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[Learning Notes] Learning to Learn: The Techniques

Joan — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:24:49 +0000

Now that things have been sorted out and ideas have been laid down, it is finally time to learn The Techniques.

Pomodoro Technique This is setting your work in cycles of focus and break times. For example, 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off. It can be as long or as short as you need or as you are able to do. These cycles will allow you to move between the two modes of thinking in good time and beat procrastination. When scheduling your tasks, do the worst or most distasteful stuff first.
Chunk the Subject Divide and Conquer When learning anything new or attempting to solve a problem, it is always easier to divide them into smaller, more manageable chunks or bits that you can store in memory faster and easier.
Spaced Repetition Revisited This technique has already been mentioned in a different context. This time, we learn that overlearning is not good. Learning a topic is done best when the repetition is paced. Writing things down in a notebook is one of the best tools for repetition.
Deliberate Practice Revisited Remember: (1) avoid the easy stuff, and (2) take on challenging projects. Focus and always ask yourself: "Have I done this before? What is it?" Always seek immediate feedback and do not forget to write down your progress. When assessing whether something is worth the practice time, look for the butterflies - these are the things that make you just scared, but you can actually take on.
Create a Roadmap Before you go into a topic to learn it, learn around it first. That is, research the topic and the materials you are looking to use to ensure that you are learning the most useful things.
Interleaving Learn different, but similar, skills together and learn them in different ways.
Einstellung In other words, "rigid mindset." This is when you find that you are set in your ways and refuse new things. Endeavor to break out of it with integrative complexity or the willingness to accept multiple perspectives. Do not harden your mind. Instead, learn to ask yourself, "What is Option C?" Strong opinions are usually covering insecurities.
Importance of Community Your community will be able to point out your blindspots, you can get immediate feedback, you can overcome obstacles, get motivated, and, most of all, accountability. Be surrounded by people who propel you to be better.
Habits Revisited You might have heard of it, but you should know that it works: "don't break the chain." Even if you find yourself in a day when you can't do much, do it anyway. Five minutes put in on one day is always going to be better than zero minutes. To help you create your habits, or change them, if you need to, remember to make it obvious, easy, attractive and satisfying.
System vs Goals Goals are rigid objectives. Systems are things you do regularly while constantly improving. Goals are better for short-term things, so don't make them too big.
The Power of the Senses The way to make the strongest neural connections in the brain is by invoking as many senses as possible.
Pareto Principle Revisited 20% of activity leads to 80% of the desired result The main idea is to always start your learning with the most critical 20% of the subject. This will enable you to get a boost at the very beginning.
Parkinson's Law It is said, "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." In other words, a task set to be completed in a month will be completed in a month. A task set to be completed in a week will be completed in a week. Make deadlines for your tasks and acknowledge those deadlines. Otherwise, the work will just keep on going.
Stakes and Rewards Focus on small rewards. It is important to give ourselves small rewards because this makes us feel good which then boosts motivation. Stakes are the things that we lose by not improving. What happens if you don't achieve your goals? These are things that you need to know and remember to acknowledge because these will go into your drive. Otherwise, you will simply not care. Reward yourself, but remember to hold yourself accountable at the same time.
Concepts vs Facts Facts are stuff you can simply look up. Concepts are for your brain. Occasionally, you can also look up concepts, but they aren't things that you can simply regurgitate. Concepts are more important than facts. So, focus on the concepts more.
Test Yourself At the end of the day, you need to understand how much you have really learned, but don't stop there. Find the pain points and understand why you got them wrong. Feedback will always matter.

The key is to remember that these things work best together. You can't just pick one technique and use only that. Different techniques will get you to the critical point.

[Learning Notes] Learning to Learn: The Science

Joan — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 13:33:47 +0000

Now that we have our pillars erected, it is time to learn *The Science * behind efficient learning.

