The ability to learn things quickly and easily is such a useful skill. Retaining information is key in many areas of life, such as revising for exams, learning a speech, or even a new language.

For myself, having spent many years as a professional singer, I have regularly needed to quickly memorise song lyrics for various performances. I must have thousands have songs squeezed into my memory banks – I often wonder where I keep them all! They must be stored in The Cloud somewhere 😉

It used to take me a long time to commit information to memory. But when I trained in hypnotherapy and NLP I learned a lot about how the brain works, so I used that information to help me memorise information quickly and easily.

And so now I’d like to pass that information onto you, dear reader!

6 ways to learn things quickly

1. Learn with your whole body

Don’t just use your eyes to learn things – take in information using your whole body.  Utilise as many senses as you can in the learning process.

So for instance, if you’re learning a new language, read the words aloud so you hear the words as well as seeing them.

Or if you’re learning a speech, poem or song, don’t be afraid to act it out as you’re reciting/singing it.

Make the movements as silly and exaggerated as you possibly can – the more outlandish the better, as your mind is much more likely to commit those images and feelings to memory (you may wish to find a private place to do this however!).

2. Creative imagery

Whatever you’re learning, create images, symbols and situations in your mind to help you remember the words or phrases you are using. Again, make those images as crazy and ridiculous as possible so your brain latches onto them easily.

Us humans are playful creatures at heart, so even if you’re revising for a physics exam, make it as fun as possible, and your mind will readily engage and participate in the ‘game’.

3. Learn in your sleep

This is one of my favourite tricks to learn things quickly and easily. Whatever it is you’re learning, go over the important points just before you go to sleep at night. Look at the words, read them out loud or listen to an audio recording of them, then ‘switch off’ your brain and relax into sleep.

During the night, this information will embed itself deeply in your mind (you may even find you dream about it!) and you will wake up the next morning able to remember it so much more easily.

Peace, rest and silence all help the mind to consolidate any information it has taken in during the day – and sleep gives you all those things. Don’t be tempted to fuel your brain with caffeine and sugar so you can stay up late and fit in extra revision hours – you are actually doing yourself a disservice by turning up to an exam bleary-eyed on a few hours’ sleep.

Get an early night instead, and allow your body and mind the chance to naturally recharge.

4. Learn in short bursts

Get prepared, start early and give yourself plenty of time to learn, rather than cramming everything in at the last minute. Do your learning in short sharp bursts and take plenty of breaks at regular intervals to give your mind a chance to process that information.

During those breaks, get up, move around, drink some water, and get some exercise and fresh air if possible. Oxygenate those brain cells! The mind and body are inseparably linked, so if you treat your body well, your brain will work better too.

5. Be prepared – and then prepare some more

When you’re confident you fully know the information you need, then begin to practice it while doing something else. This could be something as trivial as doing housework, or exercising. You want to make sure that the information is fully committed to your memory and you know it like the back of your hand – even when you’re not in full concentration mode.

The reason I recommend this is because when you go into a situation such as a stage performance or public speaking event, you are likely to have very little control over the situation.

There may be many distractions going on while you deliver your presentation – people walking in and out, or even asking you questions, or there may be unfamiliar technology to deal with, etc.

I recently gave a talk at a busy event that was so noisy I had to shout at the top of my voice to be heard – even though I was using a PA!  So no matter what the situation, you need to be prepared to deliver your information without having to concentrate too deeply on it.

6. Learn to relax

When you are actually using the information you’ve memorised, you’re likely to be in a very different mind-space than when you’re in the process of learning.

You see, while you were nice and relaxed in the comfort of your own home, you may have felt confident that you knew those words/songs/chemistry equations – but when it comes to that high-pressure situation with an audience (or exam paper!) sitting in front of you, increased levels of stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol can make it harder for your mind to access that information.

So it’s really useful to know how to relax, whatever situation you’re in. Practice stress and anxiety reducing techniques like deep breathing and mindfulness. If you’re not sure how to do this, here’s a link to a short guided relaxation recording I created: Natural Chill Zone

If you’d like to look more into natural ways to relax, I also have a free online course in coping with stress and anxiety coming out soon, so if you’d like to be the first to know when it’s available, sign up to my free newsletter at Cherry Therapies

Well, I hope you’ve found these tips useful.  If you have any other strategies you love to use, please leave a comment below.  Good luck, and whatever you do, never stop learning – it’s what keeps us alive 😉