I wrote this because lately, I have too much on my wishlist to learn. Maybe it's because I've seen so many kinds of opportunities, and I think I need to prepare for all of those opportunities at one time. But later on, I realized that with this approach, it feels like "the more we chase, the further away the goals."
So I took a breath for a while and started questioning, "Why is my progress stuck even after wasting so much time learning all of this?" Then, finally, my brain came up with some conclusions. Let me elaborate on them one by one!
Learn in Order
The most essential thing that is frequently missed when learning something is checking the prerequisites! Before deciding to learn something, we have to list the related things. Then, we can categorize these things as mandatory to learn first, or things that can be learned along the way.
In general, when we learn new material, it often has terms or logic that aren't explained in detail. This is because these terms or logic are assumed to have been learned beforehand. There are also some terms or logic that, while not explained in detail, don't directly block understanding of the material's essence. These can be learned along the way.
Learning in order helps us understand the materials more easily because our brains don't need to process too much new information at once, as some of it has already been imprinted. Basically, it reduces the learning curve, making it appear less steep. Just imagine an elementary school student having to learn linear algebra before learning how to solve linear equations! It would be so frustrating!
Consider Capacity
Our brains can learn and memorize many things, but they have a limited capacity for processing information at any given time. It's like the analogy of storage and memory. Our brain storage might be nearly unlimited, but the memory capacity for processing data at one time is limited.
The more focused our brains are on learning a single thing, the more likely they are to achieve optimal results. If we learn too many things simultaneously, it overloads our brains, leading to suboptimal outcomes. Think back to your college days. It's easier to get A's in all subjects when taking only 12 credits rather than 24. This is because our brains have a limit to the amount of data they can process and learn before it's saved in our brain's storage.
This point relates to the first point. If we learn something without first learning the prerequisites, our brains actually need more capacity to process and learn the information, as we also need to figure out the terms or logic mentioned in the material. So, it's more efficient if we already know the prerequisites, as our brains have already memorized some terms and logic, without needing to process them again.
Repetition
After discussing storage and memory, we now come to the processor! As normal humans, we sometimes face things that we find too hard to understand. Even after learning the prerequisites and allocating dedicated capacity to learn it, it can still be confusing. This is perfectly normal; in fact, it's a good sign that we're learning!
But how do we deal with this? I guess you already know the answer. Yes, learn it over and over again. Some things have another level of difficulty for our brains to process. This means our brains need more time to process the learning.
Give your brain routine exercise to process the learning material. Don't try to cram too much exercise at once; just do enough exercise, but routinely. Our brains need rest to function optimally.
Prioritize What to Learn
Since we already know that it's not easy to master new things, prioritize wisely what to learn. Because the time we spend is valuable. We might think that the more things we learn, the more opportunities will come. This is true, but if it's too much, the opportunity might be smaller, as we're learning just for the opportunity, not to master the skills.
First, consider the workload. Make sure the list of things you want to learn is still manageable by your brain's capacity. For most people, 4-6 subjects in a term are considered optimal for effective learning. If there are more than 6 subjects you want to learn, wait for the first ones to be completed (or at least wait until your brain considers the earlier things easy).
Try to prioritize by questioning the necessity of the things. Is it necessary to learn them? The most necessary things on my list are the skills that directly impact my day-to-day job. But I know sometimes my brain says that everything is important for my job. So, I try to prioritize by pre-knowledge or familiarity. Because the more familiar our brains are with the subjects, the easier and faster they can likely be learned.
Last but not least, also consider which skills could lead you to the nearest good opportunities. This consideration requires prediction, and sometimes it's wrong. But it's better to have a 50% chance than to learn everything and have only a 10% chance!
Top comments (1)
it helps me to deal with my ego for learning