Five Popular Myths About Learning That Are Completely Wrong

When it comes to learning a difficult subject, people often believe you should practice one thing at a time.

How to really learn: Mixing it up, however, is a better approach. In mixed learning, you get a chance to see the core idea below it.

In school, many of us were taught that if you put an answer on a test you shouldn’t change it, but we’re actually better off reconsidering. We actually need time to deliberate and reflect to understand something.

How to really learn: While facts are important, how you use them is key. To solve new problems and come up with ideas, you need analogies and systems of how things relate to each other.

Putting in a lot of hours doesn’t always mean you’ll become good at something. People tend to be blissfully unaware of their incompetence.

How to really learn: What works instead isn’t just time; it’s outside advice and input. That’s why hiring coaches and tutors is so beneficial to learning.