Notes on: The Scientific Secret to Double How Fast You Learn

'A Johns Hopkins Study Reveals the Scientific Secret to Double How Fast You Learn' is an article by Jeff Haden and was originally published on inc.com.

Making one small change to the way you practice can make a huge difference in how quickly you gain new skills.

When trying to master a skill or gain expertise the amount you practise is important, but the way you practise can have an even bigger impact on how quickly you get better. Repeating something over and over is actually an ineffective way to learning it quicker, and in some cases may even hinder your ability to excel.

Recent research from John Hopkins suggests instead of repeating the same task over try doing a slightly modified version of the task each time. Reconsolidation is a process where existing memories are retrieved and then altered with new information.

As an example, take practising a free throw in basketball. If you line up in the same spot each time to practise, then eventually you can develop enough muscle memory to execute the shot on a consistent basis, however, a faster way to learn would be to slightly adjust the conditions of the free throw each practise session. The next session shoot from a few inches closer or further away, do the same from side to side, and maybe even use a ball that is slightly heavier or lighter. Each time you slightly alter the conditions you activate reconsolidation, which helps you learn more quickly.

The key is not to alter the conditions too much and too soon, or else you will form new memories instead of reconsolidated ones. A six-hour gap to give yourself enough time to process what you learned is recommended between practise sessions, any sooner and you haven't given yourself enough time to solidify the memory.

Making slight, calculated changes, monitoring the results, discarding what's not working, and further refining what is working fuels improvement.

How to Learn a New Skill

1. Repeat the basic task. Run through the task a few of times under the same conditions you expect when you need to do it for real. You should naturally make progress through repetition, but then do not do it for too long.

2. Wait at least six hours. This usually means not practising again until the next day.

3. Practice the task again, but each time modify the conditions slightly. Then repeat it again getting better each time.

4. Repeat step 3 with a different condition.

This methodology is effective mostly for improving motor skills, like throwing free throws in the example above, but it can be used to improve nearly any skill.