How to learn something quickly, reveals a neurologist – Times of India

When we think about learning a new skill—whether it’s playing a musical instrument, learning a language, or perfecting a dance move—most of us focus on repetition. Practice makes perfect, right? Neurologist Andrew Huberman sheds light on something even more fascinating: the power of pauses in fueling the learning process.
The secret is in the pause
Recent research highlights that short pauses during practice are much more than just breaks – they are an integral part of the learning process. Research into gap effects has shown that taking just 10 seconds of rest while practicing a skill allows your brain to repeat and consolidate what you just learned
Here’s the amazing thing: During these short breaks, your brain isn’t just sitting around doing nothing. Instead, it replays the skills you’ve practiced at lightning speed – 20-30 times faster than normal – and often in reverse. It’s as if your brain is rewinding and revising your actions to strengthen the connections needed to perform them better.
Practicing without practicing
Imagine learning a new piano piece or perfecting your tennis serve. After a few repetitions, you stop for a short break. During this pause, the neurons in your brain fire rapidly, simulating the action you were practicing. This neural replay reinforces the skill, essentially allowing you to practice without active movement. Neural recordings show that during these periods of rest, your brain becomes very active, improving your skills and improving your learning, so your next attempt will be even stronger.
Why does it work?
The brain’s replay and consolidation of information while at rest is a fundamental concept through which we learn. When we repeat a skill without pausing, our neurons may not have enough time to process and consolidate the information, but once breaks are introduced, there is a chance to rewire and strengthen those neural pathways associated with a particular skill.
This is how to build a solid foundation: training creates the bricks, but pausing allows your brain to lock them in place.
How to use this information
– If you’re working on learning something new, here’s how to apply this brain hack:
– Practice in small chunks: focus on a skill for a few minutes.
– Take short breaks: pause for 10-15 seconds of complete rest. Let your brain do its work.
– Repeat: alternate practice and rest.
It works for anything from studying to playing sports, helping you progress faster while reducing fatigue.
The big picture
Understanding how the brain learns changes the way we approach the process of skill formation and practice. Discovery shows that sometimes the most important work is doing nothing. By allowing your brain to optimize its processes during short breaks, you not only learn smarter, but also pave the way for long-term mastery.
So next time you’re training, remember: pausing isn’t relaxation—it’s part of the strategy.