The Science of Self-Learning: How to Teach Yourself Anything, Learn More in Less Time, and Direct Your Own Education (Learning how to Learn Book 1)

by Peter Hollins

1. Gather information. The first step is to retrieve as much data about a topic as you possibly can. Collect anything and everything from as wide a range of sources as you can manage. At this early stage of research, don’t be too discriminating. Get as much as you can from wherever you can find it. Think what it would be like if you searched on Google about a certain topic, got 10 pages or more of results, and clicked on every single link. The point isn’t to get immediate answers; it’s to get an initial, panoramic overview of the subject you’re investigating. So don’t be too restrictive—open the floodgates. Organize the information you gather into general topics, arguments, and opinions. You might find that you are more confused after this stage than when you started—that’s fine and natural. What’s important is that you have everything in front of you, from shallow to deep and from correct to dubious. 2. Filter your sources. Now that you’ve got all the information you need, it’s time to identify what your sources are, what kind of information they present, and whether it’s good or not. This step could reduce the amount of information you’ll study by 75% or even more.