How to Learn
While working in classrooms, I have often noted that we live in an world overflowing with accessible knowledge. From books and universities to MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), the opportunities for learning are everywhere. Yet, despite this, students frequently find themselves struggling to learn. The issue isn’t a lack of motivation or hard work—if only we could cram our way to brilliance—but often comes down to flawed learning techniques or mindsets.
Two main reasons stand out: first, our intuition about how learning works is usually wrong (you don’t magically absorb knowledge just by placing your textbook under your pillow). Second, despite groundbreaking progress in learning science, these insights often fail to reach those who need them most—students. This gap between research and practice leaves many continuing to use suboptimal techniques, not because they don’t care, but because they don’t know any better.
In this post, I’ll break down the basics of learning, using insights from cutting-edge research, to help you calibrate your own learning strategies for efficiency and success. Just think of this as the course on learning that no one ever thought to teach you.
The Moment I Realized I Wanted to Teach
The first time I realized that I wanted to teach was when I arrived at the University of Florida in the 90s. The whole campus seemed to be buzzing with ideas, and people from all over the world gathered to share them. Every semester brought a fresh mix of new faces and perspectives—much like a season of The Real World, except with more lectures and less drama. The energy was contagious. There was always something happening—whether it was a lecture, an art exhibition, or a presentation, the opportunities for learning were endless. And the library? Massive. It was the perfect place to get lost in thought and discovery.
Who wouldn’t want to spend time in that kind of environment—especially if you could get paid to do it? That was when it hit me: teaching could be the key to staying in the world of ideas, surrounded by curious minds. It’s been a long, winding road since that realization, but in that time, I have rarely been away from some organized education for long (mostly, as a perpetual student), and I’ve spent over a decade working in classrooms, both secondary and tertiary, on two continents. Along the way, I’ve thought deeply about the student experience and the learning process. Here are a few ideas that have stood out to me—ideas I believe can help anyone who lives the learning life.
The Biggest Barriers to Learning
Before diving into how we can improve, it's essential to understand what typically holds learners back—common learning impediments, each of which stems from issues with mindset, focus, support, or metacognition. Spoiler alert: none of them involve blaming Mercury in retrograde.
Fixed Mindset: The belief that intelligence is static and unchangeable. (It’s not.)
Lack of Engagement: The failure to actively involve oneself in the learning process (News flash: staring at the book doesn’t count as “engagement”).
Poor Time Management: The inability to manage time effectively—e.g., waiting until the night before the exam to discover how little you know.
Fear of Failure: The misconception that failure is a sign of personal inadequacy. (Trust me, even Einstein got a few answers wrong.)
Social Isolation: The belief that learning is a solo endeavor. [No man (or student) is an island.]
Monotony in Learning: Relying on the same learning method over and over. If cramming worked, we’d all be geniuses by now.
Not Knowing How to Learn: A lack of metacognitive skills, leading to ineffective learning. This is the big one—the “mother of all learning problems.”
The last of these—Not Learning How to Learn—is arguably the most critical. It’s the meta-problem that underpins all the others. Fortunately, metacognitive skills can be developed, and this post aims to provide you with the research-backed strategies to do just that. Think of it as a life hack for your brain.
How We Misunderstand Learning
“The most useful piece of learning for life is to unlearn what is untrue.”
– Antisthenes
Despite our constant interaction with learning, both in school and in life, research shows that our intuition about how we learn is fundamentally flawed. Many of our commonly accepted practices—like cramming, rote memorization, or focusing on short-term fluency—go against the grain of what science tells us about optimal learning. The fact that cramming is still alive and well is proof that sometimes we humans don’t evolve quickly enough.
The Paradox of Learning
“True wisdom comes when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”
– Socrates
Learning is filled with paradoxes. We often think that immediate fluency or comfort in understanding material translates to effective learning. But research shows that the exact opposite is true. The fact that most of us can’t remember high school French is a pretty good clue.
