Efficient Learning

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Katherine Kavourakis

I’m currently working my way through Flatiron School’s Software Engineering Bootcamp, and while I’m making good progress, I’m also struggling with burnout. I decided to take a step back and reassess the efficiency of my learning habits. I came across Andrei Neagoie’s Udemy course - Learning to Learn [Efficient Learning]. After going through the 5.5 hour course, I realized that there were a number of ways in which I was holding myself back mentally, and simple and effective solutions to learning and retaining knowledge.

Andrei breaks down the course into five sections: The Principles, The Lies, The Pillars, The Science, and the Techniques of efficient learning. Below is a brief synopsis of each concept (though I highly recommend taking the full course!).

⚖️ THE PRINCIPLES:

KEY TAKEAWAY - Adjust perspective from reactive to proactive; identify choices that can be shaped

Learning Vs. Winning the System - Learn long-term and retaining information vs. finding the easiest solution as a means to an end

What Is Success? - Drive and persistence lead to success, not simply being smart; take risks, make mistakes, do the unconventional

The Obstacle - Where you are vs. where you want to be may seem unreachable. Instead of protecting the ego, refocus on the mindset that you’re doing something worthwhile. Failure teaches hard and valuable lessons and will define future success. No one is successful in the beginning!

The Dip - Some paths may not be the one for you - know when to quit. Push enough to overcome obstacles, but also recognize if the path isn’t the one for you (ex. I’m 5’2 - a goal of playing in the WNBA is most likely not realistic).

Compound Learning - Idea comes from compound interest: compact learning into small, manageable units. “Improve by 1% a day, and in 70 days you’re twice as good.” - Alan Weiss. Persistence is key, and focused learning will not lead to burnout.

Failures Don’t Count - Failures don’t count against you! Most successful people will tell you that it took years of failure to achieve success. Failures are learning experiences - those who don’t try will never surpass those who try and fail.

Choice vs. Chore - Approach goals as “I get to…” instead of “I have to…” Learning and commitment are a choice.
It’s All In the Frame - Frames and contexts shift perspectives. When the work is tough, reframe to perspective recognizing the discomfort as the process of growth. This is a healthy beginner mindset, vs. the beginner attitude of “I’m not good enough.”

Pareto Principle - aka the 80/20 Rule, or Law of the Vital Few: 80% of effects come from 20% of cause. Process of elimination - cut down from 100% to the beneficial 20% or critical skills that yield the highest results.

Skill Stacking - Gather and combine multiple skills to identify yourself as one of a kind, skills that work well together but also stand out.

Happiness Factors - What are key things that make you happy? Being in a negative space is detrimental to learning and growth. Identify / monitor / maintain / improve 5-7 happiness factors.

Your Productivity Time - Everyone is different; morning people, night owls, etc. Identify your productivity time and capitalize on it.

Self Learning Paradigm - Core of self learning is personal autonomy - it’s a choice you make for yourself. There should be an intrinsic motivation to be an efficient learner each day.

❌ THE LIES:

KEY TAKEAWAY: Identify bad advice

Follow Your Passion - Just because you enjoy something doesn’t mean you should pursue it as work or it may become a chore. Many people who love what they do are not innately passionate about it, but small interest combined with learning creates passion. Creativity, control, and impact should be defining characteristics of productive goals.

You Can Avoid Risk - Risk is part or progress. To achieve anything worthwhile, you have to be able to tolerate and enjoy risk-taking. Butterflies mean you’re stretching your boundaries. The amount of failure doesn’t count - your last success does.

Trust This One Person - Each person gives advice based on what was successful in their unique learning perspective. It’s important to research multiple sources and viewpoints.

10,000 Hours Rule - Quality learning trumps quantity of time spent. Strategize based on you personal strengths and weaknesses.

? THE PILLARS:

KEY TAKEAWAY: Foundational concepts support science and techniques of efficient learning

Everything Is a Game - This is a frame of mind: growth mindset, the belief that intelligence can be developed and gained through hard work and effective strategies, vs. fixed mindset, the belief that talent and intelligence is inherent. Growth mindset embraces challenge as a means to growth, fixed mindset avoids failure and makes excuses for lack of growth. “I’m not smart enough” (fixed) vs. “I’m not smart enough, yet” (growth).
Pt. 2 examines the Locus of Control - the degree to which individuals control the outcomes and events of their lives. Those with a strong locus of control believe their actions affect their outcomes; those with lower or external locus of control blame factors outside of themselves. Like in a game, we control our player and our destiny.

Feynman Technique - To fully grasp a topic, you should be able to teach it in a simple, easy to understand level

Trunk Based Knowledge - Start learning from the roots (fundamentals, principles), the “why” of a subject; Trunk knowledge provides a strong foundation for future learning that changes with trends.

