So like I said in the video, everyone has their own way of representing and understanding information. It’s the way we use the most, because it’s the one we’re most comfortable with. When you “just don’t get” something that’s being explained to you, it’s usually because it’s being presented using a modality you aren’t very comfortable with. Think of your lead representational system (a.k.a. preferred modality) as your ideal learning style. This will be the best way for you to learn something as quickly and as easily as possible. I vaguely touched on that in last week’s video. If you haven’t watched it yet, click here.

Essentially, out of the 5 representational systems (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, olfactory and gustatory), only the first three really translate to learning styles.

Visual Learning Styles:

• Books
• Blogs or other online written content
• Research papers
• Writing things down yourself to memorize them

Auditory Learning Styles:

• Podcasts
• Interviews
• Radio shows
• Audio books

Audio-Visual Learning Styles:

• YouTube & similar websites
• Online courses
• Documentaries

Kinaesthetic Learning Styles:

• Doing something yourself through trial and error
• Watching someone else do it before you try it yourself
• Listening to someone explain it before doing it yourself

If you’re a visual learner, you might virtually see certain parts of text being highlighted as you read. If you’re an auditory learner, you might remember minute details a teacher told you years ago. While it’s been proven that we have to apply a variety of learning styles in order to truly learn well, you probably already have a gut feeling as to what works best for you, and what doesn’t really work at all.

Think about some things that you are skilled at doing and try to remember how you originally learned them. Did you draw a mind-map as you were told how to do it? Did you physically follow the movements of another person? Ask yourself these questions for several different skills you’re proud of and see if there are similarities.

Once you have pinpointed your dominant learning style, pick a source that best fits the skill or information you’re interested in learning next. If you’re trying to learn how to surf and you’re a visual learner, watching YouTube tutorials will probably help more than reading a book about it, but again the choice is ultimately up to you and depends on what you feel most comfortable with. This will maximize how much you’ll remember.

If you’re really struggling, here’s a simple formula you can type into Google that will guarantee you find a plethora of learning sources:

Type: “Top 10” + [the topic you want to learn about] + [your preferred medium according to your learning style]

For example, if you want to learn something about cooking and you’re an auditory learner, simply google “top cooking podcasts” and then pick one from one of the many top 10 lists that show up.

Another valuable use for this knowledge of your preferred modalities is to aid the thinking process. Each eye movement stimulates different parts of the brain, so if you want to get your mind off autopilot and take back control of your own thinking, make sure to use each eye movement at the right time. For example, if you want to stop your negative self-talk, make sure you don’t look down and to your left. Instead, reverse it. Look up and to your right, to encourage a lifting of your mood. Know that things will start to “look up” for you and they will seem “brighter”, as a result. If you want to remember a fact you read in a text book, looking up and to your left will help you recall the image.

I’d also like to note that you need not worry about looking people in the eye, if that doesn’t come naturally to you. If you focus too much on forcing eye contact, it can take your attention away from your natural eye movements, and hinder your personal thought process.

These methods are guaranteed to work no matter what you’re interested in learning! Try out these tips and if they don’t work for you, ask for help in the comments below, send me a message, or book a FREE Skype session. I’m sure I can figure out a way to help you.

You can find more Happiness Strategy videos on my YouTube channel, so subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode! I make a new one every single Sunday. If you have any ideas for videos you’d like me to make, shoot me a message here or on YouTube.

Until next time, remember: Happiness doesn’t require energy. It requires Strategy.