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A guide on the things to avoid when learning new skills
Here’s one thing I’ve failed at more than 99 percent of the people — skill learning. That might surprise people who know I’m aiming to learn three new skills every month. But that’s exactly why I’ve failed more than anyone else you know — I experimented. A lot!
I’ve shared plenty of tips and tricks on how to learn new skills, but rarely have I shared the things that made me fail and made others fail before and after me. Until now.
In this article, I’ll share 7 traits that almost guarantee you’re not going to succeed in learning a new skill. During your learning project, review this list, and when you have any of the signs, questions yourself. Will I realistically pursue this skill?
Most of the time, it’s fine to “give up”. You can’t like everything you try. But you don’t know if you don’t like something if you don’t try in the first place. I mean, who would have known that a metalhead like me would have loved to salsa dance!
Anyway, here are 7 signs to watch for:
You are sporadic
Learning a new skill is much more easily done when you make it a daily practice. It’s like flossing, skip a day or two and it’s hard to get back to it. If you find yourself finding excuses not to practice or study for the day, you should see about finding a new schedule that works for you.
I practice my skills in the morning before I start to work. I spend about 1 hour and never question that time.
You have no aim
Why do you want to learn that skill?
That’s a question most people can’t answer properly. Your first answer to that question will be at the surface level.
“I want to learn to play the drums so I can be a rock star.”
Okay, but why do you want to be a rock star?
“I think rock stars look cool.”
Why do you want to look cool like a rock star?
…
You see where this is going?
Have a very clear goal in mind. Use the SMART goal-setting approach: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
You don’t measure your progress
Most people I know don’t track their progress. I write everything down. What did I accomplish today? How would I rate my practice/study? How can I improve? These are the things you need to ask yourself after each learning session.
But before that, know what you want to measure in the first place. You and I might be learning the same skill in theory, but we have different goals.
If I want to learn Spanish for work and you want to learn Spanish to pick up girls, we’re going to track things differently. I might measure my progress in memorizing vocabulary about software engineering, while you may measure by the number of phrases that actually worked.
So, the first step always is to define your key metric(s), and then follow through by tracking it daily.
You think seeking help is a sign of weakness
All the best learners seek help from others. I mean, how would I have learned to salsa dance without a good teacher? Asking for help is a sign of awareness. You accept that you don’t know something and know that you can learn from someone with more experience.
When you find yourself trying to learning something by yourself and it’s not going anywhere, seek outside help from someone else. If you don’t know people around you, reach out to people online. You’d be surprised how much people are willing to help when you ask nicely.
You don’t take it seriously enough
With our busy schedules, it’s hard to take any form of self-improvement too seriously. Who’s got time for that, right? Well, if that’s your attitude, you’ll never follow through.
Learning new skills can have a tremendous impact on your life. Sometimes, it’s not about the skills you learn, but about the lessons you learn by trying to learn something. But also, the neural connections you form by experimenting with something can serve you when trying to learn other skills.
If you can’t find value in something you learn, you might as well stop right there. Skill learning is a serious game.
You hit the snooze button
Good learners don’t snooze. They wake up wanting to practice their craft. They know that they can always power nap later on as needed. The more you snooze, the less time you have in your day. The less time you have, the more you’ll brush off your practice or study.
You have never researched how learning actually happens
Do you know how learning happens in your brain? Do you know techniques that make it easier for you to learn any skill? Most people don’t. I certainly didn’t before.
The best thing you can do to improve your learning of any skill is to be aware of the things you need to do to stimulate your brain for learning. There is too much to mention in this article, but let me refer you to these two courses (the second one from me):
Everything you need to know
Beware of the following signs:
You are sporadic
You have no aim
You don’t measure your progress
You think seeking help is a sign of weakness
You don’t take it seriously enough
You hit the snooze button
You have never researched how learning actually happens
Avoid these signs and improve your learning.
You can do this!