The sooner you realize that learning never ends, the more willing you’ll be to expand, elevate in your profession, thrive in your life and even generate more income. Learning and studying can be difficult once we are long past our college years. For all the old dogs who might be reluctant to learning new tricks, we tapped the expertise of Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a New York based Neuropsychologist and Teaching Faculty at Columbia University to share 5 ways to learn fast and retain more so we can quickly grasp new concepts, technologies, business strategies and up-level our willingness to learn.

Independent learning is the hot new brain trend. Thanks to digital media, we see a new renaissance when it comes to learning. On the professional side, nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers have taken a course or sought additional training to advance their careers, according to a March 2016 study by Pew Research Center. On the personal development side, a simple Google search can lead anyone to a plethora of courses on everything from mastering personal finances, parenting, our relationships, nutrition, cooking, designing clothes, home organization and design.

“The key to longevity is the learning and application of new things. When we stop learning, we stop growing and that is a slow death to our brains and bodies. Luckily today there are online seminars and other ways to learn that speak to our interests. It’s also incredibly convenient to learn,” explains Dr. Hafeez.

What are the best ways to learn new things quickly? Dr. Sanam Hafeez offers the following 5 ways to learn fast and retain more.

1. Learn in quick sprints.

There’s a sweet spot for learning in the 30-50 minute timeframe. Dedicate that amount of time to learning and then take a 10 to 15-minute break to end a learning segment before starting a new task. “You’re more likely to retain more when you focus for a shorter amount of time at once,” explains Dr. Hafeez who helps people with ADHD to enhance their ability to focus and learn. “Using tools like notecards with quick points helps the brain absorb concepts even more,” she adds. Which leads to…

2. Take written notes and use color!

Ditch the laptop and go old school with a pen and paper. Outline important points with a different color pen or highlighter and if you can draw a concept out in the margin, go for it. Writing fuels comprehension and enhances listening skills. Studies out of UCLA and Princeton found students who took notes on laptops didn’t perform as well as students who wrote by hand. “When we handwrite notes we listen then process the information before writing. When we type on a laptop, we transcribe what we hear without any self-interpretation which is where the actual learning comes into play,” offers Dr. Hafeez.

3. Give your brain time to rest and recharge with sleep.

People brag that they work so much and sleep so little. Arianna Huffington’s book, “The Sleep Revolution,” and choice to add nap rooms at her Huffington Post offices turned the light onto sleep as a performance enhancer. “People who get a full 8 hours of deep uninterrupted sleep retain what they learn and have bandwidth to grasp more information quicker. We often feel tired after a course or following instructions. This is because focusing requires energy. Naturally, when we rest we get to reboot the brain,” says Dr. Hafeez.

4. Read out loud, record, replay.

Research has shown that reading out loud engages both senses of sight and sound which heightens retention. “Recording yourself reading and elaborating with your own idea of how the concept resonates then replaying the recording a day or two later, is a great technique that fires up the part of the brain that processes concepts like a computer filing information for later use,” explains Dr. Hafeez.

5. Break things down and relate it to what you already know.

We all heard of the math teacher who used the example of rock concert ticket sales to get kids to grasp algebra. According to Dr. Hafeez, “when we take a concept and link it to something we already know about or have genuine interest in, we retain that concept. Anytime we can internalize a concept is has resonance. It sticks.”

About the Doctor:

Dr. Sanam Hafeez PsyD is a NYC based licensed clinical psychologist, teaching faculty member at the prestigious Columbia University Teacher’s College and the founder and Clinical Director of Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C. a neuropsychological, developmental and educational center in Manhattan and Queens.

Dr. Hafeez masterfully applies her years of experience connecting psychological implications to address some of today’s common issues such as body image, social media addiction, relationships, workplace stress, parenting and psychopathology (bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, etc…). In addition, Dr. Hafeez works with individuals who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), learning disabilities, attention and memory problems, and abuse. Dr. Hafeez often shares her credible expertise to various news outlets in New York City and frequently appears on CNN and Dr.Oz.

Connect with her via twitter @comprehendMind or www.comprehendthemind.com

Knowing myself and my family members helps me to understand our interactions and work towards peace and cooperation.

I have a master’s in education and a minor in psychology.

