Your Complete Guide on Learning How to Learn

How to go from zero to good, from good to great, and from great to unstoppable

Hello, welcome to this guide on learning how to learn where I teach you all the steps required to go from zero to unstoppable! It’s part of a series of guides you can find in this publication — SkillUp Ed.

All the guides I’m creating come from at least 1,000 hours of practice in the skill, with additional in-depth research on the topic.

This particular guide on learning how to learn comes from three years of experimentation with skill development and applying the neuroscience of learning. Since October 2017, I’ve learned 90 different skills, some of which I’ve barely scratched the surface, and many of which I’ve become good enough to be paid for.

I’m hoping my experience on the topic as well as my research will greatly accelerate your ability to learn how to learn.

Let’s dig right in!

*Originally published in SkillUp Academy

Table of contents

  • The first 15 hours

  • The first 100 hours

  • The first 1,000 hours

  • Resources

The first 15 hours

Learning plan

Learning Material

Created with Emberly. Click here for interactive version.

Created with Emberly. Click here for interactive version.

Expectations

In your first 15 hours of Learning How to Learn, you should be able to:

  • Know the definition of the words skill, learning, knowledge, and education

  • Understand the benefits of learning new skills

  • Know the pitfalls of learning

  • Understand how forgetting works

  • Have the right beliefs to learn anything

  • Know the right questions to ask yourself

  • Know how to properly plan your learning

  • Understand the steps and phases to learn any skill

  • Understand the importance of rest in learning

  • Know how to scope your learning project

  • Know how to reflect on your progress

How to go from zero to good in Learning How to Learn

Prepare

Learning how to learn is one of those skills where you’ll need a lot of time understanding the concepts and memorizing the facts. So, for the first 15 hours, you want to prepare the things you’re going to need for that. We’ve mostly done the work for you in the first skill tree above. The only preparation you need to do at this stage is to sign up for the Learning How to Learn Coursera course.

You may also schedule time in your calendar for when you’re going to study the material. I recommend 30 minutes daily, ideally when your mind is most sharp (for most people that’s shortly after waking up).

If you want, you can purchase some of the books from our resources section at the bottom of this guide. And if you want to learn one-on-one with an expert, check out our trainers. You can also start exploring the different websites we’ve linked to at the bottom of this guide.

Practice

Go over the resources we’ve shared and study the material. Take notes of new concepts and things you want to memorize. Read about definitions, benefits, pitfalls, beliefs, questions, planning, rest, scoping, and reflection. Review what you learned a day after and a week after. For increased retention, teach what you learned to someone else. You may also decide to learn this skill alongside someone else and discuss it after your study sessions.

Also, spend a few minutes daily (15–30 minutes suggested) to watch some of the lessons from the Learning How to Learn course you signed up for. Pay special attention to the things that relate to the list of the things you should expect to know after 15 hours (see above).

Ponder

At the end of your first 14–15 hours, ask yourself:

  • What have I learned? What did I truly understood?

  • What have I not understood? Why? What can I do to understand better?

  • How will I apply what I learned?

  • What do I want to do going forward?

  • Who can I teach what I learned to?

Fill out your Reflection Journal

The first 100 hours

Learning Plan

Learning Material

Created with Emberly. Click here for interactive version.

Created with Emberly. Click here for interactive version.

Expectations

In your first 100 hours of Learning How to Learn, you should be able to:

  • Understand more about the neuroscience of learning

  • Understand more about how the different memory “systems” work

  • Focus better

  • Master the benefits of rest in its different forms

  • Master the different learner types and know which one you are and want to be

  • Understand most of the different skills types and how to balance your learning

  • Understand the role of talent in learning and what geniuses are

  • Understand better when to practice what skills

  • Understand the concept of multiple intelligences and how to apply it in your learning

  • Know the learning myths and how to avoid them

  • Understand how to build habits and routines

  • Master the art of scoping your learning project

  • Master the process of reflecting on your progress

  • Get much better at finding the right resources

  • Start to establish a power napping routine (without necessarily succeeding right away)

  • Master spaced repetition and apply it for every skill you learn

  • Take more effective notes

How to go from good to great in Learning How to Learn

Prepare

There’s a lot going on in the first 100 hours, all of which is shown in the second skill tree above. There isn’t much to prepare here because we’ve done the work for you. All you have to do is study and apply what you learn.

Practice

In this phase, there’s a lot you’ll need to study and understand. Open the skill tree mentioned above and pick and choose topics that have a heart next to it. Spend about 20–30 minutes daily to increase your knowledge. My suggestion is to start with Spaced Repetition (under Techniques > Memory). It will show you optimal ways to help you retain what you learn.

Two almost equally important topics to study are the neuroscience behind learning (see Brain > Neuroscience) and resting (see Concepts > Rest). Resting plays a huge role in learning and is one of the most overlooked aspect of learning. Following that, invest a good amount of time learning about habits and routines (see Concepts > Habits) and energy (see Concepts > Energy).

If you’re looking for new skills to learn and don’t know how to choose, check out the resources on Learner Types, Talent, and Multiple Intelligences (all under Concepts).

Simple things you can look at when you have spare time are the Myths (Concepts > Myths) and the theory behind memory (Brain > Memory and Techniques > Memory). By knowing the myths of learning, you’ll more carefully avoid them in your practice.

