A Hundred Ways, Find Your Three

You’re faced with an impasse in your learning, and you’re up against a preference problem.

Others do learning a certain way, and you don’t learn the way they do.

So imagine there are a hundred ways to go about learning some material, whether by reading a book or by some other method.

And then tell yourself “there might be a hundred ways to learn this material, and maybe three that suit me.” That’s believable enough to get you to seek out those three ways that would be good for you.

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Maybe you like to draw on paper as you learn.
Maybe you need to walk as you listen.
Maybe you need to start by writing down everything you know before you’re ready to take in something new.
Maybe you want to actively push back every chance you get, so you can “kick at the supports”.
Maybe you need to teach the material to someone else right after you learn it.
Maybe you need to write down some of your thoughts before you forget.
Maybe you need to be talking to someone as you learn.
Maybe you need to apply your new material on a mini project, right away.
Maybe you like to re-read everything at least twice, once very fast, and then again slowly.
Maybe you need to understand every complex word.
Maybe you prefer to understand the big picture before the details.
Maybe you need a busy cafe with background noise.
Maybe you need calm.

—

At least to get you started, maybe you don’t always need this sort of accommodation, but this time, you need it.

Read a book about your preferred learning method.
Read a book about your preferred subject.
Read a book about a new topic you want to learn, to stretch yourself.

Maybe you benefit from reading multiple books at once, creating new connections.

Surely, there are ways that work for you, different than others.