Personalities, learning styles, emotions, and motivations have always interested me. This interest has guided my work with my students and my family. It’s important to understand and work with differences for good leadership.

My kids enjoy taking the tests and discussing the results. We learn about each other and it helps us in our relationships.

Enneagram

The Enneagram of Personality has been widely promoted in both business management and spiritual contexts. The underlying structure of Enneagram is based on testable ideas about motivations and emotions. There are 9 types.

I’m a combo 1 and 5.

My husband is a solid 3.

Two of my kids are 7 and two of my kids are 9.

Knowing and working from this knowledge helps us with conflict transformation.

We first heard about Enneagram about 6 years ago when we attended a hippotherapy family camp. That whole week was the beginning of improving our family relationships.

Learn your Enneagram here or here.

MBTI

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI^®) personality inventory makes the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful. There are 16 types.

I am INTJ (which is apparently unusual for a female).

My husband is ENTJ.

My kids are ENTP, ENFP, ENFJ, and INFJ (which is apparently the rarest personality type).

Having only two introverts in a household of extroverts can be stressful.

When my 7-year-old son took the MBTI quiz, one of the questions was “Would you prefer your son to be kind or smart?” He didn’t hesitate before saying “kind.” I am so proud.

Find your MBTI type here.

Another fun personality test is the Gary Smalley John Trent test from Making Love Last Forever. I’m a lion and my husband is a golden retriever. You can probably guess how that works out.

The Four Lenses Assessment assigns colors. I’m purple and my husband is green. There’s a similar FREE test: True Colors.

Learning Styles

As a teacher, learning styles have always been important in the classroom.

I taught English for over 10 years…and incorporating all the learning styles in a lesson could be challenging at times.

As a homeschool mom, I make sure to include different learning and teaching styles in our educational activities.

There are four main types of learning:

• Visual: The occipital lobes at the back of the brain manage the visual sense. Both the occipital and parietal lobes manage spatial orientation.
• Auditory: The temporal lobes handle aural content. The right temporal lobe is especially important for music.
• Reading/Writing: The temporal and frontal lobes, especially two specialized areas called Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas (in the left hemisphere of the two lobes).
• Kinesthetic: The cerebellum and the motor cortex (at the back of the frontal lobe) handle much of our physical movement.

Discover the Types of Learners:

Pure Flix offers a variety of wholesome content to supplement homeschool curriculum for visual learners, and check out these 20 activities for learning with Legos to use with your kinesthetic learner!

I am definitely not an auditory learner. My teen creates little jingles and parody songs all the time and she has a great ear to teach herself piano and guitar. I try not to fall into the comfort zone of verbal and visual teaching all the time. Kinesthetic lessons help us all to learn by doing.

Multiple Intelligences

I’m careful not to place my children into a box. Schools make it more difficult for students to shine in their talents and abilities.

Howard Gardner uses the word “intelligence” where other people have traditionally used words like “ability” and “aptitude.”

I know what my kids exhibit as their natural abilities. We work together to hone that and also improve in other areas, without shaming. We want to be well-rounded.

There are 8 (maybe 9) intelligences. Moral or Existential is sometimes included.

I love how these Intelligences further explain personality and learning style. My extrovert family members are interpersonal. Two of my kids are so naturally self-aware, intrapersonal, that it astounds me.

Emotional Intelligence

An often forgotten issue is emotion. We learn and teach to stifle emotion…but that’s not healthy. We are a shaming and humiliating culture.

In our home, we are learning how to be healthy with our emotions – in all their mess and discomfort.

Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.

Emotional Intelligence gained popularity in his 1995 book, written by the author and science journalist Daniel Goleman.

Since our culture stigmatizes mental health issues, I feel it’s very important to help my children realize their emotional intelligence. We discuss and learn together.

Getting in touch with our emotions, recognizing and experiencing both positive and negative feelings is key to being wholehearted.

We have many wonderful tools to help us wholeheartedly teach our children well.

I use these tools so I know myself and my children. I want my children to know themselves and their abilities and vulnerabilities so they can grow into whole and healthy adults.

More Resources:

Kidzmet Review

Learning and Teaching Styles and How I Use Them in My Homeschool

StudentKeys Review

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