Replace “I Can’t” with “How Can I?”

Suppose there is a skill you really, really think you can’t learn—like programming. In fact, you completely freeze when thinking about it. Your mind repeats, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t,” occasionally mixing it with a random item from a long list of reasons why that is. Maybe for you, it’s not programming; perhaps it’s math, or cooking, or swimming. Too many times, our learning experiences end before they even start.

Let’s be fair—saying and thinking, “I can’t,” may feel unpleasant, but at the same time, it’s also a relief. It signals to your brain, “Case closed. Don’t waste any more energy on this one!” However, it would be a pity to pass up a chance to acquire a skill or a piece of knowledge you find intriguing just because you don’t think you can do it. Even more, it would be really unfortunate if you missed out on otherwise appealing career opportunities because of it. Instead, you can take another path.

Every time you catch yourself thinking, “I can’t,” perceive it as a sign that you need to shift your attention away from your general sense of incapability to specifics connected to learning. Instead of saying, “I can’t,” start by asking yourself, “How can I?” All too often, even when you do get over the “I can’t” phase, you just rush into learning. As a result, by not taking enough time to think through what would be the best way to learn, you end up quitting at the first hurdle. And then, you are back to “I can’t.” It’s like if a mason started building a house without first having a blueprint or the masonry tools, just blindly trying to put bricks together. Essentially, it is very valuable to first learn how to learn. It’s a skill in itself. Importantly, don’t assume you’ve already mastered it, but rather, get into detective mode.

First, thoroughly research what the best learning resources regarding your topic are. You may find out that there are many more than you previously thought and that the scary tome intimidatingly looking at you from the bookshelf is not the only learning resource available. If you are a complete newbie, you will probably find out there are well-written books and quality video tutorials tailored to introduce a particular topic.

Second, don’t learn the usual way! According to research, it is very likely that your go-to strategies are, as is true for most people, the less effective ones, like rereading or highlighting. Instead, use advanced learning strategies. Scientists have been studying learning for well over a hundred years; they have found out some counterintuitive and very effective learning strategies. For example, they concluded we learn the most if we space out our studying over a longer period of time instead of cramming, a phenomenon known as the spacing effect. Today you can use specialized apps based on these findings. They space different parts of learning material in the most effective order, time intervals, and repetitions for your brain to be able to memorize the most. Furthermore, there are many more proven learning strategies that are worth looking into. Some, like breaking things down into smaller chunks or teaching what you learn, can be found later in the book.

Third, don’t learn on your own. Try to find good mentors and fellow students. Admittedly, this is a pretty old trick. You are certainly not the only person in the world trying to learn a particular thing. As I already mentioned, our species ended up dominating the world because of the social component of learning. So look for people who have a certain level of expertise. For instance, search for dedicated online forums. Another more traditional way of harnessing group learning is to join a course on the topic.

However, strategies aside, you still have to put in the effort. There is no going around it. Fortunately, after you master learning how to learn, you will find out that with the acquired how, you will be able to learn new things a bit more easily.

References:

It’s a skill in itself: Brown, P. C., Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Belknap Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.4159/9780674419377; Young, S. H. (2019). Ultralearning: Master hard skills, outsmart the competition, and accelerate your career. Random House.

very likely that your go-to strategies are: Karpicke, J. D., Butler, A. C.,& Roediger III, H. L. (2009). Metacognitive strategies in student learning: Do students practise retrieval when they study on their own? Memory, 17(4), 471–479.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210802647009.

studying learning for well over a hundred years: e.g., Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Über das Gedächtnis. Dover.

Some counterintuitive and very effective learning strategies: Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J.,& Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266

a phenomenon known as the spacing effect: Delaney, P. F., Verkoeijen, P. P. J. L., & Spirgel, A. (2010). Spacing and the testing effects: A deeply critical, lengthy, and at times discursive review of the literature. Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 53, 63–147.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(10)53003-2

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