How to Optimally Choose How Many Skills to Learn at the Same Time (2024)

Recently, Mathias Barra wrote an excellent article about why you should learn several skills at the same time.

This is sometimes the best solution, but it depends on what you’re trying to achieve. Are you learning skills just to have fun, or are you seriously pursuing a skill with the ambition of becoming world-class? These goals require different means. Most of us find ourselves somewhere in the middle.

You may know that person who is trying to learn to cook, paint, climb, speak Italian, play the guitar, surf, make movies and program. All at the same time. Chances are they are not making much progress on anything.

Then we have those who are completely focused on one thing. The professionals who devote their lives to fine-tune one skill and achieve excellence at what they do. The Lionel Messi’s, Roger Federer’s and Usain Bolt’s.

But what about the rest of us? Chances are that you find yourself somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. How many skills should you be learning at the same time, while still making fast progress?

By understanding what situations it’s best to follow (one path or the other), you can improve your skill learning process and become a much more effective learner. Learn when it’s best to focus on one skill, and when you can improve several at the same time.

I know many people who are successful at learning several skills at the same time. A good example is Danny Forest, who has been learning three skills a month for the last three years. Through the approach of learning three skills for 30 minutes each, every morning, Danny has achieved fast improvement in over 80 skills.

How to Optimally Choose How Many Skills to Learn at the Same Time (2024)

FAQs

How to Optimally Choose How Many Skills to Learn at the Same Time? ›

How many skills to learn at the same time depends on your ambitions for what you're learning. If your goal is to improve as fast as possible, I recommend focusing on 1–3 skills at a time. And if you choose to work on several skills at the same time, you might want to pick one of the skills as your main priority.

How to balance learning multiple things? ›

  1. Learn in Multiple Ways. Focus on learning in more than one way. ...
  2. Teach What You've Learned to Another Person. ...
  3. Utilize Previous Learning to Promote New Learning. ...
  4. Gain Practical Experience. ...
  5. Look Up Answers Rather Than Struggle to Remember. ...
  6. Understand How You Learn Best. ...
  7. Use Testing to Boost Learning. ...
  8. Stop Multitasking.

How to decide what skills to learn? ›

To identify your skills and decide what skills to develop, you could:
  1. think about what you do in your current job.
  2. reflect on your past education and work experiences.
  3. think about the skills you've gained in daily life.
  4. talk to people who know you well outside of work, for a different perspective.

How to acquire multiple skills? ›

How to acquire new skills
  1. Choose skills to learn. The skill you choose depend on your goals and interests. ...
  2. Make time to learn. Set aside time every day to learn and practice the new skills you are gaining. ...
  3. Learn the fundamentals. ...
  4. Choose the tools to use. ...
  5. Create a curriculum. ...
  6. Set specific goals. ...
  7. Share your goals. ...
  8. Set deadlines.
Jun 24, 2022

How to learn any skill 10x faster? ›

Use Crutches to Optimise Focus. Whenever we're learning, it's tempting to do it passively. I sometimes end up watching TV or something while practising the guitar. But, by fully focusing on the thing we're learning, our brains are able to pick things up much faster.

How many skills should you learn at once? ›

How many skills to learn at the same time depends on your ambitions for what you're learning. If your goal is to improve as fast as possible, I recommend focusing on 1–3 skills at a time. And if you choose to work on several skills at the same time, you might want to pick one of the skills as your main priority.

How to learn several things at the same time? ›

Here are a few tips:
  1. Choose two skills that are related. This will make it easier to learn and integrate the new skills into your existing repertoire. ...
  2. Set realistic goals. Don't try to learn too much at once or you'll quickly become overwhelmed and discouraged. ...
  3. Practice, practice, practice! ...
  4. Be patient.
Dec 22, 2022

What is the most effective way to learn a skill? ›

Expertise expert offers 8 tips for learning a new skill
  1. Find a guide. People need explicit directions to begin. ...
  2. Set up a distraction-free environment. ...
  3. Build endurance. ...
  4. Practice deliberately. ...
  5. Find motivation. ...
  6. Get feedback. ...
  7. Get the right kind of feedback. ...
  8. Be your own coach.
Jan 11, 2023

What is the best skill to learn now? ›

What are the top skills you should learn for the future?
  • Coding. ...
  • Cloud computing. ...
  • Blockchain. ...
  • UX design. ...
  • Critical thinking. ...
  • Emotional intelligence. ...
  • Communication. ...
  • Leadership. Possessing strong leadership skills means that you know how to effectively motivate and direct others, setting up your entire team for success.

How can I pick up skills fast? ›

How to learn faster: 5 ways to tune your brain for new things
  1. Learning quickly gives you a great competitive edge for personal and professional development. ...
  2. Teach others (or just pretend)
  3. Make breaks. ...
  4. Take notes by hand.
  5. Don't be afraid to take a nap!
  6. Use different study methods.

How many skills can a person learn in a lifetime? ›

In theory? Around ten. The average person has around 100,000 spare hours in their life; that's not including work, sleep, eating, chores, etc. Given that it takes about 10,000 hours to master a skill, you may be able to master ten skills.

How to learn twice as fast? ›

By shaking things up and varying your practice routine you can nearly double the speed at which you learn. Celnik notes that it's important not to radically alter your practice. "If you make the altered task too different, people do not get the gain we observed during reconsolidating," he said.

What is multi skill training? ›

multi-skilling. noun [ U ] HR. the practice of training employees to do several different things, or of using employees who can do several different things: They adopted multi-skilling because they wanted a more flexible labour force.

What is the trick to learn fast? ›

While studying or revising things, try to read the key information out loud to stress over it and train your mind to remember it faster. Various studies have shown that reading any information aloud helps process that information faster as it involves both reading & listening.

What do you call someone who is a fast learner? ›

Here is a list of quick learner synonyms that you can use on your resume: Adept: Being adept refers to a person's ability to learn a skill quickly. Capable: Capable is a word that conveys you can handle projects quickly and easily.

How can I memorize 100X fast? ›

How to Learn Anything 100X Faster (Feynman Technique)
  1. Step 1: Choose a Topic. Start by selecting a topic or concept you want to learn. ...
  2. Step 2: Study and Research. ...
  3. Step 3: Explain in Simple Terms. ...
  4. Step 4: Identify Gaps. ...
  5. Step 5: Review and Simplify. ...
  6. Step 6: Teach Someone Else. ...
  7. Step 7: Reflect and Refine.

How to balance playing multiple instruments? ›

Instead, make a plan to practice one instrument in the morning, and the second in the afternoon, or one right after school and another a few hours later after dinner. Experiment with rotating which instrument gets practiced first, and find a routine that works for everyone.

How to study for multiple subjects at once? ›

Planning and Scheduling:
  1. Create a study schedule: Allocate specific time slots for each subject, considering their difficulty and your learning style.
  2. Prioritize subjects: Focus on the most complex or urgent ones first.
  3. Schedule breaks: Don't overload yourself with back-to-back studying.
Apr 14, 2023

How to get good at multiple things? ›

Get in the groove of practicing at the same time of day each day. Try practicing skills related to two talents you're hoping to improve upon back-to-back. Get in the habit of practicing one talent then immediately practicing the other. For example, right when you get home from a daily run, sit down to paint.

What is the interleaving method? ›

Interleaving is a process where students mix, or interleave, multiple subjects or topics while they study in order to improve their learning. Blocked practice, on the other hand, involves studying one topic very thoroughly before moving to another topic.

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