A 6-step process that completely changed my life:

• Maximize what you don't learn
• Avoid schedules
• Use uncomfortable situations
• Learn as a byproduct
• Teach somebody else
• Circle back in a month

On how to learn efficiently and get ahead in life: ↓

Everything starts with maximizing the things I don't learn.

If I spend time on things that don't bring me value, I can't focus on what really matters to me.

By default, everything around me is noise until it's impossible to ignore.

If I don't see the value right away, I'll ignore it. Important things will make their way back to me.

Ignoring the noise makes space for what truly matters.

I make sure to learn new things every week.

This is a must.

But I don't set a specific time for this. I can't bound when and how learning happens. If I did, learning would be a chore.

Instead, I put myself in situations where I can't avoid learning.

Here are 3 situations I use to trick myself into learning new things:

• I volunteer at work to build things I don't know how to do.

• I play devil's advocate with the work of a smarter co-worker.

• I start writing an article on a new topic I don't know much about.

Situations that make me uncomfortable and stretch me are those that spark learning. I maximize those situations, and new knowledge always follows.

There's another benefit:

Learning becomes indivisible from using that knowledge.

Think about this.

"I'll learn a new thing, then find a way to apply that knowledge." This is backward.

Instead, I start making new things, and learning becomes the means to that end.

In other words: Focus on creating. Let everything else follow.

There's usually a lot I leave on the table when learning this way.

I'm a pragmatic person. I tend to cherry-pick what I need to get something working, then move on to the next challenge.

This gives me a shallow understanding of a bunch of things.

I don't like this.

Teaching people what I learn is my way to solve this.

You can't explain something and have other people understand unless you truly know the subject in and out.

I use my writing as a vehicle to teach others.

This is what I do as I'm learning new things:

I keep a list of notes with things I don't fully understand and jargon words that I can't explain.

When I'm ready to write, each note is a potential rabbit hole I'll explore.

I go as deep as I need to organize my ideas.

Quick summary so far:

• Minimize the noise
• Make myself uncomfortable
• Creator-first mentality
• Supplement learning with teaching

This gives me the best chance to incorporate new knowledge and do it frequently.

There's only one thing left.

I force myself to go back after some time and revisit what I learned.

Four weeks is usually a good timeline.

This is what I'm looking for:

• Do I still remember the thing?
• Has my understanding evolved?

Four weeks is enough time to surface the weak areas of what I learned.

This is what usually happens:

• The things I learned and used are still there.
• The things I learned but didn't use are gone.

This is time for reinforcement.

Whenever you hear me beating the same drum for quite a while, I'm probably trying to reinforce my understanding of it.

I write and explain the heck out of it until it becomes engrained in my brain.

This works.

Final thought:

Learning has to be fun, or it will be for nothing.

I suck at learning things because I have to. My brain actively rejects things that don't bring me joy.

If you want to learn while having fun, follow me @svpino, and I promise you won't regret it.