Difficulty Learning New Things? 5-Step Proven Method to Overcome It!

Key Takeaway

Learning new skills can help individuals advance in their careers, keep up with the latest trends, and feel more confident. However, many people face difficulty learning new things. Numerous options and resources are available, making it challenging to decide where to start and how to proceed. In this blog post, I’ve outlined 5 simple steps for effective and quick learning.

1. Set a clear objective and break it down into milestones.
2. Learn by gathering good resources, such as books, online or in-person courses, and building a supportive community.
3. Reflect on what you have learned to evaluate your progress and improvement.
4. Implement what you have learned to make theoretical knowledge more practical.
5. Enjoy the learning journey and use time management techniques like the Pomodoro technique to stay on track. Additionally, visualization and association techniques can help memorize new information.

Introduction

A Chinese proverb says, ‘Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.’ There are many reasons why it’s essential to learn new skills. Some of these include:

1. It can make you more attractive to employers and help you make more money.
2. It can help you keep up with the latest technology and fashion.
3. It can help you feel more confident and improve in your chosen field.

But most people face difficulty in learning new things. With so many options and resources available, deciding where to begin and how to proceed can be daunting. The bright side is learning a new skill was never as ‘within easy reach’ as it is now.

In this article, I’ll explain how to learn a new skill quickly and effectively in 5 simple steps.

Overcoming the Difficulty of Learning New Things | 5 Simple Steps

Step #1 | Set a clear objective

First and foremost. You must first decide what you want to learn and why (it is impossible to learn everything). You must persuade both your conscious and subconscious minds of the benefits of mastering that new ability. It could be acquiring a better job, earning more money, or receiving acclaim, among other things.

Then you must set a deadline and a few milestones. Let’s take web development as a learning new things example. So, you can set your target of being a competent web developer one year along the line. Some of your milestones could be learning HTML and CSS in the next two months, backend development in four months, Python in eight months, build the first test project in ten months. It is natural and acceptable that your initial set deadlines and milestones must be updated occasionally. However, having those goals will keep you on track and challenge you.

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Step #2 | Learn

Now comes the primary phase; the actual learning.

First, you must divide the whole thing into smaller pieces. Let’s go back to our web development example. A beginner may find web development to be an intimidating field. However, breaking it down into phases, such as front-end development, back-end development, CMS, UX, networking, and security, will make it appear more straightforward. Then you gather good learning resources on these topics, such as books, online or in-person courses, and so on.

Books have long been a source of knowledge, and they continue to play an essential role in teaching you by sharing the experiences and wisdom of an expert on a subject. Amazon’s online bookstore has books on almost every subject imaginable! Why not give it a shot?

Not everyone enjoys reading books, especially today when our eyes are more glued to smartphone screens than printed books. As a result, online courses have recently gained popularity and are also very effective for learning anything by yourself.

Popular online course platforms include Skillshare, Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, Futurelearn, Treehouse, etc., and YouTube. Furthermore, most European and American universities today offer courses and degrees that can be completed entirely online. Offline courses are also available.

Learning anything is like going on a journey; sometimes, it’s hard to go on a journey alone. The Neighborhood Effect can help you learn something new by giving you a supportive and encouraging environment to do it. 

This can mean being around people who are willing to help you learn new things and who are also working on skills that are similar to yours. This can create a positive feedback loop in which everyone keeps learning and improving. A good neighborhood can also allow you to try new skills in a safe, low-stress environment. You can use the neighborhood effect in your online life by subscribing to relevant YouTube channels, Facebook pages, etc.

Above all, enjoy your learning journey! Challenge yourself, but don’t stress. Use the Pomodoro technique, which is a time and task management technique. 

It tells you to break down work into manageable chunks. It can help you learn new skills by letting you focus on one thing at a time and giving you breaks so you don’t get too burdened. The Pomodoro technique will help you to memorize things as well.

Use ‘visualization and association’ to remember things. Our brain is designed to remember images better than speeches or texts. So, whenever you learn something new, visualizing it will help it stick in your mind. The association is a memory technique. It is usually used in conjunction with visualization. It is the process of connecting what you already know to a new piece of information to accelerate its assimilation and comprehension.

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Step #3 | Reflect on what you have learned

We are so busy learning that we don’t have much time to reflect. Trust me; it’s just as important to take a break and reflect on why and how you’re learning is just as important. For example, a new worker in training can figure out which tasks they are doing well and which are not. Reflection can help you determine what’s going on, where you can improve, and so on. You can read this article on the benefits of reflective learning to know more.

Step #4 | Implement what you have learned

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

Benjamin Franklin

People often make mistakes; they learn but do not apply what they have learned. It makes learning theoretical and has little impact. The best approach is to learn just enough to start and continue learning as you go.

Implementing what you’ve learned is critical for improved learning because it allows you to implement what you’ve learned. This enables you to understand the subject better and see how it can be applied in real-world situations. Furthermore, applying knowledge can help us remember information more effectively. Learning without application will bore you.

Step #5 | Learn by Teaching Others – The Protégé Effect

“When we teach, we learn.” 

Seneca (Roman philosopher)

According to research, when students teach a topic to someone else, they put in more effort to learn the material than when they learn for themselves. This is known as the protégé effect.

Teaching others is vital for better learning because it allows learners to receive feedback and learn from their mistakes. Additionally, it will enable students to see different perspectives and learn new things.

Teaching others can lead to additional benefits, such as improved communication skills, increased confidence and leadership ability, and improving your ability to learn the material.

Teaching does not have to be formal; simply share what you have learned with your friends and colleagues, and I am sure you will notice a difference!

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Few Mistakes That Make Learning New Things Difficult

First, avoid multitasking. Multitasking is bad while learning new things because it splits your focus and makes learning and retaining information harder. When you’re trying to learn something new, you need to be able to focus all of your attention on that task to learn it effectively. If you’re trying to learn while doing other things, your focus will be split, and you’ll have a harder time learning the new material.

Secondly, overcoming the fear of failure is important when you are willing to learn new knowledge and skills. This is very obvious that we will fail and learn while trying new things. Therefore, if we are afraid to fail, we’re more likely to stay in our comfort zones and not venture out to try new things. This can limit our learning and growth. Overcoming the fear of failure allows us to be open to new experiences and to learn from our failures or mistakes. It enables us to take risks and grow as individuals.

Final Words on Learning New Things Effectively

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” 

Anthony J. D’Angelo

There are a few key things to keep in mind when learning new things: stay motivated, be patient, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. With these things in mind, anyone can learn anything they want. Just remember to have fun with it and enjoy the process. Never stop learning!