With the rapid changes taking place around us, learning how to learn is a skill that every professional must acquire. In this short book, 10 Ways to Be a Better Learner, Jeff Cobb shares his consulting experience and his thought leadership. Cobb defines learning as
“The lifelong process of transforming information and experience into knowledge, skills, behaviors and attitudes.”
You’ll pick up many tips such as how to take notes effectively (you will even get a template to use), learn to set and manage learning goals, the concept of curation and deliberate practice, learn how to learn and much more.
This book was written close to 10 years ago. Recently there has been many advances in note taking. A lot of apps are coming out to help you with network note taking so that you can connect your notes. This is a great way for me to connect the notes from one book to others.
10 Ways to Be a Better Learner complements many of the books that I've read on learning and memory. I've said it enough times already, but I'll repeat it again. If you want to lay a strong foundation for a topic you're interested in, it's important to read five of the best books on the subject.
13 key takeaways from 10 Ways to be a Better Learner by Jeff Cobb
- Do you have a growth mindset where you think you can learn and grow, or a fixed mindset where you think your talents and abilities are innate and therefore cannot be changed?
- The people who learn best are those who think they can learn.
- Opportunities are everywhere, consciously tune into them and be aware of the barriers that may be holding you back.
- Daily reflect on your life and learning. At the end of each day, before he went to sleep, Benjamin Franklin took the time to reflect on his day, and this enabled him to be the great success that he was.
- Connect new information to the old to solidify knowledge.
- Learn exponentially through your network of connections. Learn from people with diverse viewpoints, who are trustworthy, offer quality content, and are curators who can separate the valuable from the superfluous, while adding value.
- Cultivate an attitude of asking better questions. Question the validity of information. Do you understand it, and how can you connect it to what you already know, and apply it to your life?
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Develop the habit of taking notes: Organize your notes, Review it a few times, Re-work it, Reflect on it, and Connect it to what you already know. This is a powerful way to learn and move information/knowledge to your long-term memory.
- Establish and manage clear learning goals that can stretch you and attached deadlines.
- Be accountable with your learning – is the source credible, has it stood the test of time, do others refer to it, can you find similar information elsewhere?
- Test your memory on what you’ve learned, and teach the information to others.
- Eat healthy, exercise frequently and get enough sleep.
- Be proactive and take control of your learning. Learning is a lifelong habit.
Final Thoughts: 10 Ways to be a Better Learner
Although 10 Ways to be a Better Learner by Jeff Cobb is a very short book, take enough time to read it slowly and digest it. It is loaded with a lot of useful information. I recommend.
Next Steps
The One Problem is just one way to learn from me. You can also join the Art of Learning membership site.
If you want access to my Bookish Notes, please consider joining my membership site, the Art of Learning.
UPDATE: First Published in January 2013.
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