How to improve one's learning ability

 　　How can we cultivate ourselves and elevate our learning abilities to a level that will amaze others? Here are a few points:

　　First, identify your own biological rhythm

　　. We often overlook our own body's rhythm. Everyone's biological rhythm is different. The widely circulated advice to go to bed at 11 pm and wake up at 9 am is not suitable for everyone.

　　Based on sleep duration, we can divide people into three types:

　　the first is the early bird, sleeping before 11 pm and waking up at 7 am, accounting for 19% of the total population;

　　the second is the middle person, sleeping around midnight and waking up at 7 or 8 am, accounting for 21% of the total population;

　　and the third is the night owl, resting around 2 am and waking up after 9 am, accounting for 60% of the total population.

　　Why are there so many night owls? Because in the course of human evolution, some people needed to rest while others had to stay up all night. The genes of those who stayed up all night were passed down, and over time, more than half of humanity has the gene for staying up late. Identifying which type you are, identifying your biological rhythm, and considering what you should be doing at what time is crucial. For example, analytical tasks such as solving math problems and observing charts need to be completed when the brain is most active. Early birds are best suited for the time immediately after waking up, those in the middle of the day are best suited for before noon, and night owls are best suited for the evening.

　　Secondly, ensure you get enough rest

　　. The brain weighs an average of 1.4 kg, accounting for 2% of the body's weight. It consumes 20% of the body's total daily energy, indicating that our brain is a major energy consumer. Sufficient sugar and rest are essential for the brain to obtain energy. High sugar levels don't support this, so rest more.

　　Long hours of studying or working aren't necessarily good. For every hour of work, take 10 minutes to look into the distance or walk around to allow your brain to recover. Additionally, schedule a reasonable rest period to allow your brain to adjust before returning to high-intensity work. This 15-20 minute nap is ideal. Short naps won't provide adequate rest, while long naps will lead to deep sleep, making you feel even more tired upon waking. Here's a suggestion: have a cup of coffee before a nap—doesn't that seem a bit counterintuitive? Don't worry, there's some scientific basis to this. The stimulating effect of coffee typically lasts for about 20 minutes after consumption, which is just enough to wake your body before you enter deep sleep and interrupt your deep sleep state. So have a cup of coffee before your afternoon nap, but make sure it's low in sugar.

　　Third, what should we do when we hit a wall?

　　Many people have a tendency to get stuck on things, stubbornly persisting until they reach their goal. Physiologically, this is not advisable. We need to remember one thing: learning doesn't stop the moment we stop working! Our brains are amazing. When we stop doing something, the brain still tries to connect the unfinished work, searching for matching answers. This is what we often call inspiration, or the saying "what you think about during the day, you dream about at night." When we can't find the answer to a problem while we're awake, we often find new discoveries or inspirations in our dreams. The most famous example is probably Edison's light bulb.

　　When we encounter difficult problems that we can't solve quickly, we shouldn't spend too much time on them. At this time, we need to shift our attention to do something less mentally taxing, such as doing housework or tidying our desks. After resting, we might have new ideas or inspirations.

　　Fourth, improve the effectiveness of learning time

　　. There's a common phenomenon among office workers and students: they seem to sit at their seats for a long time, but actually accomplish very little. Here we need to discuss in depth whether anyone can truly multitask. As the internet has become increasingly integrated into our lives, we are gradually changing our learning habits. We've become accustomed to multitasking, looking at our phones while processing work documents, listening to lectures while browsing the web. Scientific research shows that when multitasking, 80% of our attention is focused on the second activity. Why are we so keen on multitasking? Listening to lectures while browsing online forums gives us the feeling that we can learn knowledge while doing something we enjoy, providing a huge sense of physical and psychological satisfaction. In fact, our brains aren't that powerful. Humans can only multitask effectively when performing repetitive tasks, such as listening to audiobooks while walking or watching TV while washing dishes. However, when both require focus, multitasking offers no real improvement beyond psychological comfort. Our learning also includes input-based and output-based learning. For example, when a teacher lectures, we listen—this is input-based learning. How do we learn to ride a bicycle? Through repeated practice, falling down, getting up, and repeated practice—this is output-based learning. Consolidating and internalizing knowledge requires an output-based learning model. Actively thinking and applying knowledge transforms input into output; otherwise, no matter how much you learn, you won't remember it.

　　Fifth, utilize fragmented time and overall time.

　　We often see many famous people skillfully and efficiently utilizing their fragmented time to complete small tasks, such as taking out the trash or doing housework. To manage your time effectively, you must learn how to use these fragmented moments. Here are some ways to utilize this time:

　　1. Overall time must be used holistically. What is overall time? For example, if you have a whole morning, don't divide that time into separate tasks. Don't spend half an hour on one thing and an hour on another. Focus on one thing at a time. Personal experience shows that when people are completely absorbed in their work, they lose all sense of time and space. No matter how much noise or distraction occurs around you, it won't bother you. For instance, when I'm watching TV, I'm so focused that I watch all morning and only realize it's already 2 or 3 pm when I get hungry. Utilize your time as a whole. Only when you're extremely focused can you reach a state of complete absorption. In this state, your learning and memory abilities will increase dramatically. This trait of focus is clearly evident in top students in school.

　　2. Learning interest and learning ability should be aligned: If you have many tasks to complete, prioritize those that don't require mental effort and leave the mentally demanding tasks for later. For example, when writing, don't set a quota for yourself—writing one paragraph per hour. This is inefficient, and you'll easily lose interest in it after a while. The correct approach is to finish one paragraph in the morning, and then for the second paragraph, only start it, or even just write a few words and then stop, intentionally leaving blank spaces. Our brains don't like things that aren't finished; they really dislike it. How can you not finish it? I'm unhappy that it's not finished, and then my subconscious will urge me to finish it quickly. Then, connect everything you've encountered, thought of, or remembered, and let them collide. Suddenly, you'll have a lot of inspiration, which is very effective for the next task. What you planned to finish in a day might become a problem in three or four hours when inspiration strikes!

　　Of course, these five points alone are not enough. The most important point is how to overcome procrastination.