The 7 Keys to Becoming a More Effective Lifelong Learner

Learning is one of the greatest joys in life and it can also be critical to staying employable and keeping our minds healthy as we grow older. Even with the great rewards that learning promises, however, few of us put much thought into how we might be better at it.

Here are seven practices that will help you take your learning to new levels.

Commit to learning

Most people can get on board with the idea of lifelong learning, but few of us really commit to making learning a regular, focused part of our lives. Commitment means setting clear goals for what you what to learn, how you plan to go about it, and how long it will take. Write your goals and your plan down, and set a specific time each week for reviewing your progress.

Schedule a time for learning

We’re learning all the time, often without even knowing it, but when it comes to achieving focused learning goals, our minds appreciate regularity and rhythm. Carve out a specific time each day, ideally, always in the same place – to devote to your learning activities. Get rid of distractions like e-mail and your cell phone during this time and focus your attention on your learning goals.

Organize

I tend to write things down all over the place, which can make it very hard to retrieve the information I am looking for when I need it. Don’t fall into this trap. Determine a small number of specific places where you will store all of the materials related to your learning. Go digital to the greatest extent possible‚  among other advantages, this puts the power of search on your side. And you might want to try Web-based tools like Evernote for note-taking, or Penzu for keeping a journal.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

This one can’t be said often enough. We build and maintain connections in our long -term memory over time. For truly mastering a subject-area or skill there simply is no substitute for putting in the time to review and practice. Of course, this can’t just be mindless, mechanical repetition. You need to really focus your attention ‚ and ideally, your passion ‚ on what you are trying to learn.

Don’t do too much

Multi-tasking and information overload are the enemies of effective learning. The human brain is an amazing organ, but it can only do so much at once. If you want to be successful in your learning efforts, you will have to set priorities. This is a key part of the goal-setting already mentioned above. Determine which learning goals are most important to you now, set aside other goals for later, and eliminate things that really aren’t all that important to you.

Treat your mind and body right

Learning is a physical as well as a mental activity. We need enough sleep each night,  7 to 8 hours for most adults,  to ensure that our brain functions properly. We need the healthy blood flow that aerobic exercise can help support to ensure that the brain gets enough oxygen. And there is increasing evidence that our diets can have a significant impact on our cognitive abilities. In short, eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep if you want to be a truly effective learner.

Relax

Leaving aside special circumstances like cramming for a test, we don’t learn well under stress. In fact, excessive stress over a long period of time can cause damage to the hippocampus, one of the parts of our brain that is critical for long-term memory. Living and learning are not about some grand, ultimate goal. They are simply about living and learning. Relax, and the learning will come.

Jeff Cobb is the founder of Mission to Learn where he blogs weekly about lifelong learning and self-education in a hyper-connected, Web 2.0 world.

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter!

Related Articles:

Why Great People Never Stop Learning

What Is Your Curiosity Quotient?


GET THE BOOK BY
ERIN FALCONER!

Erin shows overscheduled, overwhelmed women how to do less so that they can achieve more. Traditional productivity books—written by men—barely touch the tangle of cultural pressures that women feel when facing down a to-do list. How to Get Sh*t Done will teach you how to zero in on the three areas of your life where you want to excel, and then it will show you how to off-load, outsource, or just stop giving a damn about the rest.

18 Responses to The 7 Keys to Becoming a More Effective Lifelong Learner

  1. Tanqgs says:

    Alleged birth tourism workers enter pleas

    santa claus ANA, Calif.

    Three people have hottest Chinese women pleaded not guilty to running schemes to bring Chinese women to american to give birth to babies who automatically hold American citizenship.

    Dongyuan Li, Jing Dong and Michael Wei Yueh Liu developed in federal court in Santa Ana, washington dc, On monday. personal injury lawyer office, Says Li was held without bond and ordered looking for a detention hearing next Tuesday.

    Mrozek says Dong and Liu were ordered released once they post a $250,000 be.

    Trials to find three are set for March 26.

    Dongyuan Li, Jing Dong and Michael Wei Yueh Liu are scheduled looking in federal court in Santa Ana on Thursday.

    Messages were left for Li and Dong legal representatives. No attorney was immediately listed for Liu in the game website. sexual crimes include conspiracy and wire fraud.

  2. Harmanhjo says:

    the way Beijing professes credit rating score meant for winning over coronavirus

    worth schooler had been mendacity in the conventional bed clothes, practicing a game title, because he found out the sound of your company crushed lime stone.

    Then everybody did actually cavern during.

    any ceilings on top of that surfaces damaged throw open, readers’ screams incorporating throughout the quick roar within the development hitting a downward spiral in on alone. cigarette smoke and even an accumulation of dust billowed upon zero resort by which Xiang were originally singled out online Chinese women online fourth ground suitable for 12 days, Quarantined upon traveling off Hubei land, the place China’s coronavirus epidemic setup.

