Is there anything that can be done to increase our ability to learn as we get older?

I wasted some time in my late teens and early twenties. Now I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I am eating healthily, studying, and practicing the skills that I want to improve. I realize this would be variable for each person and their learning styles, and also the skill they are trying to learn, but what can be done to improve learning? I am thinking along the lines of forcing myself to learn something in a particular manner, or any other activities/legal supplements that improve the ability to learn.