The Ultimate Guide to Learning Anything Faster

高效学习的终极指南

This post was originally published on Rype.
本文最初发表于 Rype.

“If only I could have learned Spanish a few years ago…”
“If only I learned about investing when I was still in my early twenties…”
“如果我在几年前学习了西班牙语。。。”
“如果我在二十出头的时候学习了投资。。。”

If only.
如果

For many of us, there are more things we want to learn than we have time.
对于我们许多人来说，想学的东西总是多于我们所拥有的时间。

As information becomes more readily accesible online, the number of things we want to learn is only continuing to increase. And the only variable we can control is the amount of time we spend learning them.
随着在线获取信息变得越来越快捷，我们想学的东西也越来越多。对此我们唯一可以控制的变量就是花在学习这些事物上的时间。

Shortening the learning curve is a topic that’s been studied for many years, and this guide will cover the fundamental core principles of learning faster. You’d be able to leverage these principles to push yourself to learn faster in any topics including languages, business, musical instruments, and more.
如何缩短学习时间这一问题已经被研究了许多年，这份指南将会提供一些基础性的核心原则来帮助你更高效地学习。你可以通过实践这些原则来让你自己更高效地学习，比如学习语言、商务、乐器等等。

“One skill you want to master in this day and age we live in, if you want to have an extraordinary life, is the ability to learn rapidly” — Anthony Robbins

“在当今时代，如果你想要成就卓尔不凡，那就必须掌握一项技能，快速学习的技能”—托尼·罗宾斯

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Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

不要重复发明轮子

Why reinvent a wheel that’s already been created?
干嘛要重新发明轮子呢？

The common tendency we all have when learning something new is trying to master it alone, underestimating the amount of time and effort that can be saved by getting help from someone who’s learnt it.
当我门学习新事物的时候总会有一种倾向，就是想要独自完成，却低估了如果从已经掌握了这项技能的人那获取帮助所能节约的时间与精力。

Think back to a time when you first learned how to speak a new language or a new skill.
想想你刚开始学习外语或者新技能的时候吧。

You probably had a steep learning curve initially, but after a few years or even months of experimenting and making mistakes, you could design a shortcut to help a friend avoid those same mistakes you made early on.
刚开始你可能会有一条陡峭的学习曲线，然而通过几年或者几个月的试验与犯错，你便可以为你的朋友指出一条捷径，避免让他们犯和你相同的错误。

In order to achieve mastery faster, our first step should be to consult the top players in the field, and model the path they have already carved out for us.
为了能快速掌握，我们第一步要做的便是参照这个领域最杰出的人物，然后尾随他们已经走过的道路。

As Tony Robbins puts it:
正如托尼·罗宾斯所说：

Many great leaders have proven that the fastest way to master any skill, strategy or goal in life is to model those who have already forged the path ahead. If you can find someone who is already getting the results that you want and take the same actions they are taking, you can get the same results.

It doesn’t matter what your age, gender, or background is, modeling gives you the capacity to fast track your dreams and achieve more in a much shorter period of time.

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许多伟大的领袖都已经证明学习任何技能、策略与实现人生目标的最便捷方法就是模仿那些这条路上的先行者。你可以找一个已经实现你想要的目标的人，然后模仿他们的行动，你也可以得到相同的结果。
这无关你的年龄、性别或者背景，模仿给你提供了一条实现梦想最便捷的，可以用最少的努力换取最大的成就的道路。

In this day and age, it’s possible to retrieve almost any solution that’s out there in the form of books, blogs, training videos, consultants, someone in our network — the list goes on.
现今，我们可以通过书本、博客、教学视频、顾问、社交网络等地方找到几乎所有问题的解决方案。

“Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” — Pablo Picasso

“能工摹形，巧匠窃意。 ”—巴勃罗·毕加索

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Deconstruct the skill

解构技能

The next step to hacking the learning curve is to deconstruct the skill into its basic, fundamental components. Break down the parts and find the most important things to practice first.
破解学习曲线的下一步就是把技能解构为最基础的组成部分。分解为小部分，然后找出最重要的那部分来首先练习。

