2 Frameworks to Help You Learn New Skills and Improve Your Memory
In general, entrepreneurs can be a picky bunch when it comes to using our 24 hours. Most of us have routines that we pride ourselves in having.
However, sometimes those routines get in the way of more efficient practices and routines that we don’t even know exist.
That’s why it’s important to keep learning. As solopreneurs, we need to keep learning about skills, mindsets, and interacting with others. It’s when we learn those better routines where we find ourselves being a superhero version of ourselves.
In this post, I’m going to share two frameworks that I recently heard on a podcast with Jim Kwik, founder of SuperHeroYou. Ironically, I’ve employed these frameworks in my own learning, but I wasn’t consciously aware of it! I guess it was just one of those situations where I was a unconsciously competent.
Both of these processes have allowed me to learn skills and new ideas quickly and retain them – I know it will be useful for you as well if you haven’t heard of them!
It Helps to be a FAST Learner
The first acronym which was shared in the interview was FAST. Since I’ve been a teacher in the past, I developed these habits for myself. But as mentioned, it’s cool to have them made into a framework to share with others.
The F in FAST stands for Forget
Now, you might be thinking, “isn’t forgetting the last thing we want to do in learning?”.
Well, sorta.
Here’s the thing. The forgetting that needs to take place is actually the perspective that we have on a given topic. We don’t want to approach something from a know-it-all perspective. Whatever we feel that we know of a given subject is going to get in the way.
This is precisely why most kids learn faster than adults. Most adults approach new topics from a point where they’re trying to relate it to information they already know about a given situation. They try to make sense of it and store each new piece they learn with something they already know.
Another thing we want to forget is limiting beliefs. Just because something might not have worked for you in the past doesn’t mean it can’t work for you in the future. Maybe you feel that you’re not worthy to receive success? Well forget that too. That’s not true. Especially if it’s in something that isn’t related to your physical abilities.
The A in FAST stands for Active
The next part to remember is that you need to be active with anything you’re learning. That’s why the courses that people like to take are the ones with workbooks. We might have hated those as we were growing up in classes, but there was some good intention there.
As you might know, I’m not a big fan of our current education system – the Prussian Education System. (I mentioned it in session 5 of the AoL podcast.) It simply isn’t preparing today’s students for where the world is at.
In a nutshell, this system teaches us how to take orders. We implemented it in the United States when the economy required more workers than leaders. I believe that today’s economy needs more leaders – not followers. More people taking initiative than people waiting to be told what to do. Be PROACTIVE, not REACTIVE.
The S in FAST stands for State
The next thing about learning quickly is that you have to be in the right state of mind and body. Not only do you have to be ready and open to learn, you also have to be in the right position.
The state your mind has to be in is one of curiosity. If you’re apprehensive about a subject, you’re really not going to understand it in the same way. Remember, approach the subject as a kid would – with wonder.
The state your body needs to be is one of attention. For example, if you were really into a movie, more than likely you’re going to be in a different position than if you were casually watching TV.
The T in FAST stands for Teaching
I listened to this podcast twice because I knew I wanted to share it with you guys. Because of that, I’m learning about it at a deeper level than I would have if I was just casually listening to it for myself.
If you really want to learn something thoroughly, learn it as if you’re going to teach it to someone else – like a best friend. Prepare for questions they might have by making notes to yourself and relating that new information to topics they might already be familiar with.
Remembering Through the MOM Framework
So, learning is one thing. But remembering is another.
Everyone can learn facts or new things (including names!) but unless you use the following items, you’re going to forget what you’ve learned.
The First M in MOM is for Motivation
You need a reason to remember what you’re learning. As they said in the chat, if you were promised $10,000 to remember someone’s name, you’re going to be able to remember their name even if you’re bad at remembering in names.
Since that’s pretty unrealistic in most cases, you’ll need to figure out what your motivation is to remember whatever you’re learning.
But just a tip – Dale Carnegie wrote that people love hearing their name. So when you are learning names, perhaps you should remember them. Especially if you’re a business owner. You don’t know if knowing someone will eventually land you a $10,000 deal – OR more!
The O in MOM is for Observation
One of the things that Brendon Burchard is really big in advising others to do is be present. Soak it all in, not only for others, but for yourself.
This works both ways because, for one, if you’re paying attention to your surroundings when you learn something or meet someone important, then you’re going to have more connection to that moment.
Also, if a person is present for others, they’ll remembered by the person they were conversing with. Why? Simply because most people are noticeably not paying attention to what’s being said – they’re either trying to think about how they’re respond or they’re focused on something else completely.
The Second M in MOM is for Mechanics
It’s ok to come up with your own acronyms – whatever works for you. The trick is to find a process or trick that works for different situations and practice it. Over and over. For instance, you won’t get better at memorizing names until you start practicing it.
Action Steps
I want you guys to apply these frameworks in your day to day lives. So the first thing I want you to do is listen to a conversation with Jim. I listened to him through Jordan Harbinger, but maybe you’d prefer to hear him talk with Lewis Howes.
If you’ve already started applying these frameworks in your life, I’d love to hear about your experiences below. What is something that you’ve applied one of these frameworks to? How’d it work out?
