Learn it like you need to teach it

If you want to learn faster, learn it like you need to teach it.

AI is forcing most of us to learn new things rapidly. It feels overwhelming at times.

A hack I found that has both increased my learning and retention rate is to "learn it like you'll need to teach it."

A 2014 study from Washington University found that students who believed they were going to teach what they were learning understood it more deeply and retained what they learned longer than those who thought they’d just be tested on it.

Why this works is it engages more parts of your brain as you learn. Not only do you work out what to do, you organise the new knowledge in a way that you can retell it to others. That locks it in the right place in for longer.

A friend of mine has taken the idea a step further. He uses Loom to record a five minute video of what he's just learned to practice his "teaching skills." Says it's made a massive impact on his rate of learning.

Rapid learning is the new normal for most of us. "Learn it like you'll teach it" will help make every new learning moment count.