This is in reference to the popularized Pareto’s Principle, where the goal is to generate 80% of results putting in 20% of the effort.
下面是众所周知的 帕累托法则，也就是** 80% 的结果由 20% 的付出获得。**

Pareto’s Principle

It turns out that this concept can apply to almost anything in life, including:
这个理论几乎可以适用于生活中的一切问题，包括：

• Business (80% of sales comes from 20% of customers)
• Employee efficiency (80% of results comes from 20% of employees)
• Happiness (80% of happiness comes from 20% of relationships)
• Travel experiences (80% of our travels can be summed up from 20% of our highlight experiences)
• And so on…

• 商务（80% 的业绩来源于 20% 的顾客）
• 员工效率（80% 的工作成果来源于 20% 的员工）
• 幸福感（80% 的幸福感来源于 20% 的人际关系）
• 旅行体验（80% 的旅程可以总结为 20% 的精彩体验）
• 等等

Here’s the Pareto graph in a different visual format.
这是从另一种图表来观察帕累托曲线：

*Pareto graph*

Embracing this way of thinking only goes to show that very few things actually make a difference in any aspect of our lives, including learning.
接受这种思考方式意味着在我们的生活中，只有一小部分的事物真正的发挥了作用，包括学习。

Our goal then, should be to separate the 20% of our learning materials that will give us 80% of the result.
我们的目标，便是在学习材料当中找出这取得 80% 结果的那 20% 的努力。

As it turns out, fast-learning experts have already embraced this ideology, and have provided some concrete examples on how to do this effectively.
事实上，高效学习专家已经接受了这种理论，并提供了关于如何实践的一些具体事例。

In his Ted Talk, Josh Kaufman believes that you don’t need 10,000 hours in order to master a skill. As Kaufman elaborates, the key is to embrace the first 20 hours, and learn the most important subset skills within that time frame to get the maximum amount of impact.
在他的 Ted 演讲中，乔希·考夫曼认为你并不需要10000小时来掌握一门技能。正如考夫曼所阐述的，关键在于最初的 20 小时，在这段时间内学习最重要的子技能来获得最大的效果。

Numerous studies in the fields of motor and cognitive skill acquisition have established that the first few hours of practicing a new skill always generate the most dramatic improvements in performance.

The general pattern looks like this: when you start, you’re horrible, but you improve very quickly as you learn the most important parts of the skill.

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在运动与认知技能获取领域的许多研究都指出，学习一项技能最开始的几个小时总是会产生最让人吃惊的提升。
这种模式差不多是这样的：当你刚开始学习时，你感觉糟糕，但你学习最重要的那些部分时会得到快速的提高。

Related topic to learn: Parkinson’s Law
相关阅读：帕金森定律

For example:
例如：

• If you’re trying to learn a musical instrument, you should know the few, most common chords that gives you access to 80% of songs.

• If you’re trying to learn a new language, you should focus on learning the most common 1,500–2,000 words that will give you 80% of text coverage.

• 如果你想要学习乐器，你应该懂得那些组成了 80% 歌曲的最基础的和弦。

• 如果你想要学习语言，你应该专注于那些构成文章 80% 内容的，最常见的 1500-2000 个单词。

Stop Multitasking

停止一心多用

Multi-tasking is a guilty pleasure we’ve all developed in the age of constant notifications and mobile applications. From checking our emails every ten minutes, to scrolling through our instagram feed, to co-workers coming by our desk for a “five-minute break.”
一心多用是我们在无尽的提醒与手机应用时代所发展出来的罪恶体验。每十分钟查一次邮件，查看 Instagram 更新，和串门的同事来个”五分钟休息“。

However, multi-tasking can be one of the biggest hurdles preventing us from learning faster.
然而，一心多用却是我们高效学习的障碍。

Think about your own computer.
想想你自己的电脑。

When you have 20+ different tabs open on your browser, your computer begins to slow down and it takes longer to process every action afterwards.
当你的浏览器打开 20+ 不同网页时，你的电脑就会变得很慢，每一个动作都会花更长的时间。

study

Studies have shown that when an individual gets distracted, it takes an average of 25 minutes to return to the task at hand.
研究表明，当我们被打断时，大约要花 平均 25 分钟 的时间来重新投身于手头的工作。

