Day 312: On Learning Without a Desire to Learn

Just as eating contrary to the inclination is injurious to the health, study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.

—Leonardo da Vinci 313

You can learn almost anything you want as long as you have a desire to learn. Without a good reason why you want to learn something — or worse, being forced to learn it with no interest whatsoever on your part, as is often the case with college students — you’ll retain little of what you learn.

The reason is simple: the human brain needs to be picky about what it remembers and what doesn’t, so if you consider a fly on the wall as more exciting than the subject of your study, you’ll be more likely to remember the fly’s position during the entire hour of the class than the topic of your lesson.

For example, I once took a few Russian classes to prepare myself for a trip to Kyrgyzstan, a rugged mountainous country in Central Asia.

However, unlike with Spanish, a language I speak fluently and am fond of, I couldn’t develop an interest in Russian. My classes weren’t particularly effective because, deep down, I had little desire to learn that language; there was no positive emotional connection with it .

That’s why I so strongly emphasize that each endeavor — including the goal of learning a new skill — needs to start with a strong desire. If you don’t have that, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle.

If you’re forced to learn something and are struggling, try to find something interesting about the subject. For example, you might find that Russian grammar is not particularly interesting, but perhaps trying to improve your accent in it is fun for you.

You can also use educational resources that teach in an entertaining way. YouTube videos can be a good source for that. When it comes to learning languages, I’m a big fan of watching TV series that are broadcast in that same language.

If you still can’t find anything exciting in learning the topic itself, turn toward the reward it offers you, such as a promotion at work or being able to graduate from your learning program, and use that (the reward) as your sole motivation. Be careful, though: extrinsic motivators are weak motivators, and it’s always better to combine them with internal rewards, like the enjoyment you get from learning or from the challenge it poses for you.