Learning new things is hard. Whether you’re still a student or you’re going back to school after a break or you’re just a hobbyist trying to learn a new subject or skill, there are lots of ways to improve your mind. If you’re looking for techniques to help you learn more and faster, here are just a few ideas about where to start.

Practice

There is a notion that people are either good students or they aren’t, like the ability to learn advanced concepts is inborn and cannot, itself, be taught. This is patently untrue. Studying is, itself, a skill, and like all other skills, it can be taught and learned. There are some things that are somewhat inborn. If you’re an auditory learner, you learn best by hearing something, but you can only find that out by trying lots of different things and finding out what works for you. Practice makes perfect.

Scheduling

There is a lot of variation in specific techniques, but there are still basic skills that can benefit every learner. Perhaps the most basic skill you need to develop in order to improve your studying is the ability to run a schedule. If you’re a student with deadlines or someone taking classes part-time between workdays, you need to know how much time must be set aside for study, and then stick to that schedule.

Habit

Once you have a schedule set, you need to stick to it. This is easier said than done, for most people. However, sticking to a schedule gets easier the more you do it. If you make a habit of studying at a certain time during the week or the day, it’s easier to stick to that resolution.

Specific techniques vary from person to person, but without these basic principles firmly set, you won’t make much progress. Build a habit, set your schedule, practice, and keep studying.