#slow learning

Apologies in advance for the long post. I do plan on making a more detailed post on this at a later point hopefully a video but I make no promises these days.

Important note!! Before you start any short- or long-term learning projects, begin a polyglot journal outlining your objectives and check in every two weeks with an extra detailed summary of what you’ve done, haven’t done, dislike, feel needs changing, etc. either once per quarter or 2x year. Your micro-goals, methods and timeline should shift over time, showing that you can reassess the project and try out new things to suit your needs. If you don't update on time it's nbd, but at least try to write a note in your planner or calendar about what you did when because it can be extremely helpful one year later when you try to revisit where you are now and how you got there. 🧿🤍

The main projects from 2019 to today include the following

Greek - Conversational Speaking, 2019

Goal: meet for casual 30-minute lessons with a teacher, 2 or 3x per week to build up conversational skills and high frequency grammar in use as a passive bilingual (it being the native language which I actively lost growing up for various reasons).

Reflection: The real studies were repetition in speech and looking up key vocabulary I would need to use to tell my teacher about what happened in the last week, and my teacher supplied me with additional vocabulary to help me be more specific. Now I have a record of that vocabulary which I can review whenever by topic/story. Plus my family did notice my drastic improvement and asked if I had been studying.

Irish - The Merlin Project (Quarantine Project), 2020-2022 (+ ongoing, needs new methodology because I met my aims a while back at this point)

Aim: Go from A2 to B1 by learning to write so that you can have the skills to be able to read longer texts

Challenge: Rewatch an episode from the last show that you watched and write down what you see in as much detail as possible, making sure to use a grammar point you’re currently studying in your writing. Look up new words to make the text more specific and add them to the description. Correct your text. Watch the same scene again and add more detail, as in the following:

(Basically: first: do a grammar practice, then: watch 30 seconds, write using that grammar, translate dialogue if you want, consult dictionary, write again incorporating the new words and/or make the sentences more complex, at the end: correct your text yourself or with a teacher, start again and repeat until the scene or full episode is complete or you've exhausted the usefulness of the exercise.)

Alternatively just write or translate fanfiction, but I don't say that here.

By self-correcting you should become very confident on the basic skills at your level, whereas the rewriting itself allows for varied attempts at forming sentences and vocabulary acquisition in a specific context.

FYI I posted the project itself along with the notes to my website (here) and intend to share the presentation on the experience I gave in the Gaeltacht this past August soon enough.

Multilingual, select Romance and Germanic languages - The Diana Project, 2022-present

Challenge: dive deep into the rhythm, melody and sound of certain languages (which relate to a poet I’m analysing) via a slow read of poetry and familiarisation with the poet, poet-translator and poet-actor

Components: read, write, translate and recite poetry on the subject of Greco-Roman tragedy (now its shifting to satire after 1+ year or so of tragic influences) from select eras and in select styles, ex. ottava rima, rhyming verse & simultaneously learn about the rhetoric of poetics that influenced these authors and their poems or translations

These writings I’m still adding to my website as part of a translation, recitation and poetry portfolio.

Most recently, I’ve started what I call the Secret Senecan Project which requires reading certain ancient and mediaevil texts on stories I’m familiar with in the original, identifying key words based on context then extrapolating the grammar from their features (declinations, location in reference to other word forms, etc.). The next step will be to compare these predictions with the bilingual translation and consult my grammar books in those languages to confirm or improve my predictions.

I’ve always struggled with learning and studying because I need more time than others do. Today I want to share methods and tips that helped me learn things more effectively. 

First of all I want to mention that learning/studying is not really affected by your inteligence. If you struggle memorising things and understanding certain concepts, it’s okay and it does not make you stupid or any less worthy of success in life!

Make sure you give yourself the time you need -Don’t waste time pretending that you can do it in few hours and don’t wait until last minute just because others are. Sure, it can seem unfair that you have to start sooner than others but it is what it is and you should work with what you have. Figure out how much time you really need to memorise certain volume of information and give yourself that time.

Try things out if you can -If you can live through stuff, DO IT! Try different physics experiments, go and see the plants you’re learning about, engage your body while learning about it in biology. Of course stay always safe though!

Engage as many senses as you can -Even if you can’t try out things you’re learning about, try to engage as many senses as you can. Listen to people talking about it, look up things and see what they look like.

Make sure you understand things -Learning abstract concepts is far more difficult than learning things you understand. This doesn’t apply to maths only. Look up people you learn about in history. Find the artists paintings, writings and music. Really know what you’re learning about!