What’s more important to note, is that a study done by the University of California, Irvine, found that a co-worker gets only 11 minutes before they’re distracted.
更重要的是，加州大学的研究表明，我们差不多每 11 分钟便会被同事干扰一次。

The same thing applies to our long-term focus. Many of us aren’t able to dedicate the 6–12+ months it takes to learn a skill because of the countless new projects, ideas, or hobbies that come our way.
同样的事情也会发生在我们的长期目标上。我们当中的许多人往往并不能花 6-12+ 个月的时间来学习一门新技能，因为在这个过程中我们会碰到新的项目，想法，爱好。

And when we decide to shift our focus towards a new distraction, it’s much more difficult to find the same passion and drive to focus on the previous skill.
当我们决定将注意力投向新的方向时，以同样的激情与动力重新投身于之前的目标就会变得更加的困难。

Once you have deconstructed the subset skills that will give you the maximum amount of results, focus solely on improving those skills and avoid learning anything else until you’ve mastered them.
当你将技能解构为能给你最大效果的那些小部分后，专注与这些部分并不要学习其他东西，直到你掌握了这项技能。

Reps, reps, reps

重复，重复，重复

This is the part where most of us struggle, and what many of us don’t want to hear.
这是最让我们纠结，也是许多人最不想听到的东西。

YES! The key to mastering anything faster requires practice.
是的！高效学习的关键在于练习。

It requires frequency and persistence of performing the same skill over and over again, until you can do it subconsciously, without having to think about it.
这需要坚持不停地重复相同的技能，直到你能下意识的使用，完全不需要思考。

The best performers in the world understand this “secret” to learn faster and become the best, yet rarely talk about its importance because of how *unsexy *it sounds.
这世上最棒的演员懂得使用这个”秘密“来高效学习并成就完美，然而他们却并不怎么提及这样做的重要性，因为这听起来并不酷。

Talent v. Work

Expert-level performance is primarily the result of expert-level practice, not due to innate talent.

高水平的表现来源于高强度的练习，无关天赋。

As K. Anders. Ericsson, a scientific researcher from Florida State University, elaborates in his paper:
正如弗罗里达州立大学研究员 K·安德斯·艾瑞克森在其论文中指出：

“People believe that because expert performance is qualitatively different from normal performance the expert performer must be endowed with characteristics qualitatively different from those of normal adults. This view has discouraged scientists from systematically examining expert performers and accounting for their performance in terms of the laws and principles of general psychology.”

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由于高水平的表现相对于一般水平是如此的与众不同，使得人们相信那些专家必定都是天生具有某些常人所不具有的特质。这个观点使得科学家没有运用一般心理学的规则与原理来系统性的检查这些专家的优异表现背后所蕴含的原理。

Recommended further reading:

推荐拓展阅读：

5 Research-Backed Methods to Master Any Skill Faster
5 个高效学习的科学方法

Seek Immediate Feedback

寻求即时反馈

In 1960, while they were still an unknown high school rock band, the Beatles went to Hamburg, Germany to play in the local clubs.
在 1960 年，当他们还是一只默默无闻的高校摇滚乐队时，甲壳虫乐队便去德国汉堡的一些当地俱乐部演出。

The group was underpaid. The acoustics were terrible. The audiences were unappreciative. So what did the Beatles get out of the Hamburg experience?
乐队没有薪水。音响效果很糟糕。观众也不友好。那甲壳虫乐队从在汉堡的经历中到底得到了什么？

Non-stop hours of playing time, practice, and immediate feedback that forced them to get better.
不停地演出、练习以及即时反馈让他们不断进步。

That’s the key difference that rose The Beatles to the top, according to Macolm Gladwell in his book Outliers.
马尔科姆·格拉德威尔在他的书 Outliers 中指出，这就是让甲壳虫乐队登上巅峰的关键性不同。

The band brothers didn’t just practice in their garage for the sake of practicing; they strived to get in front of a live audience that will provide them immediate criticism and constructive feedback.
乐队的成员们并不只是在车库为练习而练习；他们努力出现在那些会给他们提供批评与建设性意见的观众面前。

