Ask HN: How do you learn? Is there a faster/efficient way to Learn?

I find that I must spend a significant amount of time on every new page of technical content to really understand it and soak it in. As I'm reading through any publication I stop after each page and mentally quiz myself on what I've just read just to be sure I'm not faking the funk. It's one thing to understand a concept as you're reading it but I would say that's not enough--you should be able to recall it from memory with the ability to explain it to someone else who has never been exposed to that concept.

This worked for me at my first few jobs and it's working for me now in learning complex systems and tactics as they relate to flying and employing military helicopters.

To augment my reading I also use the spaced-repetition app Anki. This has proved invaluable to me and I currently have over 2000 "flashcards" related to my current occupation.

Take cornell method notes as you watch lectures and do the assigned reading. Go back over notes and teach an invisible class out loud each topic/theorem. Practice on your own everything presented, so in addition to homework assignments you think of your own homework/small projects. Constantly review old notes after new lectures. Work in a quiet area, go to a library if one doesn't exist, not a cafe or in front of a tv or with emails/chat ect open.

Those lectures are self paced so plenty of time for review and practice as compared to pressure of a regular university course load with weekly deadlines.

http://lsc.cornell.edu/notes.html

I listened to Cal Newport's Deep Work a few months ago and am now a regular reader of his blog. He has a wealth of great study tips and articles on staying focused.

http://calnewport.com/