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As children, we are all inquisitive, ask a lot of questions and strive to learn as much as possible. However, with age, our thirst for knowledge weakens, and the educational process seems to us a tedious routine. So how do you get back your interest in learning and sparkle in your eyes? Mila Semeshkina, an expert on quick and effective learning, shares her secrets.
1. Choose your pace
Some people prefer running short distances, while others, on the contrary, like the marathon more. These approaches are applicable not only to sports, but also to the educational process. 90% of success depends on the right learning format.
Choose your pace so that after the shock of the first lesson, you will not lose any desire to continue studying. It is no coincidence that one of the main educational trends of 2020 has become the so-called bite-size learning format: learning in “small portions” at minimum intervals in a mode that is comfortable for you.
This method makes it possible to study for only 15-20 minutes a day (for example, on a coffee break or a run) and prevents the risk of emotional burnout. It allows you to assimilate maximum information in a short time, there is no “water” and unnecessary theoretical piles in it, but the practical component is obligatory
So it turns out that studying a foreign language for 10-15 minutes every day is more effective than an hour once a week.
2. Collect your mastermind
It’s no secret how much a person depends on the opinions of others. Snide remarks, grins and comments from friends and colleagues can do a disservice when you yourself doubt whether it is worth going to internet marketing courses after work. In such cases, the so-called mastermind comes to the rescue.
This is a group of like-minded people who jointly develop in the chosen direction and share their experience. The strength of mastermind groups is that they help each member achieve their goals faster and stay on track.
According to a recent study by the Higher School of Economics, the more students communicate with each other and work on joint assignments, the higher their level of motivation and involvement in the educational process. It is not for nothing that group projects are an important tool in all leading MBA programs.
3. Find the root of evil
Try to figure out what it is you don’t like about learning. Maybe you are annoyed by homework or some particular part of the course? Based on this knowledge, find what you like, and draw from this «source» of strength and inspiration to continue your studies.
I’ll give you an example. You came to study business in order to become an entrepreneur later, but you absolutely do not like spreadsheets in Excel and accounting calculations. Try to find a compromise with yourself.
Finance is a part of the company’s ecosystem and a reflection of all the processes taking place in it. And in this case, one must try to master the subject, even if not particularly beloved, but necessary for the future. It is hardly worth giving up your dream because of a couple of formulas: it’s easier to pass the necessary module and move on. Find something in each discipline that will be useful in the future, and learning will become more interesting.
Fatigue is often the result of adaptation to learning. When life changes, the body and especially the nervous system experience stress. Even if you signed up for dream courses, new conditions, people, tasks will somehow lead to global changes in your usual routine. At this time, there are feelings of anxiety, frequent mood swings, a desire to return everything as it was before. This is a normal process that must be lived and endured.
4. Create your own rituals
Let’s go back to the sports analogy. When you come to the fitness club, you put on sportswear and warm up. This is a kind of ritual that sets you in the right mood.
So, Stephen King uses routines as a signal that keeps his brain working, even when he doesn’t feel inspired. The American writer drinks a cup of water or tea and then works from 8:00 to 8:30 — half an hour each morning. This routine allows him to create 6 pages of text per day.
Consistency and consistency are characteristic features of many outstanding personalities. And it won’t hurt us to create the same rituals in our studies!
Get yourself some colorful stationery and lay them out before each class. Bright colors will make the learning process more fun, as well as activate those areas of the brain that are responsible for creativity, which will help to better assimilate the material. Learn with pleasant background music. Buy your favorite type of coffee before the lecture. Wear certain clothes before class that will be associated with learning.
As paradoxical as it may sound, sometimes, in order to create something truly outstanding, you must first become a master of routine.
5. Use a hands-on approach
The learning process must necessarily include practice. Nothing inspires us like quick and visible results that you can “feel”. Learn and immediately implement the acquired skills into life — this is one of the main principles of my author’s methodology.
Dopamine, the hormone of pleasure, is responsible for rewarding and reinforcing motivation in the human body, so it is important not to forget to pamper yourself for every success. So there will be a desire to achieve results in the most accessible way.
The process of gradually gaining knowledge and, as a result, a growing respect for oneself, gratitude for one’s own work, fall into the category of “slow” pleasures — the result is achieved gradually, so that the dopamine trigger does not work immediately. Practice helps to activate it much earlier.
You don’t have to wait for a diploma or certificate to get started. As soon as study begins to bear fruit, excitement will wake up in you and you will want to study even more.