The Six Step Method to Learn Anything Fast

Why people learn slowly

Most people are not intentional when learning.

They read a book cover to cover when they start leaning.

That seems reasonable but it takes up a lot of time and you’re likely to learn stuff you already know.

That’s just sad, isn’t it?

When you’re learning something, it’s likely a skill.

In the real world, skills are only valuable when used.

This six step learning method helps you teach the things you learn so you’ll learn faster.

I apply this method personally when learning anything new. Using this method, I’ve been able to 2x my corporate salary, and did so in multiple roles. It’s proven to me that I can acquire new skills in a really short time while also displaying proficiency in it.  

So without further ado, here’s the proces.

The Six Step Method to Learn Anything Fast 

This method is based on short intervals, only learning what you need to learn and applying it as fast as possible. This enables you to get feedback on what you’re teaching, early on.  

People learn the most when teaching others — Peter F. Drucker

Here’s what the framework looks like: 

1. Choose a subject
2. Find the Key Elements
3. Ask questions before you start
4. Teach element in 2-3 sentences (the protégé effect)
5. Create a simple analogy
6. Identify gaps, learn in sprints

It’s loosely based on this quote:

If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it — Yogi Bhajan

Step 1: Select a skill or subject to learn.

Step 2: Find key elements.

The fastest way to do so is to find books or courses on the subject. You can search for blogs etc as well but books and courses are highly structured. They’re already curated so you’ll learn faster.

See what elements you have to understand first, and then there’s a little trick that makes you learn faster: identify what you already know and skip that.

If you find that uncomfortable, just skim through a chapter covering a subject you think you know. If you do, you’ll be able to verify it quickly – and skip the rest of that chapter.

Step 3: Ask questions before you start reading.

Look at the table of contents in the book or course of your choice so that you can see the general structure. This will create some sort of topic tree in your mind and that makes it easier to understand related topics or sub-chapters.

Most chapter titles sort of summarize what the chapter is about. Especially if there’s sections or subsections. These will tell you what it’s about and what elements it contains.

Read the chapter and section titles and write down questions that come to mind. This helps you read for answers, further solidifying the content in your mind.

Step 4: Teaching others

Sharing along the way is what makes learning more effective. It’s called “The Protégé Effect”. 

When you teach something, you’re likely to want to know it well enough. You’ll make sure to have a keen understanding of the material you’re going to be teaching.

In doing so, you’ll further solidify the knowledge in your brain which makes it easier to recall any information on the subject. So it has several benefits! 

There is a trap of course. People who teach others fall into the trap of spending too much time on learning something so they knowledge is as deep as possible. Luckily, there is a way out.

Teach others online. Set yourself the goal to teach people in one tweet. Use 2-3 sentences to describe something. 

Step 5: Create a simple analogy

To help understanding it even better, create a simple analogy.  

Creating an analogy for a concept you’re trying to learn, helps simplifying it and pairing it to something entirely different. This is especially useful if you pair it to something you know.

When explaining a USP about yourself (in the light of personal branding) for example you can create the analogy:

Think of yourself as a jingle.
What will people remember about it?

Step 6: Identify gaps, learn in sprints

The beauty of sharing what you learn, is that people will respond to it. Either they learn something, maybe they disagree, maybe they agree. Maybe they even have something to add to the conversation, through which you can learn as well.

Teaching others also helps identifying gaps in your knowledge. List them out while you’re learning so that you can refer back to them.

There’s 2 types of general gaps you an come across.

1. Domain specific knowledge
2. Subject specific knowledge

The first is “personal branding” for example. You might know about identifying your personal values, defining your USP, audience building and networking, but lack knowledge on building a content strategy.

Going through table of contents will often help you spot these gaps in early stages.

The second is specifically for a subject. You often learn this by questions you’re raising yourself. Another way of spotting these gaps is by sharing online and having your audience show that you’ve missed something.

Both help you in broadening your knowledge and focussed learning (as opposed to wide learning – as most do when reading an entire book cover to cover).

I hope this sparks some excitement and helps you learn anything fast!

As this is my first newsletter, I’m really curious what you think of it. If you’ve enjoyed reading it or have suggestions for improvements, let me know! I read every reply.

Enjoy your weekend!