A Lost Art– Deep Learning, the Human Kind

I found this article (link below) fascinating.  There were several techniques that I used (and have since made less use of to my detriment) that significantly improved not only my ability to remember important facts, but also to be able to comprehend complex thoughts and ideas well enough to be able to use them to both my benefit—in both my personal and professional life. 

As I read the article, I realize that some of the good habits (now often abandoned, by both me and apparently others) were good practices and ones that I should spend more time employing them.  The ones I refer to are:

• Do one thing at a time. Stop thinking that one can multitask, especially when trying to remember something important or to comprehend a complex notion.  If you think you can multitask, you haven’t watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY – sorry for the ad that goes with it, but that is the way YouTube works;
• Do serious thinking in a quiet place without distractions. This thought is different than the first in that even one is not paying attention or even interested in things going on around them, they are a distraction and affect one’s ability to do good “thinking”, whether that is digesting something one wants to remember or comprehending a complex idea; and
• Doing some things simply take time. I used to take my time reading and sometimes reading (many times) things that we “important” to me.  I remembered/comprehended what I read and was able to apply the knowledge effectively and productively in both my work and personal lives.

On reflection, I have lost (some of) the rigorous discipline related to learning.  It served me well and this article reminded me the value of investing time learning (complex ideas) and remembering (facts) takes effort and discipline.  And, I can, should and will do a better job of it.

New York Times:  Simple Ways to Be Better at Remembering–> https://nyti.ms/2l0YMrU)