1. The Sleep Sandwich

Imagine you have an important presentation and only one day to prepare. How do you learn a lot of information in the least amount of time? Most people try cramming. They study their notes or review their lines for hours. They'll pull an all-nighter if they have to. But despite all of their hard work, they end up forgetting about 50% of the stuff they wanted to remember. Most of the content they crammed into their head never sees the light of day.

Why is that? Because it never finds a place in their **long-term memory**. You can expose your brain to countless new stimuli, but it only retains a small percentage of them because you need time to store information in your memory. That's the problem with late-night **cram sessions**. You aren't giving your brain the chance to encode all the stuff that you need to remember.

That's the number one reason why scientists recommend the **sleep sandwich**. Instead of one long study session, you should study, sleep, and then study some more. The sleep sandwich is an excellent way to learn faster because sleep helps you retain more information. In fact, storing memories is one of the most important functions of a good night's sleep. While your conscious goes to bed, your unconscious is actively storing all kinds of stuff in your long-term memory.

But when you pull an all-nighter, you're preventing your brain from actually learning and retaining those memories, not to mention you're hurting your brain's overall performance. Tiredness leaves your brain feeling **foggy**, **slow**, and **unproductive**. So come on, don't bother studying until 4:00 in the morning. If you need to squeeze in some last-minute learning, study for a few hours, get a good night's sleep, and then pick up where you left off in the morning.

2. Mastery Through Modification

Have you ever heard of the **illusion of mastery**? It's a common pitfall that you might run into when learning something new. If you study for a few hours, you get a handle on a few basic tricks, and suddenly, hey, you think you're a master. Learning to draw is a great example. Many people think of themselves as competent artists after one good sketch. They see the quality of their first drawing and assume they know everything they need to know. It feels easy, boring even. But just because something feels simple doesn't mean you have it mastered.

So how do you stop yourself from falling into this trap? A great way to really learn any subject is to use **modifications**. All right, let's say that you've gotten really good at drawing faces from the front. It's starting to seem a little stale, and you feel like you aren't learning anything. So it's time to put yourself to the test. Just make a small modification to your original routine. Draw a face from a slightly different angle, challenge yourself to go faster, or use a different drawing tool.

Each one of these minor changes plays a critical role. They stop your practice from becoming boring or repetitive. They help you work on your **weaknesses**, and most importantly, they keep you humble throughout the learning process.

3. Weaving Subjects

In 2008, a group of researchers discovered something counterintuitive about learning. You'll learn something faster by studying something else. In this study, researchers asked people to identify certain artists based on six of their paintings. Half of the participants saw each artist's paintings in blocks, while the other half saw their paintings all scrambled together. Who do you think retained more information? The **scrambled group** performed significantly better.

Why is that? Well, because interweaving different styles and subjects helps solidify new information in your memory.

4. Chewing Gum

Some people chew gum to freshen their breath. Others just like that minty, fruity taste. But did you know that chewing gum could help your brain learn faster? A series of studies found that chewing gum has all kinds of cognitive benefits. For starters, people who chew gum tend to be more alert and experience less stress.

This was first discovered by a 2011 study which had people take a number of quizzes in a distracting environment. Under normal circumstances, the chaotic testing room would have thrown people off. It was designed to create anxiety and significantly lower their productivity. But even in that distracting environment, people who were chewing gum stayed more focused and produced less stress-related hormones. In other words, chewing gum helped them stay calm and helped them concentrate.

Oh, but that's not all. A 2009 study discovered that the act of chewing makes you more vigilant, and it lengthens your attention span. In 2015, another group showed that chewing gum helps you stay happy and motivated while you work. Two more studies from the early 2000s found that different flavors of gum actually make your brain more receptive and flexible. Obviously, there are dozens of studies showing the many advantages of this very simple habit. It helps you learn faster, perform better, and concentrate longer. So the next time you sit down to work, don't forget to grab a stick of gum.

5. Intellectual Hydration

Did you know something as simple as a glass of water can boost your brainpower? A 2012 study discovered that **hydration** during a test can have a huge impact on your grades. In fact, college students who drank water during their exams performed up to ten percent better. That's a full letter grade higher, all because of a few sips of water.

Now, of course, hydrating doesn't just affect your test-taking skills. It helps you digest information, store new memories, and solve more complicated problems. Why is that? Well, because water keeps your brain functioning like it's supposed to. But here's the best part: there really is no wrong time or place to stay hydrated.

Let's say you're sitting down on your couch to enjoy a book. It would only take a few extra minutes to make yourself a cup of tea, but that one cup does a lot more than just keep your body hydrated. According to a 2014 study, it quickens your short-term memory, strengthens your long-term memory, and leaves you feeling enthusiastic about learning something new. So whenever you're studying, reading, or even listening to a podcast, grab something to drink. Trust me, your brain will thank you for it.

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6. Multiple Mediums

Do you study the same way every single time? Have you been using flashcards or study guides for every test that you've ever taken? If you have, you might need to mix things up. Try using multiple **mediums** while you study. You could use flashcards, draw a diagram, and say the information out loud. By blending styles together, you activate new parts of your brain, store more detailed sensory information, and begin understanding concepts from different perspectives.

So don't fall back on the same old tricks every time. Experiment with multiple mediums to learn more information faster.

7. Speed Read

The average person can read about 200 words per minute. That's around 2 minutes per page. Yeah, I know that seems fast, but it's not as impressive as it sounds. In fact, that's the same speed people used to read a hundred years ago. But here's the problem: the total amount of information in the world is doubling every single year. So how do you keep up?

The simplest answer is also the best. If you can absorb information faster, you can learn faster. In a matter of weeks, you can teach yourself to read between 700 and a thousand words per minute. You won't be able to read everything the world has to offer, but you'll definitely blaze through a good chunk of it.

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8. Musical Stress Relief

Many people can't study without music in the background. Some people swear it helps them be more productive. Others need music to concentrate. So that raises the question: does music really help you learn faster? Many studies have shown that music makes your mind more receptive to new information. It also improves your memory by engaging different areas of the brain.

But the biggest advantage of listening to music often flies under the radar. Music is a major stress reliever. It significantly reduces test anxiety and increases overall feelings of relaxation so you can perform at your best. In other words, music boosts your mood, speeds up your cognition, and helps you think clearly. That means you can be more confident and productive no matter what you're working on.

9. Practice in Pieces

What happens when you read through all your notes in one sitting? How much do you really remember? Probably a lot less than you hope. The human brain isn't designed to store massive volumes of information at the same time. We can interact with all kinds of stimuli every day. You hear thousands of sounds and see millions of shapes, but your long-term memory is a lot slower.

That's why **practicing in pieces** is such an efficient way to learn. Instead of spending a whole day going through all your notes, just go through a few pages each day. If you spend smaller chunks of time learning small chunks of information, then you'll find yourself retaining a whole lot more.

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10. The Hard Road

When you have to learn something new, you probably start searching for shortcuts, right? Everyone wants to know the fastest and easiest way to memorize things. But the truth is, taking the **hard road** is almost always more efficient in the long run.

Take something like handwriting your notes. It's a lot slower than typing and less convenient, but those handwritten notes really stick in your memory. Even if it seems like a waste of time, you'd have to retype your notes again and again to have the same cognitive impact.

My point here is that shortcuts don't always help you learn faster. More often than not, the most challenging path is also the most effective.