The Two Learning Modes
Your brain has two primary "modes" and most people don't realise just how important it is to use both of these modes together when learning something new.
Focused¶
This mode is pretty self-explanatory: when you are intently studying (reading, listening, watching, doing) then your brain has engaged its Focused mode. You have a narrow focus and you are detail-oriented. This kind of tunnel vision is essential for understanding new information. Your brain acknowledges and grapples with it.
Embrace Confusion
New information — especially in a new area of interest — will bring a natural level of confusion with it. Your brain doesn't have any pre-existing neural pathways to guide your thought process. Focused mode on its own can only get you so far. This is where Diffuse mode comes in.
Diffuse¶
Diffuse mode is the other side of the coin. The good news is that we often use it without realising, which is why doing it consciously is a game changer.
Letting your mind wander; going out for a walk and enjoying the fresh air; taking care of that laundry pile that never goes away. These are some example of Diffuse mode activities. When your mind is completely free from thoughts of the problem at hand, then Diffuse mode can kick in.
In this mode, ideas and information are allowed to roam the halls of your brain, building pathways between knowledge. Making connections! It's in this mode that people sometimes have that light bulb moment when understanding seems to come from nowhere. It doesn't actually come from nowhere, you just relaxed enough for your mind to make neural connections that it was unable to do in the fixated Focused mode.
Don't expect the "Aha!" moment all the time. Most of the time you'll find that upon returning after a break — or even the next day — the information you grappled with is now easier to understand.
Combine the Two¶
When you understand the value of Focused and Diffuse modes individually, you can start to intentionally use them together. You can bounce from one to the other and speed up the digestion of new information.
Finished a particularly gruelling article or chapter? Take a walk, go to the gym, do the dishes, listen to some instrumental music. Give yourself permission to STOP studying so that your brain can work more efficiently. There is little purpose in careering forwards into the next module before your brain has created neural connections for the module you just consumed.
Let the foundation settle before you build on top of it.
This post is part of a series: How We Learn
This content was inspired by A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science — By Barbara Oakley, Ph.D.