As for memory, you might be surprised that to learn how to learn, it’s not higher on the priority list. Memory is only one aspect of learning. And for most skills, you don’t need to have an incredible memory as you’ll want to focus on practice mostly, which will create your neural connections in a different part of your brain. If the skills you want to work on needs you to memorize many facts, like this one, you can focus more time on learning about memory techniques. In my opinion, memory is a skill that will bring you to mastery, so you don’t need to know too much about it at this point.

During this phase, you’ll be expected to work on your habits and routine. You’ll also be expected to try to power nap a few times a week. You likely won’t succeed in either because they take time to build. That’s why you want to start now. You should also apply to principles you learn about energy management. It makes a huge difference in your capacity to learn and retain information.

During this phase, make it your mission to finish the Learning How to Learn course. Spend a few hours every week to continue the lessons. As much as you can, do the exercises proposed by the professor.

Ponder

At this stage, you should reflect weekly and monthly. Spend at least 30 minutes on your weekly reflection and 1 hour on your monthly reflection. Start with the same questions you asked yourself in the first phase:

  • What have I learned? What did I truly understood?

  • What have I not understood? Why? What can I do to understand better?

  • How will I apply what I learned?

  • What do I want to do going forward?

  • Who can I teach what I learned to?

At the end of your 100 hours, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I understand what’s happening in my brain when I learn?

  • Do I know how to focus better? Am I more focused now that I know the theory?

  • Do I know how to manage my time and energy better? Am I able to build good habits and routines?

  • Do I understand the different types of learners, skills, and intelligences? Am I applying that in my learning?

  • Have I used some of the techniques that I’ve learned, like resting, note-taking, space repetition, and others?

  • What techniques have been the most valuable for me?

  • What are some concepts I should spend more time on?

Fill out your Reflection Journal

The first 1,000 hours

Learning Plan

Learning Material

Created with Emberly. Click here for interactive version.

Created with Emberly. Click here for interactive version.

Expectations

In your first 1,000 hours of Learning How to Learn, you should be able to:

  • Master most of what we currently know about how the brain works when it comes to learning

  • Master timing, habits, permanence, energy, mastery, skill recycling, and skill inflation

  • Master all the best-known strategies for learning (with maybe the exception of building skill trees)

  • Learn many skills and become very good in some of them

How to go from great to unstoppable in Learning How to Learn

Prepare

Again, we’ve done the work for you here with the last skill tree above. You’ll want to study the material from there and apply what you learn.

Practice

In this phase, there isn’t as much knowledge to acquire as in the previous phase. You’ll want to keep reinforcing what you already know from the previous phase and move on to the new material we’re proposing in the skill tree. This phase is mostly about applying all the concepts and techniques you’ve learned so far. It’s also about picking skills you want to learn and apply what you now know to improve your ability to learn the skill.

During this phase, you should select a few skills to start learning for 15–20 hours each. In addition, you should pick a couple you want to bring to the next level. This whole phase is likely going to take over a year, most of which is going to be about learning new skills. You might also want to aim for mastery in a skill you’re already pretty good at.

For each skill you learn, review the material you’ve learned in the previous phase. Apply spaced repetition and rest accordingly. Take better notes, and learn to mind map or create skill trees. Beware of the pitfalls and myths you’ve learned about previously. Learn about interleaving and plan it in your schedule.

While you learn specific skills, spend time to learn the “meta skills” of learning. Check out our “blitz” course on the topic. It should only take 10 days to complete. If you prefer to learn the meta skills on your own, we’ve included a few good resources in the skill tree so you can get started.

If you haven’t completed the Learning How to Learn course, you should finish that as soon as you can. It might also be a good idea to take another look at our Courses, Books, and Websites sections under Resources.

Overall, over 70% of your time should be spent practicing new skills at this point. The rest should be about learning the rest of the theory and making sure you understand it well enough to teach it.

Once you’re done with your first 1,000 hours, you’ve become a very good learner and you should consider teaching it to others if you can.

Ponder

At this stage, you should reflect weekly, monthly, quarterly, and possibly yearly. Spend at least 30 minutes on your weekly reflection and 1 hour on your monthly reflection. Start with the same questions you asked yourself in the first phase:

  • What have I learned? What did I truly understood?

  • What have I not understood? Why? What can I do to understand better?

  • How will I apply what I learned?

  • What do I want to do going forward?

  • Who can I teach what I learned to?

And for longer frequencies like quarterly, yearly, or at the end, ask yourself:

  • Do I feel like I’m a good learner? Why? Why not?

  • What else should I learn? What have I not fully understood yet?

  • How can I continue to apply what I’ve learned? How can I take it to the next level?

  • How has learning how to learn changed my life? Is that positive or negative?

  • What did you find the easiest? What did you find the hardest?

  • Who else do you know would benefit from learning how to learn?

  • What other skills do I want to learn in the future?

  • Do I still fear failure? If so, why do you think that is?

  • Do I feel more confident in my ability to learn completely new things?

Fill out your Reflection Journal

Resources

Trainers

Courses

Books

Note: Contains affiliate links

Articles

Brain

Concepts

Techniques

Other

Videos

Websites

Communities

PDFs

Tools