Hello!

I’ve got a self-improvement piece here that I’m aiming at younger guys, lazy-ass Millennials (like I used to be) and for those of you older gentlemen perhaps returning to study after discovering TRP or some other primer for instigating meaningful change in your life. There’s not a hint of “soul-searching” here and it’s not about creating a plan or schedule – it’s just straight-to-the-point advice.

I wrote this because I’ve always noticed there are mounds of literature online and on book-shelves promising you the world for £14.99 when in reality they will contain about 12 pithy aphorisms that you’ll remember and 50 abstract research studies mentioned….sigh… I hope the below will counteract the need for such nonsense.

1.\tDon’t force yourself to learn, don’t brow-beat yourself to study, don’t “reward” the effort you put in towards your self-developmental pursuits with goodies and don’t rely solely on self-discipline either because whilst it helps when sitting down to open the book it does not help to absorb, understand or interpret new information. To effectively learn it is necessary to cultivate within yourself a hearty desire, enjoyment and pleasurable feeling around learning rather than treating it as a necessary chore – this is more than “make learning fun” – it’s a way of internalising, rationalising and interpreting knowledge as power, and making the pursuit of power feel good. 2.\tDirectly relating to the above I’m going to help a little more with understanding what I mean by fucking up a Jocko Willink quote on BJJ – “So the first time I got on the matt with this experienced guy I was like ‘yeah it’s all great in the Dojo but I’m a SEAL, this guy’s going down’ and after about 30 seconds he had me in a chokehold and I had to tap, it was like ‘Shit! I don’t want anyone to have this power over me ever again!’ and so I learned all I could and now I’m where I am.” – All knowledge is power in a certain context, make yourself desire and enjoy learning. The greats in their field didn’t get there by drudging through, they got there by making learning their passion. 3.\tMost of you won’t struggle for motivation once you’ve begun your journey but will put off starting it for whatever reason, I don’t know what fires you up but for me it’s this sentence – “Yesterday I was 16, tomorrow I’ll be 60” – because that scares the shit out of me, and time really does just whizz by you in a flash. 4.\tIt’s crucial when you are trying to do any kind of learning that you turn your inner monologue off. It’s not enough to simply say “Focus!” you have to stay and be focussed. Avoid having a constant, distracting narrative zipping through your head, if you struggle with this then do the following before watching a vid, picking up a book or entering the classroom: focus on your physical form, feel your body in its entirety and flex your muscles gently, extend your posture and plant your feet shoulder-width apart facing forward, feel your heart-beat, take note of your senses, and then focus on your breathing (draw deep, even, breaths) – it’s like you’re sending a “quiet-time” message to your brain and letting it know it’s time for passivity and not action…just don’t fall asleep. Some enlightened soul in the comments will tell you that I’m messing with your brain waves in the above advice :D 5.\tA technique I particularly like is to read (over and over again on the same page – whilst I’m on it, not returning later) a given passage that I find useful or instructive as part of the overall lesson or within the field I’m studying. I also like (if it’s really piqued my interest) to say the passage out loud and tie it into an experience that I’ve had, thus deepening my understanding and engaging the neurons in different ways so I’m building a stronger mental association with what I’m learning. Feel free to highlight, earmark the page or copy down notes as well – just don’t rely on this for your sole method of knowledge retention. 6.\tIf it’s a video I’m watching I will play it and absorb as much as I can, then I’ll watch it again to take notes, I’ll then potentially (if it’s worthwhile and I’ve got time) go over the more pertinent parts a couple more times. Sounds like hassle but you’re looking at say 15 minutes on the first watch (or however long it is) then say 25-30 for the second with notes and then about 10 minutes+ for the remainder – I’m using arbitrary times for these videos of course but do remember that a longer video is likely to be slower and so you’ve got more time to “chew the cud” and get absorbed in the material, so the repetition isn’t as important. 7.\tIf you are looking to prepare specifically for a test or examination then a good technique to use is “flash cards” for key points, dates/people or formulas…whatever information is most pertinent. 8.\tSOMETHING REALLY EXCITING FOR YOU NOW: Malcolm Gladwell postulated in his book ‘Outliers’ that experts in their field put in a combined 10,000 hours of study before they achieved “greatness” – it’s a lot and it relies on a lot of factors. But if you can put just 1 hour a day into learning in your chosen field each day then you can be an expert within 4 years – 1460 hours - providing you either don’t skip or always compensate lost minutes in future sessions. Sounds like some real juvenile crap and a leap in logic doesn’t it? But Bill Gates is a computer GENIUS (10,000 hours) and a reasonably new teacher is an EXPERT in their given subject (probably ~ 2,000 hours but more condensed) and wouldn’t any of us like to turn back the clock four years and impart this information to our younger selves? What would you say? Mathematics? Physical Science? MMA training? Endurance running? Coding or programming? Damn…why delay, start today! 9.\tIf you are learning a new skill you can expect to see significant improvement in your proficiency after about 20 hours (don’t give up if you don’t ‘get it’ right away!) – this scales within the context of aptitude of course. 10.\tI like to talk to myself in the mirror about things I’ve learned (not a conversation! More like practising for a speech), it’s great for repetition and honestly honing in on how you’re interpreting new knowledge and ensuring you understand it correctly. I’m not crazy… 11.\tI really like to impart my knowledge to other people too, and in doing so I help embed what I’ve learned more within myself. Post about what you’ve learned on Reddit, start a blog so you can lay things out in a manner that others can understand, discuss with friends how you’re study is going (if you can do so without going full d-bag) and just generally gear your life towards making retention easier by becoming absorbed in learning material. 12.\tMost of you will find some value in the above on its own merit, but let me ask a question to solidify why I’ve done this – how many hours would you save over the course of a life-time if you could just learn something and retain the knowledge upon first exposure?

Top “Do not’s”

1.\t“Cram” – leave yourself plenty of time for revision and do not rely on intense study sessions to absorb knowledge, by fluke you’ll probably squeeze in enough to pass the test or what have you, but you won’t really be learning anything because it’s not transitioning from working memory in the right way. 2.\tCarry on studying the subject or reading the book if you come across an idea, process or method that you don’t understand. This is particularly troublesome with number-based subjects like mathematics, calculus, economics or statistics – you’ll quickly get out-paced if you’re not ensuring you understand new empirical techniques that are being introduced – clarify what confuses you, using outside sources if necessary. 3.\tAdopt awful posture and shallow breathing whilst studying. 4.\tListen to music whilst studying. 5.\tThink that because you didn’t do well in school you are dumb – that’s ridiculous.

Sources and helpful info:

Dominic O’Brien’s book on memory improvement – https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Develop-Brilliant-Memory-Week-ebook/dp/B00H145OMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490532694&sr=8-1&keywords=50+ways+to+improve+your+memory

Breathing as a tool for success (and life!) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q06YIWCR2Js

Dr Sean Richardson discussing Carol S Dweck – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCPgvTRftZg

Tips for better Biomechanics using Alexander Method – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXqIuvav5hY

Malky G – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell-ebook/dp/B002RI9PKO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490532619&sr=8-1&keywords=outliers

Horseshit - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Study-Guide-Andy-Northedge/dp/0749259744/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490532636&sr=8-1&keywords=open+university+study+guide