When I was younger, I am always short of achieving my goals. I didn’t know why, but I felt deeply disappointed when that happened, especially for goals that I has huge importance for me.
In university, I went hardcore in improving every aspect of my life and managed to achieve some of my goals. It made me a more confident, competent, and ultimately, a happier person. Reflecting on my own journey, I realize that my early frustrations stemmed from the lack of learning skills.
Here are the hard-won skills I’ve developed to learn faster and more effectively. I hope these insights help you accelerate your own growth and lead a more fulfilling life overall.
1. Set your learning purpose
Learning without a purpose is futile. Purpose provides direction and sustains your motivation, especially during the tough or boring parts of the journey.
Superficial motivations, such as impressing others or chasing grades, often lead to retarded progress. This is because rather than learning what is genuinely important, you are tempted to learn things that sound smart or likely to come up with exams – many of which may not be useful in the real world.
Instead, set a meaningful goal for yourself—like improving your skills or solving a real problem. This helps you push through challenges, emphasize rigor, and stay objective on your level of mastery.
2. Foundations first
It sounds foolishly simple, but it really took me some time to learn this. Mastering the basics is essential for long-term understanding. Foundational knowledge provides a sturdy platform for advanced concepts.
In the past, I often relied on news articles and blog posts to learn about a subject. They normally give crumbs of information in a passionate, sensationalist tone. Not only do these sources give the illusion of learning, but they also create a false impression that the topic is constantly evolving in dramatic ways. In reality, they often highlight fleeting trends over enduring principles.
For instance:
- Learn basic Python before diving into machine learning
- Understand columns and slabs before discussing architectural philosophies
- Grasp the time value of money before analyzing financial markets
I admit, learning the foundations is boring and time-consuming. It could take weeks and months to understand all the foundations. But the investment is really worth it. If you really want to learn the advanced stuff, make sure your foundations are rock solid. When you speak, the seniors in the field would take you more seriously. Don’t trust people who say that this or that would change the field forever. It would likely not. The basics stay as basics.
3. Get the pace of learning right
Effective learning balances challenge and progress. If tasks feel too easy, you’re learning too slowly. If you’re overwhelmed, you’re learning too quickly.
When stuck on a problem, stop and ask yourself: “What smaller skill or knowledge am I missing?” Focus on that, then return to the problem. Continue until you finally succeed.
4. Diversify your learning tools and materials
The people of this century are blessed: we can access the best teachers and books with a few clicks on the monitor — so leverage this wealth of resources. Whether they are books, Youtube videos, or online courses, absorb them all. Since different materials present concepts in different methods and explanations, helping you see the full picture.
For tough topics, I’ve found I learn most effectively when I use both a textbook and YouTube simultaneously. It is probably due to the combined use of learning using visual, audio and textual media, which engages my brain in all possible learning modalities.
5. Work with your hands – practise
Knowledge isn’t truly yours until you apply it. So set aside your learning materials, and engage in hands-on work. Practice helps you internalize and refine your understanding.
For highly technical concepts, follow Feynman’s mantra of learning by teaching. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if there is an audience or not. I use physical notebooks for quick sketches and diagrams to regenerate my understanding of a concept. Sometimes, I use PowerPoint for organizing complex ideas. Choose tools that suit your subject and style.
For practical skills, make opportunities to practice those skills. Whether it’s working out, giving presentations, socializing, or making sales calls, no guide or textbook can teach you all the intricacies that allow you to achieve mastery. The best learning comes from firsthand data and adjusting your behavior based on feedback. If you’re unsure about your feedback, consider having a mentor or coach to guide you.
6. The most powerful of all – focus
In an age of constant distractions, focus is rare—and transformative. As Deep Work suggests, if you cannot stay focused on a single task for long periods of time, you can never learn anything properly. This is bad news for those obsessed with their phones, as they often struggle to tolerate the boredom inherent in learning.
But if you are part of that demographic, don’t worry because I found a cure. To improve your focus, try:
- Commit to beginning your study session, even if you feel emotional resistance.
- Ignore the urge to check your phone or take unnecessary breaks.
If you maintain this behavior, over time, focused learning becomes an addictive learning habit.
7. Learn different things at once!
What is amazing is that learning is a skill. The more you learn, the better you get at learning. So if you want to learn anything faster, learn new things.
Does this mean you should learn to code or investing? It can be helpful, but not necessarily.
This question stems from a common belief that learning is strictly an intellectual exercise, such as studying an academic subject. Consequently, this may make people uncomfortable when someone online encourages them to learn more. (Learning to code? Eww). In reality, learning can be found in every aspect of our lives.
- Practical – how to organize productive meetings
- Social – how to negotiate in a hard conversation
- Emotional – how to stay calm and not get angry all the time
- Physical – how to stay fit and eat healthy
Every part of your life is a learning opportunity. Many of the learning skills I shared with you in this blog are gleaned from a different aspects in my life.
When you learn some new tip to improve your learning in one domain, it can be applied in some other domain to accelerate your growth. This makes learning not only fun, but super reinforcing.
Conclusion
If there’s one thing to take from all this, it’s that motivation, patience, and discipline are what really matter when it comes to learning.
Start with one thing today—set a clear purpose. Pick a skill or subject, focus on the foundations, and get to work. The process won’t always be exciting or fun, but that’s where growth happens.
Looking back on my journey, I can see how much these small, consistent steps added up. The same can happen for you. Stick with it, and one day, you’ll see just how far you’ve come.
Randolph Yew 
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