What it is
Varying the way that you practice a skill or study a topic can help you learn it faster and more deeply. You'll also end up with a more accurate understanding of your current level of mastery. Plus it's fun!
How to do it
Examine the different aspects of your learning process, and then find ways to vary your learning on those axes. Examples:
- If you study in a lecture hall, try doing your Free recall in a library.
- Practice doing a math problem extra slowly, or try doing a bunch of problems really quickly.
- Practice your free throw motion with your eyes closed, focusing on the proprioceptive input and visualizing the results.
- Spend time studying an adjacent topic to provide more context to your main topic.
- Break a concept down into smaller pieces to study more closely
- Examine how a concept fits into a larger conceptual framework
- If you're learning from a textbook, watch a video on the topic
- If you've been learning about the benefits of a skill, do some research on its downsides or limitations.
When to apply it
Once you've gotten some exposure to an idea or skill, and you want to deepen your mastery of it. If you find yourself Absorbing lectures and then you Expand notes, this might be a next step to take.
Bibliography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr_Fsn6VifM
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