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Set goals before learning

    Can you remember what you ate for lunch last week Tuesday? Probably not. Our brains are masters at forgetting information we don’t repeat regularly. But what can we do about it? I, like many others, had to painstakingly learn the art of learning as I went through college. Here are some of my tips for successful learning.
    Before I sit down at my desk, I consciously define a goal – what do I want to learn in what time? A goal helps to structure yourself and not get distracted while studying. In the beginning, I also looked at the clock and was able to develop a sense of, “How much time do I need for how much content.” I was surprised at how much longer it took initially. As I progressed, however, I noticed factors that lowered effectiveness, such as the cell phone next to the book. So it’s worth setting a deliberate goal for each learning session and then reviewing it honestly.