Intentional Learning: How Can it Lead to Boundless Development?

Note: This article is based on the blogger Dean Bokhari, who tells us about his experience practicing intentional learning.

Certain things we learn might impose on us suddenly, like when a friend tells you a story you can't stop thinking about. Other things we learn might come to us indirectly, like when watching the news or listening to an audiobook while running.

However, when we intend to learn something, it indicates that we have a purpose and want to investigate and comprehend it and finally apply its concepts in our lives. Unlike accidental learning, intentional learning has a purpose, is goal-based by nature, and is intentional.

If you are a committed individual constantly working toward long-lasting personal growth, then taking a deliberate approach, especially learning, is essential. In this post, I will provide you with seven strategies for practising intentional learning to maximise the effectiveness and impact of your learning endeavors, regardless of the subject matter you wish to learn.

How to practice intentional learning?

Intentional learning is about focusing on learning specific things for a precise goal. Here are some examples that may prompt you to practice it:

• If you want to learn how to start an online business, you can search for the topic on Google and read many articles.
• If you want to surprise your partner on your next anniversary by preparing their favourite dish for dinner, you can enrol in a specially designed cooking course to learn how to make it.
• If you want to learn a new language, you can use learning programs like Rosetta Stone to help you.
• If you want to delve deeper into a topic like personal development, you can read two or three best sellers or listen to podcasts about self-development.

Now that we've identified what we'd like to understand. Let's move on to the specific tips with which you'll learn how to practice intentional learning:

1. Establish a purpose for your desire to learn

The first step in practising intentional learning is defining your goals and destination. By planning your learning, you can make it easier to remember and apply the knowledge you will gain in the long run. You can delve deeper into and clarify the motivation behind your desire to learn by using the following questions:

• What goal (or desired outcome) do you seek to achieve?
• Why do you want to achieve it?
• What kind of issue are you attempting to resolve using the knowledge you hope to acquire?
• What knowledge is required to address your issue or fulfil your learning objective?
• What is the most effective way to learn it?
• How can you tell whether your desire to learn has been fulfilled?

2. Exhibit an intense thirst for knowledge

I decided to be lean when I was around 19 years old; at the time, I was leading a very unhealthy lifestyle, my body was inconsistent, and I hardly ever had the energy to do anything. I was also ready to change because I didn't feel good about myself when I looked in the mirror every morning.

In the past, I have made a lot of unsuccessful attempts to learn about health and fitness. I've also looked for workouts I could perform at the gym, but I've never done them. Finally, I have tried eating healthier but always gave up and ordered prepared meals from restaurants.

After realising the harsh reality one day, I asked myself if I truly wanted to live my entire life in this manner, to which I knew the answer was no. That day, I can still clearly recall standing in front of the mirror and feeling disgusted by my asymmetrical body. I decided that enough was enough at that point. I was sick of feeling like this, living an unhealthy lifestyle, and not being happy with how I looked.

Subsequently, I envisioned my feelings if I could transform myself, acquire comprehensive knowledge about exercise, diet, and consuming nutritious foods, and utilise what I discovered in the kitchen and gym. The sensation I experienced was indescribable. I started to consider all the advantages to my life that could result from learning how to have a slim body and doing whatever it takes to get it. When I consider how amazing this feeling was, it created an intense desire to make this dream come true. That day marked the beginning of my journey toward making these changes, and I haven't turned back.

On the same day, I spent ten hours reading and learning about diets, proper nutrition, and exercise. I then made plans and followed through on them. The outcomes I had always imagined soon appeared in front of me. My body began to feel more in harmony, I had more energy, and I felt better than I had in the past. I created a new version of myself and experienced an unfathomable emotion. This shift was a turning point in my life, and it all began with a strong desire within me to fulfil this goal. Thus, don't hesitate to find the burning desire you want to fulfil via intentional learning and allow it to guide you.

3. Develop a strategy to organise your life

Create a strategy that works for your learning style. Rather than learning at random, consider looking at your responses to the questions I posed in the first two tips and create a curriculum that will help you acquire the knowledge you require as soon as possible. While some people might gain from reading books in their entirety, others might gain more from access to a collection of book summaries on related subjects. While some people prefer working with Coach, others love watching instructional videos on YouTube.

