 Tips to improve your memory', is specially designed for you. You will surely find answers to the questions troubling you.

Without further ado, let's begin with our first tip.

1. Study. Break. Study.

The mistake that many people commit is studying for hours without taking a break. That's why what you learn today evaporates from your mind before the onset of tomorrow. It doesn't find a way into your long term memory. It just hovers somewhere in your short term memory. Your brain needs some time to process information. Burdening it with tonnes of load makes your head explode.  Experts advise you to study for a while, take a break, then study again. According to Edutopia, Students are easily distracted, but regular, short breaks can help them focus, increase their productivity, and reduce their stress. Taking a break helps refresh your mood. While studying, it is the quality that matters, not quantity. 

2. Tricks and abbreviations

Sometimes, to remember lengthy topics, you must make use of certain tricks. Like if you want to remember the names and order of the planets in the solar system, there's a sentence that helps you remember. My Very Efficient Mother Just Served Us Nuts. The highlighted letters in the above sentence represent the initial letters and order of the planets namely Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Unfortunately, tricks are not readily available for all topics. So, you have to design them to fit in your memory. Try to make it in several patterns familiar to you. Try relating one subject with the other. 

3. Recalling prior to sleep

Subconscious outcropping is efficacious during the time, prior to sleep. Close your eyes and recall everything you learned. First, play a brief description of your learning and then explore each topic in a detailed manner trying to remember as much as possible. This method is called visualization. When you practice this regularly, what you learned sinks deep into your long term memory. And studying early in the morning is also good for the brain.

4. No shortcuts

Some students learn in shortcuts. While studying a subject, instead of grasping all sides of it, they focus on one or two alone. It might go well for the time being but, in the long run, it causes troubles. Since things are interconnected in academics, not reading something might cost you a lot of time, and hard work. Avoid shortcuts try to learn all info regarded to the topic it helps you remember. As rightly said by Zig Ziglar, "There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stair".

5. Sipping coffee

Yes, you heard it right. Coffee can help you learn better and faster. Not only that, scientists have found that intake of 200 mg coffee can improve your memory for 24 hours after consumption. Adenosine is a compound present in our brain that is responsible for making us feel drowsy, tired, and sleepy. The structure of caffeine present in coffee among others is very similar to adenosine. Caffeine acts as an impostor and binds with the receptor cells of adenosine, thus blocking its function. Caffeine actually tricks your brain into thinking that it is not tired.

(RELATED: Is Coffee good for your brain?)

6. Underline in your brain

While learning a topic, it's important to take notes and underline the significant points. Instead of simply underlining on the paper, underline in your brain. If you think that it's important to remember a certain point, focus on it, read it once, aloud, and visualize underlining it in your brain. Every topper does it and it works!

(RELATED: The Power of Affirmations: How do affirmations work?)

7. Make use of Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity is our brain's ability to learn new things by adding new connections to your brain. There are billions of neurons in our body. For every activity you do, there's a neurotic connection. This applies to learning as well. When you do the same activity over and over, again and again, these connections strengthen which gives you ease in doing that activity the next time. Similarly, if you stop doing something, the connection weakens. If you want to remember what you learned, you must keep recalling it again and again until it finds its way deep into your mind. To keep recalling you can use flashcards, placards, sticky notes, visualization, and much more. There's no end to it.

8. Stay hydrated

According to a study conducted by National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA, it was found that intake of water while studying improves focus and attention span. Our brain is 73% water. To perform properly, it needs to be hydrated. Our brain cells require a balance between water and other elements to function properly. If that balance is disrupted, our brain cells lose their effectiveness. It is essential to drink at least 2 liters of water per day.

9. Meditate

Meditation, is, perhaps, the best of the best ways in everything concerned with the brain. Undoubtedly, it can also help you learn faster and better by shutting down all the open tabs in your brain. It makes your focus immaculate and improves brain activity. Increased focus is directly linked to better learning. By meditating regularly, you become more mindful. Your concentration increase and attention span gets elongated. Initially, it seems a bit tough. But as you progress in meditation, you progress in life. 

If you liked my work, you can also buy my ebook, 'Resuscitate yourself', by clicking here or you can get it from Kindle and Amazon. It is a self-help book, which is mainly focused on an effectively efficient approach in improving brain power and beating stress, depression, and other mental ailments. 

I hope you liked my article, 'How to learn anything faster? 9 Tips to improve your memory'. Feel free to express your views in the comments section below. Subscribe for updates.