Your ultimate guide for captivating personal stories, actionable insights, and evidence-backed advice, propelling you toward a meaningful life. Join our community of 200,000+ readers!
Share
đź’ˇ The Art Of Intentional Learning
Published 11 months ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader,
Welcome back to Living Better—your ultimate guide to living a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life.
Today we’re looking at the transformative concept of intentional learning—a strategic approach that's more about mastery than mere consumption.
Intentional learning is the key to unlocking your true potential, enhancing your ability to think critically and apply knowledge in real-world situations.
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
- Benjamin Franklin
How To Practice Intentional Learning
Imagine learning not just to know something, but to use it.
Intentional learning focuses on acquiring skills and knowledge that directly apply to your personal and professional goals, making every piece of learned information a tool for advancement.
Here are five strategies for practicing the art of intentional learning:
1. The Feynman Technique: Learn To Teach
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, developed a technique based on the premise that if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
➣ Actionable Tip: Pick a topic related to your goals, try to explain it in simple terms to someone unfamiliar with it, identify gaps in your understanding, and refine.
2. Spaced Repetition: The Path To Mastery
Spaced repetition leverages the psychological spacing effect, enhancing long-term retention by revisiting learned material at increasing intervals.
➣ Practical Implementation: Use scheduling tools like Anki or Quizlet to automate your review sessions, tailoring intervals based on how well you retain the information.
3. Daily Integration For Seamless Learning
Incorporate learning into your daily rituals. This method makes acquiring new knowledge an effortless part of your routine.
➣ Daily Habit: Switch out passive activities like scrolling social media with engaging in podcasts or audiobooks during your commute.
4. Leverage Your Community
Connect with others on the same learning journey. Community interaction not only reinforces your learning, but introduces new perspectives and insights.
➣ Community Action: Join forums or local groups that share your learning interests. Participate in discussions to challenge your understanding and grow.
5. Interdisciplinary Learning: Broaden Your Horizons
Explore how different fields interconnect. This exploration fosters innovative thinking and creative problem-solving.
➣ Inspiration In Action: Combine skills from unrelated fields—like programming and poetry—to develop a uniquely creative competency.
POLL: When was the last time you learned something solely to advance a personal skill?
Curiosity doesn’t just lead to knowledge—it builds expertise. This week, embrace intentional learning as your strategy for lifelong success by identifying one new skill or knowledge area that aligns with your goals.
Next, apply the Feynman Technique, set up a spaced repetition schedule, and engage with a related community. Track your progress and note any improvements in understanding or skill application.
Community Spotlight
​
Dive into heartwarming stories and inspiring journeys from fellow Living Better members! This week, we're highlighting Shay's inspiring story:
"This is my son. At about a year old, I overdosed with him in my bed. Well, it was just a mattress on my living room floor.
​
At 2, he came visit me in jail. He beat against the glass screaming and crying for his mommy. He started biting his nails after that.
​
At 3, he witnessed me get hit in the head with a brick, and my head split open. He rode with me in the ambulance. It scared him really bad.
​
At 4, he was in a car wreck with me, one of my many DUI's.
​
At 5, my mother had to raise him most of the time. I barely even came home.
​
At 6, I lost full custody, and I went to prison.
​
He is 12 today. He lives with me. He attends a private Christian school. He is on the honor roll. He gets prayed with every night and his mommy is there to wake him up for school every morning.
​
I celebrate all of his accomplishments with him, and he celebrates every sober birthday with me. I tell him how much I love him every day. He’s so kind to the broken because we were once broken. He’s truly so special.
​
Thank you God for allowing me to be a mother to this sweet boy every day. It’s the sweetest gift of my sobriety."
Designer, bestselling author, and founder of the School of Joy. I help people find more joy in life and work through design. Join more than 45,000 readers who receive our weekly treasure trove of science-backed tips, delightful discoveries, and inspiration for living a better life.
Your ultimate guide for captivating personal stories, actionable insights, and evidence-backed advice, propelling you toward a meaningful life. Join our community of 200,000+ readers!
Hey Reader, Welcome back to Living Better—your trusted guide to finding peace, purpose, and happiness in our fast-paced world. We all have dreams and aspirations, but how often do those dreams remain just that—dreams? Enter the WOOP strategy: a science-backed method developed by psychologist Gabriele Oettingen that helps transform your vague ideas into tangible, achievable goals. WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan—a simple yet powerful framework that bridges the gap between...
Hey Reader, Welcome back to Living Better—your trusted guide to finding peace, purpose, and happiness in our fast-paced world. Safety is a fundamental human desire. We buckle our seatbelts, install security systems, and seek out environments where we feel protected. But what if the very measures we take to keep ourselves safe actually lead us to take greater risks? This is the Peltzman Effect—a fascinating phenomenon where increased safety measures can lead to riskier behavior. "The greatest...
Hey Reader, Welcome back to Living Better—your trusted guide to finding peace, purpose, and happiness in our fast-paced world. We’ve all been there: the moment when you say something awkward, stumble over your words during a presentation, or wear something slightly out of the ordinary. Suddenly, it feels like all eyes are on you, and you can’t shake the feeling that everyone is judging your every move. This is the Spotlight Effect—a psychological phenomenon where we overestimate how much...
​