The Beatles

As the Beatles grew in skill, audiences demanded more performances — more playing time. By 1962 they were playing eight hours per night, seven nights per week. By 1964, the year they burst on the international scene, the Beatles had played over 1,200 concerts together.
当甲壳虫乐队的技艺变得精湛，观众便要求更多的演出-更多的表演时间。到 1962 年，他们已经是每周 7 天，每天 8 小时的表演了。到 1964年，当他们在国际舞台上光芒四射时，甲壳虫乐队已经有过 1200 场的演唱会。

By way of comparison, most bands today don’t play 1,200 times in their entire career.
与之相比较，当今大部分的乐队在他们的整个职业生涯中也不会有 1200 次表演。

This is why at Rype, we’re solely focused on connecting you with native speaking tutors, who can give you immediate feedback during your lessons.
这就是为什么在 Rype ，我们专注于让你和使用母语的导师联结起来，这能给你即时的反馈。

Go Long

坚持

Unfortunately, many of us give up before or during what Seth Godin calls “The Dip.”
不幸的是，大多数人在遇见赛斯·高汀所称的“低潮期”时放弃了。

The Dip

Godin describes that although it’s important to know when to quit, many potential winners don’t reach success because they quit before the dip.
高汀认为尽管知道什么时候退出是重要的，但大多数潜在的赢家并未成功是因为他们在低潮期之前放弃了。

According to Godin:
如高汀所述：

Five Reasons You Might Fail to Become the Best in the World

1. You run out of time (and quit)
2. You run out of money (and quit)
3. You get scared (and quit)
4. You’re not serious about it (and quit)
5. You lose interest (and quit)

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五个你无法成为世界顶尖的原因：

1. 你没有时间了（然后放弃）
2. 你没有金钱了（然后放弃）
3. 你害怕了（然后放弃）
4. 你没有认真对待（然后放弃）
5. 你失去了兴趣（然后放弃）

Psychologists have also studied what’s known as the transition cycle.
心理学家同样已经对所谓的过渡周期做了研究。

It’s the cycle of progress we go through whenever we’re experiencing change or a novel event, such as a tragic event or even learning something new.
当我们体验改变和新奇的事件例如悲痛的感觉甚至是学习新事物时，我们所渡过的是一个周期性的体验。

Transition Cycle

As you can see, there’s a sense of euphoria we all experience when we begin something new. It’s why we’re so addicted to seeing notifications on social media, because dopamine gets released each time.
正如你所看见的，当开始学习新事物时，我们会有一种短时间的极度兴奋的体验。这解释了为什么我们会沉迷于查看社交媒体上的新提醒，因为每一次这么做都会导致多巴胺 的释放。

Once the Honeymoon phase fades away, we experience the “dip” and our progress begins to plateau or diminish. This is when most of us quit.
当蜜月期消逝，我们便会进入”低潮期“，于是我们的学习进程开始减缓或者停滞。这就是大部分人放弃的时候。

The reason why this is important to visualize is because if you can predict that a dip is coming whenever you’re learning anything new, it’s easier to fight through it.
形象化的认识这一问题的原因就在于，如果你当你在学习新技能的时候，可以预测到低潮期的来临，于是，我们将能更好的来应对它。

More importantly, the dip is there because those persistent enough to stick it through can ride the upward wave that is at the end of the tunnel.
更重要的是，低潮期存在的意义是为了让那些坚持下来的人能够乘着曲线之后的高潮向前进。

We made it! Here’s the summary of main points discussed in the ultimate guide to hacking the learning curve:
我们做到了！下面是这篇关于高效学习终极教程一些重点的总结：

• **Model an expert **who’s been there and don’t reinvent the wheel
• **Deconstruct the skills **that will deliver 80% of results
• Stop Multitasking
• **Reps, reps, reps! **then seek immediate feedback
• **Go Long **and don’t quit before or during the dip

• 模仿专家然后记得不要重复发明轮子
• 解构技能找到产生 80% 结果的那部分
• 不要一心多用
• 重复、重复、重复然后寻求即时反馈
• 坚持直到渡过低潮期

第一次翻译这么长的文章，花了 3 个小时，结果也不怎么满意，到现在都意识模糊了。文章内容很鸡汤，作为翻译的练习倒是不错，内容也挺适合现在的自己，以上！