How to get good at learning new things

The world seems like it's moving faster than ever, and it can feel like we have to keep learning new things all the time just to keep up.

This week we want to shift our thinking a bit — from seeing learning as something that we have to do, to something that we do because it is one of the most powerful things about being human.

Humans learn because we want to, because it keeps our minds active, and because it sparks our energy and makes us feel alive.

Here are our 5 favorite quotes about learning, from a few scientists, writers, and artists who inspire us at focused space.

“You'll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.”  

- Julia Child (chef and author)

Our first quote comes to us from Julia Child, a legendary American chef who revolutionized American cuisine by introducing the public to French cooking.

Famously, Julia described herself as a “bad cook” at first, and didn't learn many of her skills until her 30s.

She had many early failures, including setting the oven on fire, before she began taking cooking classes in Paris and discovered her passion for French cuisine.

We love this quote because she reminds us of the connection between passion and the desire to learn.

The more you love something, the more you want to keep coming back to it — even if you aren’t very good at it at first.

“I believe the rest of school (indeed, the rest of life) should become more like kindergarten."

- Mitch Resnick (founder of the MIT Lifelong Kindergarten research group)

Learning is one of the most powerful skills that we have as humans, whether we're learning for our jobs, or just living the rest of our lives.

Today’s quote is near and dear to Alexis Hope's heart (one of our co-founders) because Mitch Resnick — a computer scientist and founder of the “Lifelong Kindergarten" research group at MIT — was her PhD advisor!

Mitch is a huge advocate of play-based and project-based learning for kids, but he doesn’t think playful learning should stop at Kindergarten — and we couldn't agree more.

Adults are rarely encouraged to play, but research shows that play is one of the most powerful (and sticky) ways to learn.

Play encourages us to take risks, experiment, connect with others, connect different ideas together, and try new things.

So if you’ve got something new to learn this week — maybe something you’re not super enthusiastic about — spend a few minutes today thinking about how you could make it more fun and playful!

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”

- Maya Angelou (writer and civil rights activist)

Across her autobiographical works, Maya Angelou explored many powerful themes — including racial oppression, self-discovery, resilience, empowerment, love, family, community, and more.

We love this quote because Maya connects learning to growth, and to self-compassion.

It’s easy to be hard on ourselves for not knowing the answer, or for acting in a way that we may later come to regret.

Maya reminds us that we don’t have to expect perfection of ourselves, and we can forgive our past selves for things that we didn’t know at the time.

Once we get more information — or learn a new skill for dealing with something that we’re facing in life — we can put it into practice, and look forward into the future.

“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.”

- Bill Nye (the “Science Guy”)

If you’re not familiar with Bill Nye, he's had a pretty interesting career. He started as a mechanical engineer at Boeing, and then left his job to… pursue comedy!

He is best known for creating an award-winning educational tv show for kids, where he conducted wacky scientific experiments with an unconventional and zany style.

We love this quote from Bill because it reminds us that not all learning comes from books, things, or experiments — it often comes from other people.

He reminds us that everyone, no matter where they went to school or what they do, knows things that we do not.

Having the curiosity and humility to learn from everyone around us helps us grow wiser, and widens our field of view about the world.

“Curiosity and passion are the enemies of anxiety. Even when I fall into anxiety, if I get curious enough about something outside of myself it can help pull me out.”

- Matt Haig (author)

Our last quote comes to us from Matt Haig, a fiction author who has also written non-fiction works about his personal experiences with autism and ADHD.

We love this quote because it made us think a little differently about learning — it reminded us that learning has many additional benefits beyond just what you learn.

Learning is a powerful mental health practice, especially because our minds are very good at “feeding off” of negative thought loops.

Finding something else that grabs your attention — particularly if it is a topic that you find interesting, engaging, and positive — can be a really positive form of “mental redirection.”

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P.S. If you aren't a member of Focused Space, but could use help accomplishing your goals, busting through procrastination, or getting motivated… you are welcome to join us at one of our live guided work sessions, or morning planning sessions!

Take care,

— Alexis and the focused space team