Brief, frequent learning sessions are much better than longer, infrequent ones, agrees Neil Starr, a course mentor at Western Governors University , an online nonprofit university where the average student earns a bachelor's degree in two and a half years.

Changing the way you practice a new motor skill can help you master it faster.

He recommends preparing for micro learning sessions. "Make note cards by hand for the more difficult concepts you are trying to master," he says. "You never know when you'll have some in-between time to take advantage of."