Efficiency Trumps Grit - Being constantly busy is a lack of efficiency

? THE SCIENCE:

KEY TAKEAWAY: Use the latest research and studies to be more efficient learners

Focus vs. Diffuse Mode - Focus Mode - 100% focus on one taks; Diffuse Mode - mind wanders, daydreams, etc.; most efficient learning is a combination of the two: a dedicated amount of focus with periods of rest, as diffuse mode allows the brain to grow myelin sheaths on neurons to form stronger neural connections

The Science of Sleep - Toxins build in the brain during the day; while sleeping, brain cells shrink and cerebral spinal fluid flushes toxins from the brain. The process is energy-intensive so the body must be shut down. Sleep is diffuse-mode thinking - allows brain to organize thinking, strengthen connections, and discard less important information.

Brain Training - Learning creates more neural synapses. Repetition strengthens learning and neural connections, forgetting information indicates weakness in synaptic connections. Physical exercise, also a form of diffuse mode, promotes brain growth as well.

The Science of Feedback - Negative and positive are both beneficial, but negative feedback is more effective for learning because it is actionable. Positive feedback is better in the beginning to offer encouragement. Feedback is crucial to learning.

Procrastination - Procrastination is mismanagement of emotion and avoidance of negative feeling. There is no easy solution - you just need to do the task at hand. Focus on long term vs. short term gratification. It’s easier to overcome procrastination if you are in a positive and happy mental place.

Long Term + Short Term Memory - Practice and repetition lead to long-term memory. Fundamental concepts and principles are stored in long term memory and aid in future learning. Short term, or working memory, can hold four blocks of information. Spaced repetition - repeat action over multiple days; connect to different concepts already stored in long term memory. If new information is not used: in 1hr - 50% of information is lost, 24hrs - 75% lost, 1 week - up to 90% lost. New information must be converted to long term memory for retention using discussed techniques.

Active Learning vs. Passive Learning - Passive Learning: Podcasts, YouTube videos, observing/listening vs. engaging; Active Learning: being involved, practicing, taking notes, problem solving; Problem solving and recall are more effective than looking up an answer and improve the chance of retrieval later.

The Science of Motivation - Intrinsic motivation comes from beliefs and wants; having a strong support system helps intrinsically. External motivation can be in the form of money, gifts, etc. and is helpful to complete unpleasant tasks. Intrinsic motivation is required for learning and include 3 components: 1. Autonomy - have control, work on things that we want to do and give us control of our lives, 2. Mastery - intrinsically motivated to be masters of a skill, and 3. Purpose - benefits to yourself and others.

Goals - Research has shown that the amygdala triggers fear in response to uncertainty when faced with large goals. Continuous, small, incremental improvement does not trigger fear of failure and instead builds neural networks to achieve compound learning. Set “SMART” goals: Specific / Measurable / Achievable / Relevant / Time Bound

It Pays to Not Be Busy - Efficiency trumps grit. New neurons are born daily and need to be nurtured - social interaction, physical exercise, and rest keep the mind sharp.

Chunking - Break down learning into “chunks,” aka “bottom-up learning” - creating a mindmap of small pieces of knowledge combined to create an overall understanding of a topic; “top-down learning” - examining the big picture to understand the connections between the smaller chunks. The combination of the two creates knowledge and is crucial to long-term learning.

How to Solve Problems - Focus Mode: sequential approach, do this then that; Diffuse Mode: intuitive, creative ideas and solutions.

Deliberate Practice - Learning should be tough. Rock climbers, chess players, masters all visualize their moves to make accurate predictions based on deliberate practice. After initially learning a lot it is common to hit a plateau - deliberate practice pushes past the uncomfortable edge to continue progress. Specific goals, intense focus, immediate feedback, and frequent discomfort by being at the edge of our abilities and pushing past them requires maximal effort to maximize potential.

Spaced Repetition - Revisiting and practicing what is learned is the best way to build and strengthen synaptic connections to improve memory. Law of Diminishing Return - learning is best spaced out over multiple sessions rather than cramming information as this does not build strong neural structures.

Habits As Energy Savers - Habits are formed so we don’t need to focus energy on habitual tasks (ex. writing goals for the following day helps accomplish them).

Be Adventurous - Neural pathways are created and strengthened with new experiences. Learning new and unrelated skills keeps the brain sharp.

Have An Endpoint - The brain needs an endpoint for unpleasant tasks in order to stay focused. Know your productivity hours - a finishing time is just as important as planning working time.

Be Bored - The brain strengthens and grows during rest - that’s when diffuse mode of learning kicks in.
***The brain is not static - it is constantly changing, growing, deteriorating. Just like physical exercise, the choice is ours to improve mental strength.

? THE TECHNIQUES:

KEY TAKEAWAY: Find the techniques that work best for you - not everything is for everyone

Pomodoro Technique - 25 minutes of focus mode, no interruptions, followed by 5 minutes of diffuse mode, and repeat. The goal is to alternate between focus and diffuse mode of learning to overcome procrastination - begin with the most unpleasant task of the day.