We call these paradoxes Desirable Difficulties because the effort required in learning often leads to better outcomes, even though it feels harder. Conversely, the techniques that feel easy—such as rereading or cramming—tend to produce fleeting results (Remember that “A” you got on the test you crammed for? Neither does your brain).
Embracing Desirable Difficulties
1. Effortful Learning
Real learning doesn’t happen in a smooth, effortless glide. Studies show that spaced practice, retrieval practice (actively recalling information), and interleaving (mixing different subjects or topics) all improve long-term retention and mastery. However, these techniques require more effort than passive learning, which can feel uncomfortable but pays off in the long run.
Think of it as the difference between lifting weights and lifting a remote control. Sure, the latter is easier, but if you want muscles (or knowledge) that last, you’ll have to put in the effort.
2. Forget to Learn
Paradoxically, forgetting plays a crucial role in the learning process. Cramming may help you retain information short-term, but it doesn’t build lasting knowledge. To truly master material, you need to engage in spaced practice, which works with your brain’s natural tendency to forget. The key is to interrupt that forgetting with periodic practice. Think of it as nudging your brain awake every now and then, like shaking your laptop when it’s about to go to sleep.
3. Discomfort is Good
Slowing down learning, or introducing obstacles like intentionally creating minor confusion, can lead to stronger retention. The cognitive effort needed to overcome these difficulties enhances learning. It’s no wonder that geniuses like Einstein and Darwin were considered slow learners—they were processing material deeply, rather than skimming the surface.
Breaking Free of Undesirable Fixations
Our flawed understanding of learning often leads us to fixate on the wrong things. Three major fixations include perfection, fluency, and discipline.
Perfection: Mistakes are not only inevitable but essential for learning. Without them, we can't build the resilience and adaptability that mastery requires. (Nobody learns to ride a bike without a few bruises.)
Fluency: Just because something feels easy or familiar doesn't mean you've learned it. Fluency, especially when it comes without effort, is often deceptive. Real learning involves wrestling with concepts, not just recognizing them. It’s like scrolling through social media—just because you’ve seen a post 10 times doesn’t mean you’ve actually read it.
Discipline: While discipline is important, too much rigidity can stifle creativity. Allowing for variety in your learning approaches is essential. Mix things up to keep your brain engaged and your understanding robust. Remember: variety is the spice of learning. If cramming is the plain oatmeal of studying, spaced learning is the multi-layered lasagna.
How to Learn Efficiently
The research is clear: certain techniques consistently outperform others when it comes to deep, lasting learning.
Testing/ Retrieval Practice: Testing yourself isn’t just for exams—it’s one of the most effective ways to solidify what you’ve learned. Each time you recall information from memory, you make it easier to retrieve in the future. Think of it like hitting the “save” button in your brain.
Spaced Learning: Instead of cramming, spread out your learning over time. This gives your brain a chance to consolidate information, making it easier to retain in the long term.
Interleaving: Rather than focusing on one subject or task at a time, mix different topics together. This trains your brain to recognize context and adapt to varying circumstances, improving your ability to apply what you’ve learned.
Variety: Change up your learning environment, study methods, and topics. This keeps your brain from getting stuck in a rut and enhances your ability to transfer knowledge to new situations. Think of your brain as a sponge—soak up knowledge from as many different sources as you can.
Conclusion
Learning is hard work, and that's okay. By embracing the effort required, recognizing and avoiding illusions like fluency, and adopting proven techniques like spaced practice, retrieval, and interleaving, you can transform yourself into a more sophisticated and effective learner.
Incorporating these basics into your learning strategy may feel challenging at first, but the rewards—better retention, deeper understanding, and greater adaptability—are well worth the effort. It’s like investing in a long-term brain workout plan. No, it won’t get you ripped overnight, but you’ll be in it for the long haul.
Want more?
Once you've mastered the basics, you might be interested in creating what Gregory Bateson called a personalized learning map—identifying key questions, mapping connections between concepts, and allowing your learning to evolve non-linearly. It's a dynamic, customizable framework that grows with you, helping to deepen your understanding as you explore new ideas and revisit core principles. Mike Plotz Sage has written an excellent review here.