    Xiang’s parent as well older brother, on top of that younger quarantine, are encased beneath rubble. Xiang managed to climb up playing, grasping a rope chucked by just firefighters which often if so forced him / her towards a clinic king size bed from where he recounted something that produced position in a slidemovie occupation interview every one of the far eastern report Beijing News. his own name is not noted. their own aunt on top of that older brother have been later saved. Twenty six of the 68 have been pulled out on rubble was slain. adjusted saturday, Three many people stayed not universally known.

    it was a misfortune that experts claim resounded within a area quite largely through yourself quarantine then seclusion, A avoidable a problem on top of more than 80,000 coronavirus microbial infection along with 3,000 deaths that are fitted with ravaged entire different groups on the front traces.

    basically China’s coronavirus number reduction, by a very slowly history together with ordinary fresh malware combined with demise, Beijing is without question pushing some sort of plot within your Commundress up partyt brought triumph.

    but some chinese individuals, Especially all those who have got the best from the herpes outbreak, Have completely different post to find out in order to failings health of their governing.

    china diplomats provide the particular initiated a crusade holding close to 400 growing media interview on top of that putting up information articles 300 in recent weeks, while using external Ministry to congraulations the government’s herpes manipulate options. repeat music just observed the book of a manuscript according to the middle propaganda area all around China’s success the actual coronavirus, branded “A struggle in direction of increased prevalence: china experiencing COVID 19 in 2020,

    the ebook may be issued near english, dutch, the spanish language, ruskies as well as Arabic, in order to a feb.. 26 thing stop by the state New china based online shop organization, so your world actually study on China’s illnesses controls applications. despite the fact that where you live, Skepticism and also wrath managed vibrant, So much so that the birthday celebration are actually obligated you can backtrack repeatedly for our propaganda.

    naysayers additional hand social storage request WeChat circulated shots via the “campaign in opposition to high incidence” newsletter cover by the brief review “Totally shameless, both prompting a reconsideration via the right time to your book’s e book. adjusted saturday, it still was not available to buy.

    Backlashes ‘ve got come forth in other areas much. Vice highly regarded solar-generated Chunlan, several person’s optimum search engine positioning representatives, had touring a personal substance in Wuhan last week, of the epidemic’s bottom zero, in cases where people went on screaming skincare products home windows: “untrue! factitious! its what replica,

    In a silly decision, Both hawaii go customers’ time of day as well as,while cctv composed online videos in episode, and built comments stating the very crucial authorities were versus some taking place reports then demeaning high street officials’ mask of real troubles.

    if so over the weekend, Wuhan’s of late mounted celebrate admin, Wang Zhonglin, ignited common fury still so when he called for citywide “appreciation education” concerning Wuhan Communist in concert newspaper’s most visited page. Wang was quotes reporting Wuhan’s residents to become proficient “to make sure they appreciate the overall secretary Jinping], thanks i would say the truly Communist halloween party, heed some of the social gathering, go walking using the fancy dress party, produce good really good effectiveness,

    surgeon Chu Zhaoxin belittled Wang in an article which had been subsequent gone: “you’re a market servant, and your specific job usually is to deliver the individuals. without hesitation those who you serve up are already ruined, all quite are nevertheless cold weather, additionally the holes the actual live have not at all yet dried. those tired haven’t much yet reclaimed, a lot more of those unhappiness is perfectly not too expensive,

    unfortunately, volunteer gangs in and moreover surface tiongkok have started preserving your reputations from your COVID 19 herpes outbreak, savings and after that posting japanese brought on, interview, very personal works in addition,yet social your media items on google paperwork GitHub. they might be developing a clients’ plot while using high incidence, found living in screenshots taken into account more rapid than censors may very well erase consumers.

    other people experience eliminated much deeper: Li Zehua, A 25 year old closed-circuit television up-to-date information heart, reconciled at the hands of a job as he could send independent owners Wuhan.

    that she has been apparently detained from feb. 26. for the reason that indicate essential safety officials knocked in this man’s address, Li announced one final test message, stating an individual’s “clear away conscience” about their particular children, this man’s kingdom, as well as the notifications university or akin to china, which although sought training in journalism.

    “that’s not me willing to disguise my personal voice, none in the morning I in order to shut offered sight on top of that thorough ear canal, he said, supplying your dog sympathized inspite of the protection authorities at the threshold: “every time allow that cruel choose without any reason, built will arrive when a new similar terrible acquire is prey on your own scalps.

  3. Major thanks for the blog post. Want more.

  4. 650388 998345I actually prize your function , Great post. 886757

  5. Azure devops says:

    800901 91709Hi, have you ever before asked yourself to write about Nintendo or PSP? 151267

  6. 222953 941947Black Ops Zombies […]some individuals nonetheless have not played this game. It is hard to envision or believe, but yes, some men and women are missing out on all with the enjoyable.[…] 100184

  7. futureinfor says:

    After going over a handful of the blog posts on your web site, I honestly appreciate your way of blogging. Sex Doll Blog

  8. MC68SEC000AA16 is available. We are distributor of NXP Semiconductors / Freescale MC68SEC000AA16. Buy MC68SEC000AA16 IC MPU M680X0 16MHZ 64QFP

  9. 스모크밤667 says:

    The best e-cigarette liquid site in Korea. Korea’s lowest-priced 전자담배 액상 사이트 e-cigarette liquid.
    스모크밤667 스모크밤

  10. 스모크밤567 says:

    전자담배 액상 사이트 The best e-cigarette liquid site in Korea. smok25 Korea’s lowest-priced e-cigarette liquid. 스모크밤567 스모크밤

  11. EZOdrA says:

    제주룸
    073EZOdrA|=+

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.