Chunk the Subject - We can only hold 4 chunks of knowledge in working memory - divide and conquer large tasks, breaking them down into small chunks of working knowledge that are combined to create an understanding of a concept.

Spaced Repetition Revisited - Goal is to repeat and practice over time rather than overlearn in one sitting. Use multiple techniques in tandem with spaced repetition to learn a subject. Forgetting curve slope decreases with continued repetition.

Deliberate Practice Revisited - Work smart AND hard, avoid easy tasks, take in challenges. Plan focus time that pushes to the edge of your ability, and give yourself immediate feedback by documenting what was done and your progress.

Create a Roadmap - Make a plan - it doesn’t have to be perfect and can change along the way but it is important to have tangible goals. We overestimate what we can do in the short-term and underestimate what we’re capable of in the long-term; roadmap provides guidance and focus.

Interleaving - Use different methods and techniques in learning. Variety is important, as is creativity and flexibility. Form knowledge from multiple sources and perspectives. Connect chunks in memory that are unique to you and your problem solving skills.

Einstellung Effect - the negative effect of previous experience when solving new problems; an example of rigid, mechanized mindset closed off to new ideas that will not achieve new heights. SOLUTION: Integrative Complexity - willingness to accept multiple perspectives, integrate into larger, more coherent picture that continues to evolve; your understanding continues to grow and is never complete, beginner mindset is always ready to integrate new viewpoints and ideas.

Importance of Community - Community helps to identify blind spots in your learning, gives immediate feedback, provides accountability. It is said that you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with most.

Habits Revisited - Willpower is a bad strategy; habits and energy savers. The Power of Habit - 4 things needed to form habits: 1. Cue - trigger to put us in habit mode, 2. Routine - what brain does in response to cue, ritual, 3. Reward - something that makes us feel good, 4. Belief - in the positive effect of the habit. Atomic Habits - 4 things needed for behavior change: 1. Is it obvious? 2. Is it easy? Have you made it as easy as possible, 3. Is it attractive? Does this habit lead to a positive outcome, 4. Is it satisfying? Does it reward us?
Use don’t break the chain method to track your habits.

System vs. Goals - Goals are good but systems are needed to achieve them. Set goals as an end point, and put systems in place to achieve those goals. Bonus points if systems become habitual!

The Power of the Senses - Utilizing multiple senses aids in recall. Metaphors, analogies, visualizations use the mind’s eye. Sensory memory and emotional elements can be accessed through storytelling. Seek new experiences to stimulate the brain, and work in stimulating environments.

Pareto Principle Revisited - Mastery requires you to be in the top 5% of the world. What are the critical 20% of skills to get 80% of the desired results. Remove anything superfluous and not of the highest quality.

Parkinson’s Law - Work expands so as to fill the full time available for its completion. A project is finished in the amount of time allotted - give yourself a realistic timeline to complete a task. Small goals and systems aid in achieving the larger goal within your timeline.

Stakes + Rewards - Have rewards for motivation, stakes to keep you accountable.

Concepts vs. Facts - Facts can be Googled, concepts must be learned. Recognition vs. recollections is the equivalent to active vs. passive learning. Focus on foundations and principles when learning to build conceptual knowledge.

Test Yourself - Identify key ideas of what was learned, pause and recap. Seek feedback and learn from mistakes.

Method of Loci - Latin for “places” - strategy of memory enhancement which uses visualizations of familiar spatial environments in order to enhance the recall of information. AKA the memory journey, memory palace, or mind palace technique. Create visual stories based on information and memories that are unique to you to learn information and assist in recall.

Deep Work - Period of deep focus with no distractions where you push your capabilities to their limits. Dedicate a workspace, set an end time, prioritize power-ups (sleep, happiness, exercise), create and easy starting sequence. Deep work is important because in the future shallow work will become computerized and jobs requiring deep thinkers will be in high demand. The ability to do deep work will set you apart.

IN CONCLUSION:

While this is a long list of information and techniques, I have been trying them little by little and finding what works best for me. For example, I’ve found that the Pomodoro Technique has been incredibly helpful in combating fatigue and burnout, Spaced Repetition has cemented concepts and methods that I would have otherwise had to continue to refer back to notes for, and Chunking has made complex subjects, like Object Orientation, easier to process and understand.

My favorite concept would have to be The Pillar that Everything is a Game. When starting my day, I remember that knowledge is an actionable choice, and that I have the good fortune to play the game and reach new levels.

Happy learning everyone!

? ADDITIONAL READING

The Dip - Seth Godin
Mastery - Robert Greene
The Art of Learning - Josh Waitzkin
Smartcuts - Shane Snow
Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday
Learning How to Learn - Barbara Oakley
Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker
Peak - Anders Ericsson
Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg
Eat that Frog! - Brian Tracy
Moonwalking With Einstein - Joshua Foer
Deep Work - Cal Newport

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Katherine Kavourakis