Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
by Scott H. Young
Related videos
9:40
Key concepts from the book, explained in animated format
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Nov, 2019
Spoiler:
Ultralearning involves designing a course of self-study with a self-imposed deadline. The author and a friend learned several languages by giving themselves three months in a foreign country and imposing on themselves a “no English rule,” meaning no English between the two of them, no phone calls home in English, etc. One ultralearning concept is “overlearning.” For example, commit to learning material from a one-year course in six months. If you go beyond the basic requirements, what you learn is more likely to stick.
29:37
Author gives keynote address on learning + slides at WDS
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Sep, 2019
Spoiler:
The author describes five life lessons related to ultralearning, or learning something in a self-directed manner with a self-imposed deadline outside the confines of a traditional classroom. He shares stories about himself and friends who took on ambitious projects, such as learning all the material in MIT’s four-year computer science program in only 12 months. He says that although fear is thought of as a negative, it’s actually very similar to excitement, and that we should try to tweak fear into excitement when possible.
3:13
Author does promo for book in talking-head format + slides
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Nov, 2022
Spoiler:
Young asks us to reflect on every class we’ve ever taken, saying it seems “crazy” that effective learning strategies are not widely taught. Things like spaced-repetition (as opposed to cramming), interleaving, and self-explanations are proven to enhance learning, while typical student go-tos like highlighting and pulling all-nighters are ineffective. It makes sense to study how to learn, given that we not only spend decades in school but then face an onslaught of learning situations in our jobs and lives.
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Author does guest spot on “Stuck to Unstoppable” podcast via video
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Dec, 2021
Spoiler:
Do your goal as soon as possible. If your goal is to be able to converse with someone in Mandarin, start having tiny conversations as soon as you’re able to say a couple of sentences, rather than wasting time learning to write or read Mandarin. Put yourself in an environment where you’re surrounded by people who have your target skill. For example, driving a car is a complex task but all Americans learn to drive because of societal expectation. Growing up surrounded by cars makes them less daunting.
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