Usually when trying to learn something new I need to repeat the information multiple times for it to stick in my memory. It doesn't matter how important or interesting that knowledge might be. It requires a lot of work.
Then there are times when I just hear or see something just once, briefly. And then I can't get it out of my head even if I wanted to.
It would be nice to consciously be able to do that: learn things instantly without all the repetition, pondering and hard work. Having such a memory would be fantastic.
What I have noticed is that those tibits of information that are easier to learn are usually something that is connected to something I already know, altering or expanding that knowledge. Especially if the new information radically change my view of the previous information. Sometimes it's just something that is not directly connected to anything but just reminds something familiar.
So it seems the key to the rabid learning is making those connections. It's not always apparent and might require some creative thinking to come up with such connections. It's still less work than repeating the information over and over again without learning anything.