Focus vs Diffuse Mode These are the modes of thinking that our brains cycle through in our daily lives. Focus mode is when we are concentrating and diffuse mode is when we allow our brains to wander. A good analogy would be to compare the lights from a laserlight and a flashlight. When learning, the smart strategy is not choosing between focus or diffuse mode, but being able to move between these two modes efficiently.
The Science of Sleep There is no way around it: sleep is important. Everyone already knows that, but if you still do not acknowledge it, know that a new scientific study has positively shown that the body flushes out harmful toxins from the brain during sleep. That is, among other things that your body does for you during sleep, of course.
Brain Training The brain is quite literally like a muscle. It can grow and improve the more you use it, but it can also atrophy due to lack of exercise.
The Science of Feedback Feedback is an integral part of learning. Both positive and negative feedback can be good, but it has been found that positive feedback is better at the start, while negative feedback works better at higher levels. Immediate feedback, whether positive or negative, is best.
Procrastination The way to beat it is really to just get started. Not the best advice, but there are things that can help like improving your mood before getting to a task and making it as easy as possible to get started.
Short and Long-Term Memory When learning new things, you'll want to be able to put those things into your long-term memory. Two of the ways to do this are spaced repetition and association.
Active vs Passive Learning Passively consuming information is not the best way to learn things. It's easy, but it doesn't work. The best way to learn is still being involved. e.g. writing actual code instead of watching a whole bunch of tutorials. Also, recall is better than re-reading.
The Science of Motivation Intrinsic motivation (personal will, drive, etc.) vs External Motivation (rewards, etc.) The latter can be good at the start, but the former will push you beyond it.
Goals They are important in that they provide you with a roadmap in your path. However, they don't always have to be big. Starting small can take you a long way. For instance, you can start with saying that you would run for five minutes a day for five days.
It Pays to Not Be Busy Being busy might be taken as a "badge of honor" by some people, but it really isn't any good. If anything, it only shows a lack of time management skills. Taking a break is good, so always take time to pause.
Chunking Also called bottom-up learning or top-down learning. Learning the small bits and pieces, i.e. "chunks", is made more efficient when, at the same time, you know the bigger picture of what you are learning.
How to Solve Problems This goes back to the focus and diffuse modes of thinking. It is still important to use both when solving problems.
Deliberate Practice Specific Goals + Intense Focus + Immediate Feedback These three things are what constitute better practice. Always be at the edge of your limits, then break past them. This means that deliberate practice is not meant to be fun and is always at the point of struggle.
Spaced Repetition Repeating things every few days improves neural connections in your brain when it comes to those things. The repeats inform your brain that this is important, so the brain works to enhance those connections. Spacing them, so that you are at the point when you are about to forget things, further strengthens these connections.
Habits as Energy Savers Habits are like pre-loading things into the brain. When things are already pre-loaded, they become easier, thus saving energy and brain power, e.g. putting your workout clothes next to your bed at night, enables you to exercise more as they are already plainly visible when you wake up in the morning as opposed to having to pick them out from the closet every time.
Be Adventurous Monotony is bad. New, different, exciting things grow our brains better. Don't avoid new stuff.
Have an Endpoint Know your productivity hours and make sure to schedule and keep breaks and stop times.
Be Bored Being bored is just as important as being focused because this is when the brain is able to go into diffuse mode where our brains can think through things and strengthen neural connections.

The main idea is to remember that the brain is fluid. It can be changed and improved, so you better take advantage of it.

[Learning Notes] Learning to Learn: The Pillars

Joan — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 10:45:58 +0000

Once we know about the principles set down and the lies debunked, it is time to build The Pillars of our learning

Everything is a Game Set your perspective towards a growth mindset. Do not shy away from challenges or obstacles. Instead, take them as chances to earn bonus EXP. Remember that you have control over your life. You are Player1 of your life. Player1 can fail as many times as needed, but they all mean moving forward.
Feynman Technique This has already been mentioned before. To be able to really understand something, you need to be able to explain it in the simplest terms. Using jargon might make you sound smart to those who don't understand, but you're really just hiding uncertainty.
Trunk-Based Knowledge The foundations are always important, and they will always help you more in the long term. Take the chance to gain foundational knowledge over learning the "leaves" at the very beginning. To illustrate, it is better to learn the chords than learning a song.
Efficiency Trumps Grit Working smart will always be better than working hard.

At the end of the day, remember to focus on growth.

[Learning Notes] Learning to Learn: The Lies

Joan — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 11:11:46 +0000

Part Two of the Learning to Learn course builds on top of the principles from the previous part and covers The Lies that have been told about learning. In this section of the course, the lies are described and the reality behind them is discussed.

Follow Your Passion Passion might be a good place to start, but it is not everything. Creativity + Control + Impact are needed, passion is not. Embrace the craftsman's mindset that always pushes towards becoming better.
You Can Avoid Risk This is not true, so you better learn to accept risk and enjoy it. Those who only ever play it safe will never be exceptional. Taking risks means taking the opportunity to grow.
Trust this One Person Do not accept the one person who says, "I am the absolute. Listen to me because I know everything." They are charlatans who really know nothing. Learn from multiple sources, see multiple perspectives.
10,000 Hours Rule Practice matters, a lot, but it is not everything. There are other factors like genetics, personal history, etc. that will affect you and your outcomes. It is important to remember that blindly putting in the hours will not move you forward. It is better to put in smart hours.

