How do you learn? Most of us have two ways of learning.
We kind of drift around a subject, hoping something will stick. We try a few words in a foreign language or read a bit of a book about managing our finances.
Or we go for overkill. Total immersion. Six months in France. Or every book and course on money we can afford.
Do either of those work for you? Do you find you have to work hard to motivate yourself? And maybe Netflix beckons more powerfully.
Have a system for learning
A great teacher recently pointed out to me that the things we do well we have systems for.
We have a system for getting up in the morning. Most of us. We have a system for having breakfast and for brushing our teeth and ensuring we are clothed when we leave the house. And for watching Netflix.
The point of a system is to remove the need for motivation. For making a big decision. It becomes automatc.
So, he asked, what was my system for learning. Did I have to work hard to motivate myself? To decide to do it? And, yes, I relied on heavy-duty motivation.
No need for extreme motivation
He suggested that, for the current skill I’m trying to learn, I tried creating a simple system.
First, I learn one simple lesson. A part of a skill, say. Or a principle. Just one. Not a hundred.
Second, I went and applied it. I used it. Before moving onto the next.
And it worked. I’m trying to learn how to market my books better. A field that has always daunted me. It’s so large and challenging.
But when you break it down into one skill, one concept at a time and – most importantly – you implement it – it becomes doable. Even fun. And you get immediate feedback. Every time I succeed now at a simple task reinforces the learning and makes me feel good. Which cements the learning.
Step-by-step
I immediately recognised the process, because that’s also what I love about Aikido.
I was hopeless at boxing at school. Beaten up more than once in the ring. The idea of being a martial artist would have seemed impossible. But Aikido took me step by step. One simple principle at a time. And you immediately use that concept on the mat. And that cements the learning.
After a while, you change. Both on and off the mat. The principles are no longer abstract ideas, but a part of what you have become.
One small thing at a time. A system.