Find the Signal in the Noise

When it comes to Learning, People don't lack inspiration, they lack clarity.

"How many books did you read in 2020 ?". You can replace read with any other verb and books with any other form or channel of content. The right question is, 'is this the right question?'. Rather, How is the information getting converted to knowledge? And how is that knowledge transforming into wisdom? There is an overload of information from social media, learning platforms, online videos, e-books, podcasts and webinars are everywhere. Many get into the rabbit-hole of information only to 'feel' good. And sometimes that too is fine but maybe not always. The forms and technology used for content consumption are new, but retention and reflection problems are not new. 

Learning in the Vedic era:

The ancient Indian learning emerged from the Vedas. The four Vedas are Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The focus here is not on the content but the process of learning. What were the methods used for learning during the bronze age of India?

The three key stages of learning were:

Shravan (Listening for consumption):

English translation of this Sanskrit word is listening. Yet, the real meaning of the word gets lost in the translation. Thus Shravan is more than hearing to what the teacher is reciting. It is 'active listening' with curiosity about the subject and the world at large. The International Listening Association (ILA; 2012) defines listening as “the process of receiving, constructing meaning from and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages”. In today's world, this stage includes all the content consumption we do in different ways on different platforms/ sources, as mentioned above. Shravana is about getting into the state of 'flow'. Flow is a state of mind in which a person becomes immersed in an activity. Positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi describes flow as a state of complete immersion in an activity. He adds, "The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to do something difficult and worthwhile." Therefore, learning is an active process where you re-read, make notes, highlight, bookmark and rephrase the content you consume.

Repetition, we say, is the mother of all learning.

Manan (Reflect for diffusion):

Repetition, we say, is the mother of all learning. Something similar to the stage of 'Manan' today can be achieved by combining Reflection and Diffusion.

• Reflection is an integral part of the learning. It helps us to understand the content consumed and also to understand the process of how we are learning and understanding the concepts covered. Many sports players revisit the recordings of their previous games to do this reflection. It's an opportunity to catch our blind-spots and get life-altering insights. Also, when it comes to repetition, rather done doing it all at once studies have shown that spaced repetition is more beneficial for retention of information. Do refer to this post "How to Remember More of What You Learn with Spaced Repetition."

• Diffused mode learning important to understand and pursue. I had read about different modes of learning, and I was also aware of information overload problems. But connecting the dots to write this article happened during my evening walk and not in a study room. When our minds are free to wander, we shift into a diffuse mode of thinking. Professor Barbara Oakley is credited for popularizing this concept focused and diffused forms of thinking. In her words, "Diffuse mode is when your mind is relaxed and free. You’re thinking about nothing in particular. You’re in diffuse mode when you’re daydreaming or doodling just for fun. The diffuse mode helps you make imaginative connections between ideas. Creativity often seems to pop out of using the diffuse mode." I recommend you to do this online course on Coursera, "Learning How to Learn." Also do listen to this Ted talk if you want to know more about diffusion.

Chintana (Meditate for creation):

In the diffused mode, we choose distraction on purpose. In this stage of Chintan, we want to remove distractions. But how? By removing distractions. This may sound funny and easy said than done. But how to remove distractions?

One may think that in the absence of smartphones and OTT platforms, there were no distractions during the Vedic era. No doubt, the physical environment was more conducive for focus and attention, but the monkey mind has always been the same. Their distractions were not Whatsapp notifications and wearable vibrations. But, they also had thoughts about food, fantasies, and checking the time looking at the Sun. They worried about the future, had thoughts of regrets and got distracted in daydreams. There were as many interesting things to think about 3000 years ago as they are today. Mindfulness practices like meditation (dhyana) helped to a certain level, and it can help even today. It takes effort and practice to remove distractions. As one doesn't start running a half marathon on day one, removing distractions and getting deep focus also starts small. It starts in small chunks of 'time-boxing'. It is boring and exhausting, but like running, one starts enjoying it with practice and consistency. Deliberate attention can thus become a second nature to stay focused.

I am sure if we align our learning process to move from capturing to reflection and from reflection to meditation, we will be able to find the signal in the noise. This can help us move from unlimited consumption to meaningful creation.

Note: Do check the previous post on Digital Mindfulness.