7 brain hacks that will make you a faster learner

To stay ahead in life, you need to be a constant learner. These hacks will help you pull it off.

Our world is evolving quicker than ever.

To stay competitive in business and ahead of the game, it's increasingly important to continually learn new skills and information. That's why mega-moguls like Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey swear by constant learning as a vital part of their success.

Luckily, there are some fairly simple methods to turbocharge your brain and master any skill quicker. Read on for some hacks to help you harness the power of constant learning:

1. 50 minutes or less.

As entrepreneurs, it's tempting to batten down the hatches and try to work for hours (or days) on end when learning something new.

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Before you stock up on Red Bull, consider the following: research says our brains end up powering down very quickly when they're running on overdrive.

Ellen Dunn of Louisiana State University explains that "Anything less than 30 [minutes] is just not enough, but anything more than 50 is too much information for your brain to take in at one time." To put this into practice, make sure you're scheduling your learning sessions for short bursts of time, enabling quick methods like flashcards. Schedule at least a ten-minute break between practice sessions to give your brain some much-needed R&R.

2. 80/20.

The Pareto principle, otherwise known as the 80/20 rule, was originally developed by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, when he discovered that 20% of the farms produced 80% of Italy's crops.

Nowadays, productivity expert Tim Ferris has popularized a modern approach to this rule for faster learning. He says you should first focus on the most important 20 percent of what you're trying to learn, which will actually cover 80 percent of what you need to know.

Ask yourself: what are the most important elements that yield the biggest return on investment? For example, if you're learning a foreign language - what 20 percent of words are used 80 percent of the time?

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3. Stop the multitasking.

Your brain is like a computer - when you have several tabs open in your browser, it slows down processing speed. Research shows that working on multiple tasks at once detracts from the quality of all of them. And, a study found that when you get distracted, it takes an average of 25 minutes to return to the task at hand. That's a lot of time wasted.

In our age of constant distraction, it's important to close out your email during your sessions. Silence your phone and turn off your notifications. Multitasking slows down your learning and inhibits your brain from performing at its highest function.

4. Change up your learning methods.

Reconsolidation - the process where existing memories are recalled and modified with new knowledge--plays a pivotal role in strengthening skills and learning.

A Johns Hopkins study writes that "if you perform a slightly modified version of a task you want to master, you actually learn more and faster than if you just keep practicing the exact same thing multiple times in a row."

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Think about modifying your self-teaching techniques each time you learn. If you use flashcards in one session, think about a more hands-on method the next time, or listening to a podcast or webinar. This will help your brain remember and recall information at a quicker rate.

5. Learn from the masters.

Robert Greene emphasizes the need for an expert mentor in his book, Mastery. He talks about "The Ideal Apprenticeship," noting that having guidance from people who have already mastered the skill you want to learn is invaluable.

The word "apprenticeship" may summon medieval images of a blacksmith and his assistant, but in the information age, you can be mentored via YouTube, Skype, or even professional services like MicroMentor. And speaking as someone who mentors young professionals, others are happy to help you along your journey.

6. Take notes the old-fashioned way.

Princeton University and UCLA researchers found that taking notes by hand leads to more active listening and ability to identify important concepts. On the other hand, laptop notes lead to more mindless transcription and it opens you up to more opportunities for checking Facebook and getting distracted.

The tip from this study is obvious: ditch the typing in favor of plain old pen and paper. When taking notes, only write down what matters. Stick to keywords and short sentences in lieu of writing down notes verbatim.

7. Prepare for the long game.

We've all experienced it - that moment where you run out of time, money, or motivation to keep learning something new and quit. Seth Godin calls it "The Dip" - when the honeymoon phase of learning a new skill wanes.

The best way to avoid this dip is to prepare for it and know it will come at some point.

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As Steve Jobs once said, "Half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance." Remember, learning something new isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. Those that are persistent through this time will be the ones to succeed.
The bottom line:

It can be overwhelming to live in our world of constant information, news, and change. By following these hacks, you will have the tools you need to adapt in your changing environment and stay ahead of the game.

Do you have any tips to become a quicker and smarter learner? Share them with me on Twitter!