I am currently reading and enjoying Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. It is such a good amalgamation of everything I read about how to learn. I remember taking Barbara Oakley’s class Learning How to Learn about a decade ago and many of the same concepts resurface in Epstein’s book.
I have so much notes from Range but one stood out: Learning Deeply Means Learning Slowly.
The concept of learning slowly is such an antithesis to what is commonly preached today. There’s plenty of hacks out there to learn any skill as fast as possible. But as the book points out, what is learned “fast” rarely sticks in the long run. It takes time for the brain to connect concepts whether motor skills or mental skill, and there is usually no shortcut to this.
If we look at human biology, the person who naturally builds muscle over time usually retains the physique in the long run. In contrast, a person who shortcuts muscle growth with steroids easily loses muscle mass once steroid use is stopped.
The same could be said with learning. Learning something fast is superficial. You might recall the information for a few days, but it’s easily forgotten over time.
The key here is to learn slow. Absorb the subject matter. Connect the dots. Let the brain simmer. That’s how learning should be.