Whatever strategy you choose, organise your affairs in the best way that suits your needs, and never forget that it can occasionally be helpful to take a little vacation and unwind. When we learn something new, we can sometimes give it our whole attention and energy. However, it's vital to remember that learning can also occur when we are daydreaming or occupied with activities unrelated to the new information.

So, give yourself time to absorb what you've learned, and let your mind release and analyse all the information occasionally. At the same time, remember that you should organise and apply the intended learning strategy in line with the priorities you want to achieve through learning. Your desire to learn something should come from deep inside you, not just because your teacher or boss at work has asked you to. Finally, monitor your chosen learning strategies to ensure they meet your needs and advance your learning objectives.

4. Examine the data so you can store it

We have a full day to commit new knowledge to memory after we learn it. This period is called the “forgetting curve.” The basic idea is that you will forget most of the material you have learned after a day if you don't review it. Over the next few days, you will continue to forget more information and can only memorise a small portion of what you initially learned.

If you're interested in practising intentional learning, you might want to steer clear of this circumstance, if possible, but how can you do that? If you have just finished a book, you will most likely recall a significant portion the following day. But what happens after a month or a year? You will eventually forget more than 80% of the information you read, so even though you might not recall anything from it other than the basic facts you tell someone, you won't remember the fundamental ideas.

Let's now contrast this with a song you love and can smoothly and accurately recall the lyrics. Why can you easily recall the words to your favourite with such ease but find it hard to recall key concepts from a book you've read? That is because you essentially review the song by listening to it repeatedly. You can retain more information than they can if you read a book using the same strategy.

Of course, it is illogical to reread a book as frequently as you would listen to your favourite song, but making notes about the book as you read it and reviewing those notes a day later is another way to revisit the concepts it contains. If you review the material after a week, you'll be able to retain more of it and be more successful in recalling it.

It is not required to commit information to memory while going over it again. You can read or learn something, look over your notes, or make drawings to help you remember it. You can also retell what you have learned in your own words and style. You don't have to let boredom consume you. It involves assigning points to letters and approaching the material you have studied from several perspectives.

5. Apply what you learn in your daily life

Knowledge is a "potential" force rather than a force, as is commonly believed. That implies that everything you learn, whether intentionally or accidentally, is useless unless you put it to use in the real world. Using what you have learned to further an objective you have set for yourself is the key to the practice of intentional learning working. If you don't, you will eventually lose most of that knowledge. Instead, find a way to apply what you learn to your everyday life, such as:

• You can put what you've learned about the health benefits of eating foods high in fibre to use by asking what your food's ingredients contain in terms of fibre.
• You can apply a new word you've learned by writing it down or utilising it in conversation.
• If you've learned a new marketing strategy, you can apply it by testing it on part of your business.

Everything you learn has practical applications in your everyday life, and the more you intentionally apply it, the more proficient you will become in the art of intentional learning. Apply everything you learn, and you can better assimilate the knowledge and make connections between it and what you have already learned, which will deepen your comprehension of the subject matter.

6. Review and reflect on the information

Have you ever reviewed pre-test information, hoping it would stick in your mind? Although many people do this, it is not as successful as they believe.  The depth of the knowledge you acquire matters most when learning, not how new it is. The secret to soaking up information is how much mental space you devote to it.

After learning something, take time to digest it and use your imagination to apply it to various situations. Prioritise thinking about it before you sleep and after you wake up, and spend time reviewing everything.

Every Sunday, I take some time to sit down and evaluate everything I've done and understood over the week. I check things out and make notes in my journal about new concepts and things I've learned to keep them in mind.

Thinking back on learning will help you retain new information if you want it in your mind and memory. You only need to practice using some of the thinking styles I listed so you can constantly remember what you've learned. You don't have to use them all.

7. Teach people

 Intentional learning works better when practised through teaching others what you have learned for the following reasons:

• That means that for others to comprehend what you are teaching them, you must thoughtfully arrange the material.
• By observing others' interactions, you can receive helpful feedback on whether the person understands the information you are explaining.
• When you teach someone, you compel your brain to search for efficient means of imparting knowledge so the learner can understand it.
• You'll use fresh metaphors and instances to explain your learning lessons.

All of this works together to help you reinforce information and ideas in your mind.

Conclusion

Now is your chance to apply this knowledge in your own life by practising intentional learning and implementing the new information you read about today. Use, review, apply, and share this knowledge with others to create long-term growth. Limits do not exist for science, and sharing them is essential to achieving the best human potential.