Many of us would like to acquire new skills – at work or home, but maybe write them off as too difficult or simply too time consuming to pursue.

By using accelerated learning techniques, you can rapidly learn skills that normally take months or even years of study.

Here are 5 accelerated learning techniques you can apply to learn anything you want… quickly:

1. Small, measurable goals

When learning new skills, people often confuse ambitions with goals. “Learning how to be a great manager” is an ambition – something that we may aspire to do. “Learn the five steps to delegating a task successfully” is a measurable, achievable goal.

The key to enhancing your learning capabilities is being able to break down all of your ambitions – whatever they may relate to – into a series of small, measurable, and achievable goals.

2. Apply the 80:20 principle

The Pareto principle is a simple rule that says that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your work. It’s mostly used in business (80% of sales, for example, coming from 20% of customers) but it can be applied to anything.

In English, 20% of words make up 80% of written language. In music, 20% of chord progressions make up 80% of all pop songs. Accelerated learning requires that you focus on the vital 20% and avoid wasting time on the less vital 80% of the task.

Apply the Pareto principle to all of your learning, from foreign language vocabulary to computer programming, and you’ll learn faster than ever.

3. Block out distractions and single-task

You can DO two things at once – but you can’t FOCUS effectively on two things at once. 

It’s often far less productive to multi-task than it is to focus on one task at a time.

After you’ve broken your goal down into small, achievable steps, you need to focus on one at a time. Block out distractions – and spend all of your energy working on one task at a time for maximum productivity.

4. Practice as you learn

It’s far easier to learn a skill when you can practice it easily. For example, the basic steps of playing pool – calculating the angle and striking the ball – are very simple, but without a cue in hand to practice with, remarkably difficult to master.

The key to retaining information is practice. As soon as you’ve learned the basics of a new skill – put them to use by creating practical tests for yourself.

5. Use mind maps

Mind maps are powerful tools for accelerated learning and enhancing your information retention skills. By creating a mind map for new skills you’d like to master, you can more easily break them down into smaller steps for study, revision, and practice.

Mind maps help you to visually solve problems, break complex things down into small, simple processes, or just deconstruct a complicated task – and gain a deeper, more practical understanding of almost any topic.