Do not believe in the old things. They might have sounded like the height of wisdom before, but it is better to always keep learning instead.

[Learning Notes] Learning to Learn: The Principles

Joan — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 11:20:46 +0000

Following yesterday's overview of the ZeroToMastery course Learning to Learn is this first part of the course: The Principles.

Learning vs Winning the System When going into any learning endeavor, be it formal education or self-learning, enter it with a mind towards what you are learning. Focus on the learning and not on the grades, certificates, etc. that you will receive at the end. The value of your education will not come from those things, but from the actual knowledge you gain from the endeavor.
What is Success? Drive and persistence are necessary. There are no tricks and the road is not easy. The ones who succeed are those who take the unconventional path.
The Obstacle When starting on a new learning endeavor, you might find that you suck at it. The reality is you don't. Not exactly. You're simply learning something new and something worthwhile. You will not be great at things right from the start.
The Dip Learning is hard. Everyone can learn anything, but our limited resources, e.g. time, dictate that we cannot learn everything. While it can be true that anyone can learn anything, it is also true that we cannot all be everything. It is important to be smart about this. Sometimes, you can find yourself in a learning path that is simply not for you. Accept the possibility that it can happen and turn towards an endeavor that is the better path for you.
Compound Learning Learning a small amount everyday trumps learning, or trying to learn, so much every once in a while. Cramming never works.
Failures Don't Count That is, failures don't count against you. Not being able to succeed at one endeavor should not haunt you. Every time you do something, even if it ultimately does not result in the outcome you wanted, you add to yourself. These things only bring you closer to where you want to go.
Choice vs Chore When it comes to doing something, anything that feels like a chore won't stick. Let's face it, no one enjoys doing the dishes, the laundry, or anything else along those lines. So, when it comes to your learning endeavors, instead of saying, "I have to...," approach them saying, "I will..." or "I choose to..." This may sound like a very small change, but these small things always matter.
It's All in the Frame In the spirit of the previous principle, embrace a beginner mindset. When you encounter difficulties, do not think of them as reasons to quit. Actually, they are chances to grow. Focus your perspective on things you can control.
Pareto Principle You might have heard of the 80/20 rule or the "Law of the Vital Few." When it comes to learning, ask, "Is this the best use of my time?" In many cases, 20% of stuff will get you to 80% mastery. Nevertheless, it's not about finding the 20%, but about eliminating the fluff.
Skill Stacking Curiosity + Learning Above All Else + Combining Skills It is better to have a good combination of multiple skills, each of which you are good at, than being great at just one thing.
Happiness Factors "What are the things that make you happy?" Know them because they are important. Learning while you are in a good state of mind is much better than learning while at the opposite.
Your Productivity Time Find the time of day when you feel the best and schedule your learning during that time.
Self-Learning Paradigm You have to choose for yourself that you want to learn. No one can do that for you and no amount of persuading will do it for you.

The most important thing is to take control.

[Learning Notes] Learning to Learn (Efficient Learning) ZeroToMastery

Joan — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 11:04:32 +0000

Learning to Learn (Efficient Learning) is a personal development course from Andrei Neagoie of ZeroToMastery (ZTM). As you can tell from the title, the course aims to enable you to learn new skills better. It takes popular books on the topic such as The Dip (Seth Godin), The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg) and Deep Work (Cal Newport) and gets to their cores.

Personally, I have never been one to read such books or enrol in such a course, but I knew of ZTM from a previous course. I liked how it was delivered and this Efficient Learning course launched while I was making my way towards learning a new language. I took a chance on the course and, at the end of it, learned many things that can be applied towards my own learning. It is quite literally as the title says.

One of the techniques taught in the course is stacking your knowledge. The same principle is applied into the course itself. It is divided into five parts, with the next one building on the previous:

The Principles
The Lies
The Pillars
The Science
The Techniques

As in the Feynman Technique, if you really want to understand something, you need to be able to teach it in simple terms. Doing it this way allows you to show what you know in a way that is useful to people and, at the same time, test your knowledge as it keeps you from hiding behind jargon.

This first series of posts will be a record of what I have learned from the course with each next post detailing each part.

This is my way of sharing my knowledge and, hopefully, it will be useful to some people.