Write things down -Writing is one of the most effective method of memorising things for me. You can also word information in a way that fits you.

Use mnemonic aids -Make your own and make them as silly as possible

Learn the essential first -When it comes to large quantities of information, it’s very probable you won’t be able to learn it all and that’s okay. Start with the essential and important information and then you can focus on the rest. Knowing the basics will also help you connect details to something you already know well.

Ask someone to quiz you -Getting things wrong and then being corrected is also one of the best ways to learn for me personally. If you don’t have anyone to quiz you, just test yourself! Write down questions to answer and then do so!

Teach someone else as a form of revision -Last hour/minutes before exam I’d spent teaching my class what I know. I’d sum up everything I know to my best ability and it would help me a lot! I would also turn it into a bit of show, telling people my mnemonic aids and using silly language. Not only did I really revise what I know but often I helped others too

Try to make it as fun as possible -Make it silly and fun. Use nicknames for famous people and say things in the silliest way possible. You are way more likely to remember information when it’s fun!

Rest is more important -Do not exhaust yourself and do not push yourself beyond your limits. You will only mix up the information in your brain and you’ll feel really bad. Know when to accept you can’t do more and move on. 

Trust the process -We have a saying “Morning is wiser than evening”. If you feel like you know nothing and it’s late at night, instead of staying up, just go to bed. Trust your brain. In the morning you’ll know more than you thouht you do!

Kids who don’t get it the first time, the second, the tenth. Students who can’t fight right away. People who can’t memorize things or remember lots. People who need lots of lessons. People who struggle.

People who struggle with memory, with hand eye cordination, with certain styles of teaching. Kids who can’t focus on reading three text books to learn everything about everything in a day.

AI for Beginners Who Want Progress, Not Perfection

There’s a lot of noise around AI right now. Everywhere you look, someone is talking about perfect prompts, advanced tools, or complex systems that promise better results if you just learn a little more first.

If you’re new to AI, that kind of advice can quietly do the opposite of what it intends. Instead of helping, it can make you hesitate. It can make you feel like you’re not ready yet, or that you’re somehow behind.

But here’s the truth I keep coming back to: You don’t need to master AI to use it. You don’t need perfect prompts. You don’t need to understand everything before you begin.

AI works best when you use it while you’re learning.

For beginners, progress doesn’t come from doing things flawlessly. It comes from small, practical moments — the kind that don’t look impressive from the outside but matter more than you realize.

Things like: – Rewriting something you already wrote – Organizing scattered ideas into something clearer – Asking how to start instead of how to finish

These small actions build familiarity. Familiarity builds comfort. And comfort slowly turns into confidence.

Finished beats flawless every time.

Confidence doesn’t arrive before you begin. It shows up because you began. Each small interaction with AI makes it feel less intimidating and more like what it actually is: a tool that helps you think things through and move forward.

If you’re just starting out with AI, let progress be enough. Let your prompts be simple. Let your results be rough. You’re allowed to learn in motion.

I don't really have that strong of an opinion on Benny Lewis now, nor do I know much about his current language learning approaches, but in general I dislike flashy fast-approach learning to languages.

Give me ten to fifteen years of French reading, 10 intensive months (after 2 years of gradually building the basics) of Italian, historical linguistics and history related to the 14th century and its literature, and then ask me to read Middle English and see what multilingual jokes its verse has in store for us.

1. Focus on direction, not destination Immerse yourself completely in the journey and you will reach your final goal gradually. 2. Raise your hand Asking questions is a fundamental human right. 3. Learn at your own pace Find your rhythm, find your flow. Don’t compare yourself to others. 4. Unplug

You have the right to disconnect and move your attention towards what’s essential. Learn unplugged, far away from digital distractions.

5. Change your learning path (and mind) Don’t get too comfortable in the habit zone and start with changing the aversion to change. Think differently and learn new things. 6. Take a break

Micro-breaks, lunch breaks, and longer breaks will all improve your learning performance. You have the right to rest. 7. Make mistakes

Don’t fall into despair but Fail Forward. 8. Leave it unfinished

We live in a super busy, multi-tasking, results-oriented society. Step away from your long to-do list and enjoy once in a while the beauty of an unstructured day. 9. Unlearn and forget

Harness the power of unlearning. Reboot your mind, abandon old knowledge, actions and behaviours to create space. 10. Slow down

Sometimes slow and steady will win the learning race. Make haste slowly.