Practice harder, not longer
1. Use a relatively light weight, and perform lots of reps.
2. Use a much heavier weight and only perform a few reps.
Using a heavier weight is obviously the quickest way of training. In other words: 6 reps is going to take much less time that 50. If the results are the same which would you prefer to do?
For training the brain there is a similar concept – you can train harder, and reduce the time it takes.
When we first begin to learn something, it is usually quite difficult. We have to think hard in order to understand new concepts and gain new skills. But after a little while the difficulty subsides. The task begins to become easier, and we don’t have to think so hard.
However, this doesn’t mean that we have mastered what we are trying to learn. Many hours of training are often necessary before we can do a task well enough that we stop making mistakes. Only then can we say that we have mastered the skill or subject.
The problem is that most of the time we know the skill well enough that we rarely make mistakes. This sounds quite good, but unfortunately we are still making enough mistakes that it is below performance standard. Performance level is the level at which you are actually going to use the skill or knowledge. So for a practical skill like playing the piano it would be playing to an audience; and for knowing a subject it may be writing a report or explaining a concept to someone.
To cut down those mistakes we need to practice more. But we only really learn when we make mistakes. Everything else is just reinforcing what we already know. So when we are at a standard where we only make the rare mistake we are learning just as rarely.
Instead of making a mistake every few seconds and being able to learn from it, we are now making a mistake every few minutes. Therefore we learn something new every few minutes rather than every few seconds. The result is much slower progress.
In order to perfect our skills or learn quicker, we need to increase the frequency of mistakes again. To do this, we make the activity more complex.
Our goal is to reach performance standard – the standard where we will actually use the skill or knowledge. The key to reducing those mistakes is to take our training above our performance level.
When we take a skill above performance level, the performance becomes easier. We are no longer pushing our boundaries and so are more likely to do much better.
The alternative is to practice at performance level. If you do this, you have to practice more to make sure you have everything correct. Unfortunately, with this method, mistakes are still happening all too often – no matter how much you practice.
Increasing the complexity of your training is by far the quickest and most effective way of perfecting a skill or your knowledge.
For example, I say I can’t do a juggle well until I could do it for 200 rounds without dropping it. To get to this level I used to practice it for thousands of rounds. Now I start practicing with more difficult objects and with my eyes closed.
Things to avoid
Don’t over train
Firstly, you need to make sure that you increase the complexity enough that you start struggling, but not too much that you can’t do it at all. Think of weight lifting. When your muscles become strong enough that you can easily perform the exercise, you increase the weight so that in becomes difficult again. But you don’t increase it to such a dramatic degree that you can’t lift it properly or without injuring yourself.
As a rough gauge, if you can perform the skill 20 times without failing, it’s time to step up the difficulty. If you are not successful once out of those 20 times, then you should make the task a little easier. (These figures are just a rough guide, so use your own judgement based on the activity and the amount of progress you are making.)
Don’t get sidetracked
You also need to make sure you don’t make it more complex by actually changing or adding to the activity. In mathematics for example, you would make arithmetic more complicated by increasing the size of the numbers, trying to perform calculations in your head, et cetera. You would not make it more complex by trying to do calculus.
Don’t just speed up
Going faster makes the task more difficult, but it doesn’t make the activity any more complex. The reason going faster is more difficult is because the conscious brain no longer has time to think. You therefore rely more on your unconscious brain – which can think incredibly fast. Going faster is, therefore, a great way of testing whether you know how to do the task without thinking about it, but it doesn’t help with learning.
Methods to increase the difficulty of a task
Here are a few general methods for increasing the difficulty of something you are learning.
EXAMPLE 1: Practicing a piece on the piano
All these examples are based on playing the piano to show the multitude of ways you can make this one activity harder.
Cut out senses
For example you are learning a piece on the piano. You can perform it reasonably well if you look at the keys; but by looking away from the keyboard your job becomes more difficult.
Use less aids
Take away the piano and make sure you can hum the tune you are trying to play.
Play on an unfamiliar instrument.
Play without the sheet music.
Up your standards
Learn the music in your head to a much greater degree so that you can spot where you go off track to a greater degree.
Make the input more complex
Learn more difficult pieces that require similar skills.
EXAMPLE 2: Revising for a history exam
The following examples are all based around revising for a history exam to show how the same principles can be applied to a more academic subject.
Cut out senses
Try explaining the subject verbally
Try explaining the subject in writing
Try explaining the subject with diagrams and drawings.
Use less aids
Practice writing about the subject and answering questions without any books.
Up your standards
On your practice tests aim for top marks
Try to understand the subject to a level higher than you are expected to.
Try to debate the subject with people who are extremely knowledgeable about the subject.
Make the input more complex
Read books on the subject that go into the subject in much more depth.
