Everyone is naturally curious about the world around them. Simply ploughing through a topic and hoping it sticks is not going to work that well. Instead, approach your task by searching for something real to you that has a relationship with that particular subject.

The right angle

If you not only want to learn the facts, but you also want to use what you learn, then you need to use the information as you learn it.Actively using and applying the book knowledge has a far better outcome than only learning the theory.

An active approach

For every question that arises while you are trying to learn something new, do two things:<ol><li>Ask the question to an expert or mentor, or even just a friend or Google.</li><li>Keep asking until you get the question answered. Do not allow multiple questions to build up and go unanswered.</li></ol>

Ask and answer

Learning anything new that is slightly complicated takes time.It is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't burn yourself out by going all-out constantly.

Pacing yourself

If you hit a wall or find yourself unable to grasp and apply a specific concept, know that it is all part of the learning process.There is a solution to every problem, and you can find it. Even if it involves trying harder, or asking better or more questions, or finding a new mentor, the answer is out there.

Making failure work for you

Surround yourself as much as possible with your subject.Join and participate in groups and communities of people that are passionate about the same topic.

Immerse

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Flashback to 1997. My first job after college was as a videographer for an educational video company in the Washington, DC area. As a film and media student at Penn State University, I had used about a half-dozen different film and video cameras, from the Arri-16 to the Sony Betacam SX.
All of the equipment on hand was at least 10 years out of date. So when I arrived on my first day on the job I found that I would be responsible for the use and maintenance of a Panasonic DVCPRO25.
Placed next to any of the cameras I had previously used, the DVCPRO looked like the USS Enterprise docked alongside a bunch of blimps. I had just two weeks to learn how to use this thing on my own before the videographer I was replacing left.
I knew I had to buckle down and truly figure out and understand almost everything about this piece of equipment in no time, or I would be at risk of losing my first real job before I even started.
I had to do everything I possibly could to master the camera. So I read the manual. I watched everything the other videographer did as closely as I could. I asked questions whenever I wasn't clear on what was happening or what to do next. I asked my boss, and my boss's boss, questions.
In two weeks, I was able to handle just about anything to do with the DVCPRO. I wasn't an expert on every last aspect of the camera's features or engineering yet, but I was able to do every task with that camera associated with my job.
That wasn't the first or only time I've ever had to cram a whole lot of new knowledge into my head, but it's an example of having to do that in a very limited amount of time. Twenty years later, with dozens of new, useful software and hardware products appearing every month, this situation occurs on a regular basis for most of us.
Hopefully, it's under a little less pressure. But no matter the circumstance, there are a few principles we can follow that will help ensure a win when it comes to learning a new skill.
<h2>Find the right angle</h2>
Everyone has a natural curiosity about the world around them. Simply cracking open a book on particle physics with the plan of ploughing through 700 pages and hoping some of it sticks is probably not going to work very well for most students.
But if you search for something that is real to you, that means something, and it has a relationship to particle physics, you can approach your task from that desire to discover more about what motivates you.
<h2>Take an active approach</h2>
Some people learn facts and process better by reading, but if what you want is to be able to use what you learn, and not just regurgitate it back onto a page, then you need to use what you learn as you learn it.
Taking on a new language is a perfect example of this. When I was in the 7th through 12th grades, I took six years of Spanish classes, with good, fluent teachers who were fairly engaging and cared that we were learning. I did well on the classwork and got good grades, but I never really learned to speak Spanish well until my 2 months of volunteering in Puerto Rico.
Those two months of actively using and applying what was essentially just book knowledge added up to more than the previous 6 years of school.
<h2>Ask and answer</h2>
This is also a habit of the most successful people I've ever met: executives, millionaires, entrepreneurs. For every question that arises while you are trying to learn something new, you need to do two things:
<ul>
	<li>First,ask the question. Don't just think it to yourself. Ask it to a mentor, an expert, even just a friend or Google.</li>
	<li>And second, keep asking and seeking until you get the question answered. Whatever you do, do not allow dozens of questions to just build up in your head until you've forgotten most of them and the rest of the knowledge you're taking in buries the rest.</li>
</ul> 
<h2>Pace yourself</h2>
Learning anything new, if it's more complicated than a few steps, takes time. Think of the old maxim,
<blockquote>
'It's a marathon, not a race.' 
</blockquote>
Even if you only have two weeks, as I did with that fiendish DVCPRO, or if you have the luxury of six months, you can't go all-out constantly or you risk burning out or hitting a wall before you reach the finish line.
There's almost nothing worse, when it comes to trying to reach some goal, than stopping halfway and losing all your momentum.
<h2>Make failure work for you</h2>
If you do hit that dreaded wall, or continually find yourself unable to grasp a specific concept or apply it, or otherwise fall down flat on your face, you have to realize that those low points are part of the learning process. Every failure comes down to some mistake that you can pin down and then analyze to discover how you can avoid it, or overcome it, the next time.
There is a solution to every problem, and you can find it. Whether you need to double-down on your efforts, ask better questions (or just more of them), find a new mentor, or take a little more time for R &amp; R, the answer is out there.
<h2>Immerse</h2>
This is similar to the 2nd principle above, "Take an active approach". But here I am calling out the specific idea that you must surround yourself as much as possible with your subject. Join and participate in groups and communities of people that are excited about what you're learning.
If it's a language, actually speak regularly with others who are fluent. If it's a skill, hang out with people who are great at it and watch how they do what they do. Spend time in chat rooms and online forums where people are passionately discussing the topic you want to know more about.
Above all, remember:
<blockquote>
Most of us can learn anything with the right amount of intent, desire and dedication. 
</blockquote>
</div>

Flashback to 1997. My first job after college was as a videographer for an educational video company in the Washington, DC area. As a film and media student at Penn State University, I had used about a half-dozen different film and video cameras, from the Arri-16 to the Sony Betacam SX.

6 Principles I Use to Learn Anything

The right angle

An active approach

Ask and answer

Pacing yourself

Making failure work for you

Immerse

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