Why Repetition is the Mother of Learning
You know what’s one of the best ways to spot a get-rich-quick scheme?
Whenever the promoter of the product is not mentioning the importance of repetition.
I hate whenever I get bombarded with these ads on YouTube.
These ads talk about:
‘Hey, do you want to learn copyrighting fast?!’
Then they begin to promote their class.
I’m pretty sure I could learn copywriting fast.
I’m pretty sure there are certain frameworks that I could implement to elevate my understanding of the field.
But do I really know copywriting?
Can I adjust with the times, tackle different niches, and feel competent no matter what?
I don’t think so.
It’s because I skipped the reps.
Therefore, I’m not able to tell the difference between bad copy and good copy.
That’s why the famous quote, “repetition is the mother of all learning”, holds true.
Repetition is the language of the neural pathways.
What Religious Schools Get Right
You may be someone who hates religion.
But even you can’t deny something important.
Religious schools understand the importance of repetition.
They understand the true fabric of a human being.
We are not logical creatures at the core.
We become what we repeatedly do.
These schools have been passing down information for generations.
They understand that people are forgetful in nature.
Let’s say you had to learn electromagnetics in detail for your junior year in college.
But by senior year, electromagnetics is a foreign topic.
Why?
Because the mind thinks over 30,000 thoughts per day.
Those thoughts flooded out the electromagnetics.
To apply something from mind to nervous system, concepts must be repeated.
You may think:
‘Wait a minute! Doesn’t the repetition become redundant? I mean, how many times can I hear the same thing without getting bored?’
Great observation.
Allow us to transition to the next part.
Repetition from Angles
There is boring repetition and flare repetition.
Boring repetition is stuff you need to do the same way each time.
No need to get cute with free throws.
Shoot it the same exact way each time.
When the body strays, guide it back to protocol.
But with messaging, it’s best to add a twist to it!
Imagine that you’re a CEO of a company.
The mantra for the company is customer obsession.
As the company scales, the new members need to be on the same page with the mantra.
It would be boring if you keep reciting:
‘Remember folks, we are a customer-obsessed company.’
If you keep saying it like that, the new employees are going to think you’re patronizing them!
Spice up the message.
Keep the theme of the message.
But deliver it in unique ways.
‘Hey, did you guys know that Johnson (one of the production support members) was capable of spotting a defect that helped clean up the workflow? Now we can better serve the customer!’
- This is an anecdote.
‘If you guys look at the charts, our customer satisfaction rates have increased by 3% points!’
- This is a statistic.
So, we’re still holding the grand idea of customer obsession.
But we are repeating it with unique angles.
How to Properly Repeat
Mindlessness is earned.
Practice mindfully, so you can do the execute mindlessly.
When we are repeating something, it’s best that our mind is in it.
This is what separates practice from deliberate practice.
- Practice is when the body is just there.
- Deliberate practice is when the body and mind are there.
I get the struggle though!
If we’re repeating something for a long time without an end in mind, then repetition will feel like torture.
But if we know:
- What act we are repeating?
- And for how long?
Then we have clarity.
In order to repeat, we want to take any form of ambiguity out of it:
- During this time block, I am going to only shoot free throws.
- During this time block, I am only going to practice enunciating by reading this book out loud.
- And during this time block, I am going to have a team meeting to make sure that new members know what our company stands for.
Clarity allows repetition to be fun.
You Become What You Repeat
The main thing that separates the master from the student is that the master has put in more mindful reps.
There is no magic pill for things like this.
Either put in your hours or move out of the way!
Over time, mindlessness is earned.
Repetition allows us to create our own instincts.
I mean… people have been saying this for years!
But every now and then, you need to hear the same message from a different angle.
And that’s what I’m doing with today’s post.
Whether it’s athletics, fitness, leadership…
One concept holds true..
Men lie, women lie…
But neural pathways don’t.
Book to Improve Learning Skills
Learning is meant to be fun.
It only becomes boring when you have no clue how to do it.
We have all the resources to become the smartest generation to ever exist.
However, people don’t know how to learn!
This is where my book, The Modern Day Polymath, comes in.
I get rid of a lot of fluff and teach you how to learn any subject in a systematic manner.
In this book, you’re going to learn how to:
- Use curiosity as a compass.
- Find reliable sources.
- Use the funnels and flywheels technique to achieve critical mass in understanding.
- Create rituals to prioritize repetition.
- Structure anecdotes to make the information real.
Plus, plenty more other topics!
Check out the Modern Day Polymath Here:
