Building a solid foundation may take time, but surely will be more rewarding.
Approach the difficult path of slow learning willingly and enthusiastically. Enjoy the process and the beautiful nuances of the subject. If you start driving your car around before you’re ready, you’ll get a dent and be discouraged to drive again.
How do you make any line you draw look smaller? Draw a bigger one beside it.
Learn something harder than what you want to learn (In and around the same subject or context). And come back to what you want to learn – it’ll actually seem easy.
If you learn to solve a 3*3 Rubik’s Cube, a 2*2 will look much easier.
A key aspect of learning is to repeat what you’re learning overtime.
It’s nothing different from learning to drive a car. It will then become a behaviour so automatic, you’ll be surprised.
Give it time, keep at it.
When you’re up to learning something new, workout short spaced out sessions throughout the week. Spaced repetition builds memory.
Move through various modes and means of learning the same subject – through books by different authors , videos and articles on the same track (do not graze ofcourse). It should all point to the same learning path. You’ll then begin to appreciate the various view points presented by different sources that’ll help you understand better.
As much as possible, get into a hands on, project based immersive learning. This brings you as close as possible to the subject.
Experiencing the material first hand rather than just reading about it prepares your mind to get used to the new environment you’re trying to get to.
Start writing a novel if you’re learning to write, write a program to help automate what you’re already doing, if you’re learning a new programming language.
Learning can seem daunting at first. Break it down into smaller chunks and repeat until you’re thorough.
Give it time, resist the temptation to run. Once you’re thorough with the broken down parts, work on putting them all together. Repeat. This will help you get the foundations right and help you stick to it.
When you begin learning something new, focus on the meta-content first.
It tells you how the content of the new subject is arranged. This gives you an overview and you get a glimpse of the big picture. It’s information about the content.
Do not start off absorbing info randomly. This is so tempting in today’s world where you start following a topic and you begin to receive endless “quite informative and useful” articles.
Soon you realise you’re all over the place. Use these updates for maybe just about 10 minutes a day to know about recent developments in your field of interest. Instead, give time to dive deep and focus on fundamentals.
Willpower usually relates to goals you may want to achieve in life.
Break down dreams into goals, goals into steps.
Dreams are long term, maybe 10 years from now… Goals are shorter – in about 6 months from now… Steps are what you do day in day out to achieve them.
Write down in as many details as possible about your dreams, goals and steps you will take to achieve them. Read them from time to time and make changes along the way.
Developing a strong willpower in one aspect of your life influences another, completely different area for good
If you gather enough will power to sustain your habit and love for a hobby, it’ll invariably have a positive impact on something completely different – like performing better in your career
