If you want to become a knowledge worker, this is by far the biggest hurdle you need to overcome to propel yourself into learning anything you desire.

This challenge is much harder for people—like I was in this situation—who are not adept at learning during the formative stages of their education, such as high school.

I started this journey as early as July when I began reading “Ultralearning” by Scott H. Young. I didn’t finish it because I was already committed to learning Swift. My main material at the time was “Head First Swift.” So, I decided to focus on just one book at a time, skipping Ultralearning to commit to my Swift studies. Then, from there, I dove straight in, studying various topics in Swift while discovering what would be the ideal way for me to learn.

It took me more than a month to finish this, and as I write this blog, my system is still far from perfect, but I have already learned so much along the way.

This is the framework I have developed for myself. It is important to note that learning can come in two formats: text or oral/video. This blog will encompass both formats to provide some ideas for you all to consider for yourselves. I hope this material helps any of you figure out your learning path early in your careers.

Huge Credit to Jeffrey Kaplan

The content for this writing is hugely based on Jeffrey Kaplan. He is a professor of philosophy at Greensboro, I believe.

I was trying to figure out how to learn on YouTube, but I found myself hating some of the videos from productivity influencers. I remember one time, I clicked on a video, and as soon as the calming music started playing at the beginning, I just quit. Those are your typical productivity gurus, incentivized to release that kind of content to earn views and revenue.

As soon as I started watching Jeffrey’s videos, I knew they would be great. He uses glass as a blackboard, which adds a unique touch. Unlike typical influencers who release videos every week, he isn’t focused on that. This is a good thing because it gives me the assurance that he is more inclined to spread ideas rather than just make money off of them.

To cut through the BS and the nonsensical opinion that I’m about to write, if you want to cut to the chase, you can just watch these videos instead.

• Lecture #9: How to Read so that you Retain Information
• Lecture #11: Taking Notes Effectively - which words should you write down?

The two videos present this common denominator:

Summarize in Your Own Words

That’s it. I know, it’s that simple. I want you to reflect on this (or while watching Jeffrey’s video).

Here are some of the arguments to strengthen this point:

Words are Just Symbols

I think there is an inclination for all of us to capture all of the information word by word, the way we see it in books and the way it is presented in a lecture room or a video course. However, this is a terrible idea.

Do not be the person who thinks that it is essential to capture every word that was said, because words are just symbols.

You can use a multitude of symbols to denote the same information; words are just the method we use to communicate.

Your Boss Wants a Concise Information

This is the prime example that information can be reduced to its simplest form. This is how we work; why don’t you apply that kind of communication to yourself while learning?

This is especially true if you work in a technical field and your boss is not as technical. Your boss doesn’t want to know the exact implementation specifics that you did; they just want to understand the information in a way that is not overly complicated to digest, allowing them to make business decisions.

Approach learning the same way: if you can rephrase it in a way that is much easier for you to understand, then do it. You are the boss; make the information easier to understand for yourself.

That’s basically it. This has been the learning method that I use, and I know that some people already have this kind of approach to learning—they just haven’t perceived it yet. But in all seriousness, you would do yourself a great service by implementing this kind of learning.