The other day, Youtube suggested me A Math Genius Taught Me How to Learn Anything in 3 Months (It’s Easy). In the video, the speaker discussed Scott Young’s book Ultralearning and the methods outlined within it. As someone curious and interested in learning new things, I decided to order the book and dive into its approach. I wanted to compare it against mine and see what I can improve.
The book is engaging and packed with practical advice. Each chapter begins with inspiring stories of individuals who achieved extraordinary results by master the art of learning in various fields. What stood out to me is how the author introduces each principle, explaining its significance, key factors behind it, and why it matters. He then follows up with actionable tactics for applying these principles in real-life learning projects. This approach resonated deeply with me because I enjoy understanding principles and why they matter, allowing me to choose and modify tactics accordingly. I also appreciate experimenting with different methods, materials, courses, schedules, and techniques in my own learning.
The author outlines nine principles, which I’ll briefly summarize to give you a clear sense of what the book covers:
Meta-Learning: Before diving into a subject, it’s essential to understand how to learn it effectively. This involves “drawing a map” of the topic—breaking down a seemingly overwhelming task into manageable parts and selecting the right tactics and approaches. Scott recommends dedicating 10% of your time to meta-learning and planning, ensuring you always have a clear and structured path forward.
As practical tips, Scott suggests using course syllabi to guide topic selection. He also recommends breaking topics into three categories: concepts, facts, and procedures. Each category requires different learning strategies, so identifying these distinctions can help you plan your approach effectively.
Focus and Mental Strategies: Scott emphasizes the importance of focused, interruption-free sessions and suggests techniques like the Pomodoro method to maintain momentum. A standout idea from the book is the Five-Minute Rule: commit to starting with just five minutes of effort, supported by a schedule to structure your time. I’ve experienced this myself—on days when I didn’t feel like practicing drums, I’d set a simple goal to cover just the essentials. More often than not, I’d find myself immersed, spending two hours straight playing and studying.
One fascinating insight he shares is about matching the type of focus to your mental state. When in a high-arousal state, it’s best to tackle tasks requiring intense concentration or repetition. Conversely, a low-arousal state is ideal for creative work and forming connections. This concept resonated with me, as it made me realize how my arousal levels fluctuate throughout the day. Strategically aligning my schedule to leverage these states could make a significant difference in productivity.
Directness: This principle emphasizes learning by doing. Scott highlights project-based learning as an effective approach—if you want to learn game programming the best way is to dive in and try creating a game yourself.
Drilling: Drilling is an effective way to target and strengthen your weaknesses. The idea is to isolate a specific skill or task you struggle with and practice it intensively until it’s no longer a weak point. For example, if you’re a drummer and find one particular fill in a song challenging, you can drill that section repeatedly until it becomes second nature.
Retention: The author stresses the importance of being intentional about retaining information. Since our brain’s default is to forget, it’s crucial to adopt strategies for remembering facts and patterns. Without a deliberate approach, mastering the skills you aim to improve can become significantly harder.
Intuition and Deep Understanding: The author highlights the importance of developing intuition and a deep understanding that enables you to tackle complex problems. This reminded me of my college experience—some professors would thoroughly explain concepts before assigning problems to apply them, and I often struggled in those classes. Others, however, would teach just the basics and then present problems of increasing difficulty, allowing us to learn through application. I excelled with that approach. Young emphasizes a similar idea: most people find it challenging to apply abstract concepts without first working through concrete examples.
Experimentation: This principle is key to the ultralearning process. Experimentation allows learners to refine their methods and develop unique approaches to mastering a skill. Scott introduces the concept of copy and create, where learners first emulate someone else’s work to understand its nuances before attempting to create their own.
I found the book excellent and deeply relatable, as many of its principles align with approaches I’ve unconsciously used while learning new things. Some principles even matched strategies I had already adopted intentionally. Now, I’m excited to start on my first Ultralearning project—stay tuned for updates!
