Want to learn a new language? Or perhaps a new process for work? Here are some tips for learning any skill fast.
Embrace the Growth Mindset
Before diving into learning a new skill, ready yourself and your mind first. Condition yourself to a proactive state that is ready to embrace growth. It can be hard to start from scratch, but it will be extremely rewarding when you see your progress.
Set Your Goals in Stone
Are you learning this skill for work or for fun? Either way, think of what goals you want to achieve by acquiring this skill. Set a timeline for yourself too. Assess yourself and set a realistic timeline of how soon you want to achieve your goals.
Break It Down
Skills are very hard to learn, especially when you don’t have all day to devote to it. But make the learning process easier by breaking down the processes into smaller bits. When baking, for example, today you focus on mastering separating the egg whites from the yolks, then tomorrow you practice whisking the egg whites into stiff peaks. Take one step at a time, anyway, learning a skill isn’t a race.
Prioritize Practice in Learning Any Skill
It’s a cliche but practice makes perfect, so you should prioritize practicing your developing skill until you become so good at it, you can do it with your eyes closed. Our bodies retain muscle memory, so repeated practice ingrains the skill into our psyche.
Use the 80/20 Rule
There’s a Pareto Principle in learning. It suggests that 80% of resuts come from 20% effort. This means it’s not enough to just practice and practice to learn a new skill. Instead, you have to be smart about it. Hone in on the parts of the learning process that you find challenging or intricate and focus in practicing it. This targeted learning can help you achieve your skill faster.
Leverage Learning Resources
The best thing about modern times is access to a wide range of learning resources. Don’t stick to just one material, instead, discover differing opinions and develop your skill based on what works best for you.
Active Learning
Learn with intention. To quickly master any skill, you must have the conviction to apply it on the daily so it becomes almost second nature to you.
Seek Feedback
Feedback is important in learning. It gives you an outside perspective of how you are progressing. Seek feedback from other people.
If you’re learning a new language, for example, ask native speakers of that language how good your skills are, or how you can improve them. Constructive feedback will motivate you to reaching your goals.
Don’t Be Afraid to Fail. It’s Normal When Learning Any Skill
This is probably the most crucial thing in learning any skill. You will face failure, you will make many mistakes, but the most important thing is, to embrace it, learn from it, and never do it again. If you make a mistake once, it truly is a mistake, but if you make it again, it becomes intentional and can hinder your growth.