4 Skills I Learned from “Learning to Learn” Coursera Course

One of the most underrated yet valuable skills in today’s world is one’s ability to learn. That too fast. No matter what it is that you want to excel at, be it a career or a coveted skill, you should learn it in a way that sticks with you.

While researching ways to upgrade my learning skills, I stumbled upon “Learning How to Learn” on Coursera. After doing some initial diligence, I came to know that this was one of the most popular courses on the learning platform. As an avid learner of new skills, I enrolled in the course right away.

After completing the course, I want to document and share the most important skills that I learned from Professor Barbara Oakley and Dr Terrence Sejnowski, renowned authors of the course.

1. Understand how procrastination works

As someone who perennially struggles with completing tasks, understating what factors led me to procrastinate was quite a game-changer. Here is how procrastination always allures us all:

• You intend to complete an important, but uneasy, task
• You find an alternative that seems to give you an instant break from the uneasiness you felt from the first task
• After indulging yourself in the temptation, you feel a sense of excitement. However, the euphoria does not last long

One of the techniques that have helped me stay focused and not get distracted is the Pomodoro method. Here is how the technique recommended in the course works:

• You set a timer for 25 minutes
• You get rid of any sources of distraction
• You focus on the task at hand just for those 25 mins
• After 25 mins of focused work, you take a 5-min break to reward yourself

I have already been using the Pomodoro technique and has been able to lock in multiple 25-min focused sessions that have made me more productive. The key here is to adjust this technique to whatever works for you.

2. Spaced-repetition & recall

Second, to make sure that whatever you are learning stays in your mind, the course recommends two strategies:

• Spaced-repetition: Rather than forcing yourself to learn in one session, you should consider repeating the material in multiple sessions. This way you ensure that whatever it is that you are learning gets transferred from your working memory to your long-term memory. In addition, spaced repetition also allows you to take advantage of two different modes of thinking: focused and diffused modes. While the focused mode of thinking helps you learn the details, diffused mode helps you build neural connections in your brain that are essential to building multiple chunks of the necessary information.
• Recall: Proactively recalling what you are learning helps you test yourself and the depth of your understanding. Before you sit for a focused session of learning, recall what you learned from your previous session. Recalling also helps you identify areas that need more attention.

3. How to break habits that do not serve you

Third, learning how we formulate habits helped me decode steps that I need to take to change behaviors that no longer serve me and build ones that will help me achieve my goals. Here is how the habit cycle works:

• Trigger/Cue
• Action/Routine
• Reward
• Belief

Usually, a specific location or time triggers you to take an action that makes you feel rewarded. Underlying this cycle is your belief in your ability to change or not change that habit.

If you are struggling to get out of an unyielding habit or want to install a new one, you can identify your triggers and change your environment in a way that makes you take the desired action. Be sure to reward yourself for taking the desired action to make it sustainable.

4. Law of serendipity

Last but not least, I learned that “the lady luck favors those who try”. If you try any of the learning strategies mentioned in the course, you won’t only master your domain, you will also have luck on your side.