The most overlooked step in learning

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu you get a belt to denote your rank. The belts go white, blue, purple, brown, and finally black.

What does the belt ranking system have to do with learning?

It demonstrates the most overlooked step in the learning process and that is… Well before we get there, let me ask you a question.

Which belt promotion do you think is the hardest, white to blue, blue to purple, purple to brown, or brown to black?

A common answer might be brown to black. It makes sense that advancing should be harder at higher levels. But, when you look at dropout percentages an interesting picture emerges.

Ask any gym owner and they will tell you that the largest drop off happens between white and blue. Even though skill wise, white to blue is the easiest, it has the highest dropout rate.

This same thing is true for almost any other skill we learn. Most people will drop guitar after learning less than 4 chords and most people will drop a foreign language after learning less than a 100 words.

Why does this happen?

It happens because we suck at making and then sticking to our goals.

Baked into the assumptions of any learning program is that the learner has the motivation and diligence to stick with it. Learning is a marathon, not a sprint, and you have to treat it as such.

The most important and overlooked step in learning is figuring out a way for you to stick to learning the skill. It sounds obvious and the solution more so, just don’t give up, but it is not. If it was we’d all be super humans having mastered 10 martial arts, 5 languages, and 3 instruments. Life is full of distractions and it is normal to get set off course by them.

So in a life full of distractions how can you be sure to achieve your learning goals?

First You Have to Set a SMART Goal:

Your learning goal can’t be “I want to learn Spanish” . The goal needs to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time sensitive). Instead of “I want to learn Spanish” it should be “I want to learn 100 new Spanish words by October 24”.

You need a goal that is easy to measure success in and that has a deadline.

I bolded attainable because this is something I struggle with. Make sure the time frame and goal are realistic, everyone has limits. Once you have a SMART goal then you can work on ensuring you don’t give up on it.

You Have a SMART Goal, Now How to Stick to It?

Here is the problem with goals, when we set them we are our best selves. We feel motivated, we feel invigorated, we feel like we really can accomplish what we’ve set our mind to. The issue is that these feelings quickly fade.

On the bright side there is a secret to get around this glitch.

Give yourself an unavoidable consequence for not completing your SMART goal.

For example, to get this article done on time I gave my Facebook password to a close friend. I told him to make an obscene post if I didn’t finish on schedule.

The harsher the consequence the more likely you are to complete your SMART goal.

What Does an Unavoidable Consequence Look Like?

Below are some of the unavoidable consequences I have given to myself in the past. Feel free to experiment with one of them or you can try to create your own. The idea is to come up with a consequence that you can only avoid by completing your goal.

Method 1 — Tell as many friends as you can about your SMART goal

No one likes to look like a failure in front of their friends. Tell your closest amigos about your awesome new SMART goal. This gives you social accountability to accomplish your goal on time.

Method 2 — Use the Fear of A Public Performance

A survey by R.H. Bruskin Associates found that people are more afraid of public speaking than of dying. Let’s kick it up a notch and use the threat of a public singing performance as motivation. Pick a crowded public space and tell a group of friends that if you don’t complete your SMART goal on time then you will sing Bohemian Rhapsody or [insert song over 2 minutes long here] in said crowded public space.

Method 3 — Use The Power of Social Media for Motivation

Give a trusted friend the password to one of your social media accounts and tell them about your SMART goal. If you don’t complete your SMART goal on time then they can:

1. Post an embarrassing status (provide a status upfront)
2. Post an embarrassing picture (provide a picture upfront)
3. Message someone you don’t like and say “ I’ve come to the realization that you are better than me”
4. OR whatever you wouldn’t want to happen on your social media.

Method — 4: Bet Money Against Yourself

Sign up for a profile on stickk.com. Here is how it works, you pick an organization you don’t like, an amount, and a time frame. If you don’t complete your goal on time then stickk will donate your money to that organization you hate. You can even invite friends (called referees) to confirm that you’ve completed your goal.

If you don’t want to use stickk you can give 50 dollars to a trusted friend and tell them about your SMART goal. If you don’t complete it on time then have them burn the money in front of you.

*** Important note: Never bet anything that you can’t afford to lose. The bet should be an amount you wouldn’t want to lose but not an amount that would make you unable to pay for rent or buy food. ***

Thanks for reading and good luck with all your goals in life :)