Do that and your life will change.

After learning 5 languages on my own, I got used to receiving questions like:

How can I learn English?

What is the best study routine?

How do I start from scratch?

However, there is a much more useful question that yields much better results than these:

How do we learn?

Learning is a simple process.

The problem is we don’t know how learning occurs, nor how to accelerate it.

How it occurs is simple:

Your brain repeats new information until it stores it, uses it and transmits it.

Why should we understand this before anything else?

Because it is the understanding of this mechanism that will dictate our progress in everything in life.

Therefore, let’s understand what to do to become an accelerated learning machine.

Learning fast doesn’t mean reading more or memorizing information.

It means understanding, processing, and retaining knowledge efficiently.

The best way to do this is by using active learning techniques.

Here are the three techniques I’ve used for everything, from math to languages:

1. Teach What You Learned

When you teach something, your brain works harder to process the information.

Explaining forces you to organize ideas, simplify concepts, and make connections between information.

It also helps you identify what you still don’t understand well.

Why does this work?

• Teaching engages the brain more deeply than just listening or reading.
• It helps transfer information from short-term memory to long-term memory.
• It makes you realize which parts you still need to review.
• It turns learning into a more active and engaging process.

How to apply this technique effectively:

1. Summarize the topic out loud, explaining it in simple words, as if talking to a friend.
2. Record yourself explaining, then listen to see if it makes sense.
3. Use real-life examples to make the concept clearer.
4. Write a short summary, as if you were preparing a study guide for someone else.
5. Use the Feynman Technique: If you can’t explain something as if to a child, you need to learn it better.

Extra Tip: If you have no one to teach, explain to a mirror or record an audio for yourself.

2. Take Smart Notes

Writing down information helps the brain process and store it better.

But most people take notes inefficiently, copying everything instead of focusing on key points.

Good notes help organize knowledge and make reviewing easier.

So here’s how to take more effective notes:

Use the Cornell Method:

• Divide the page into three sections:
  • Main ideas on the left
  • Detailed explanations in the center
  • A summary at the bottom
• This format makes reviewing and understanding the material easier.

Use Mind Maps and Diagrams:

• Visually representing information helps you understand relationships between ideas better.
• Draw diagrams, graphs, or concept maps to make complex topics easier to grasp.

Write in Your Own Words:

• Instead of copying exactly what you saw/heard, rewrite it in a way that makes sense to you.

Turn Notes into Questions:

• Create questions based on the content to test yourself later.
• For example: instead of writing “Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”, write “What is the function of mitochondria?”.

3. Review and Reinforce Learning

Most people read something once and think they’ll remember it.

But research shows that we forget up to 70% of new information within 24 hours if we don’t review it.

Why is reviewing so important?

Simple:

• The brain needs repeated exposure to store something in long-term memory.
• The more you recall and review the information, the stronger it becomes.
• It reduces the brain’s natural tendency to forget.

Now, how to review effectively?

By using the following strategies:

Spaced repetition:

• Review your notes after 1 day, then after 3 days, then after a week, then after a month.
• Every time you review, try to remember the content before looking at your notes.
• This method strengthens the brain’s ability to recall information when needed.

Rephrase concepts:

• After each review, try explaining the concept in a new way.
• The more ways you can describe an idea, the better you’ll understand it.

Summarize in one sentence:

• At the end of each session, try to summarize the main idea in one single sentence.
• If you can’t do it, it’s a sign you need to review more.

And, finally, the most important thing:

Be consistent.

Learning fast isn’t about studying a lot at once.

It’s about using good strategies every day, multiple times a day.

To do this, you need to turn studying into a HABIT.

Here are some tips to make it happen:

Reserve at least 10 to 15 minutes a day to review something new.

Link the end of one activity to the start of studying (habit stacking).

Schedule your study sessions so you don’t have excuses.

Start with what you can do. Forget perfection, focus on execution.

Once you’re used to it, push your limits.

And remember the most important thing:

Learning anything is a p r o c e s s.

The more you review, teach, and test your knowledge, the faster you’ll improve.

If – AND ONLY IF – you follow these techniques, I guarantee you will learn faster, remember better, and apply everything more efficiently.

Get to work, my friend.

References:

Marty Lobdell’s “Study Less Study Smart” lecture – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlU-zDU6aQ0