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Ultra-Learning
Status Reading

How to Learn effectively and efficiently and mastering skills

Description
in less time.

Author Scott H. Young

Topic Self Improvement

Total Page 211

Current
211
Page

Progress 1

Start Date @24/10/2024

Notes

It’s Improvement through practice rather than through

passive learning.

Passive learning creates knowledge, Active learning

creates skill.

“Always have a challenge”

Ultra-Learning 1
 Cowen’s thesis of average being over, with the middle part
of the income spectrum being compressed into the bottom
and stretched out at the top.

Principles allow you to solve problems even those you may

never encountered before, in a way that a recipe or
mechanical procedure cannot.

Principles make sense of this world, and even if they don’t

always articulate exactly how you should solve a particular
challenge, they can provide immense guidance.

P#1-Meta-Learning:
Meta-Learning is the process of learning how to learn a specific skill or
concept.

A well-planned Ultra-Learning project, with the right materials and clear

goals, can be completed faster than traditional education.

However, if you choose poorly, you may end up worse off. Meta-Learning
research helps avoid this by identifying areas where you can gain an
advantage over the usual methods.

Determining Why, What, and How.

Why: This is about understanding your motivation to learn. Knowing exactly
why you want to learn a skill or subject helps you focus on what's most
important and save time.

What: This refers to the knowledge and skills you need to succeed.
Breaking things down into concepts, facts, and procedures helps you map
out the obstacles you'll face and how to overcome them.

How: This covers the resources, environment, and methods you'll use when
learning. Making careful choices here can greatly improve your overall
effectiveness.

Answering “Why?”
Ask yourself this question:

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 Why are you learning this specific skill or concept or project?

This question will determine how you approach the project.

There are two main types of motivation:

1. Instrumental Motivation (Upskilling or Career Advancement)

These are skills you want to learn to excel in your career or improve job
prospects.

You need to research if learning this skill will actually help you reach
your goal.

Many people regret making quick decisions and later find out the
skill they learned doesn't provide the desired opportunities.

2. Intrinsic Motivation (Hobbies and Interests)

These are skills or activities you want to learn for personal satisfaction.

You might not know how you'll use them, but they can still benefit you in
the long run.

TACTIC: The Expert Review or Interview Method.

Talking to people who have already achieved what you desire can give you
insights on whether your project will help you reach your goal. This method is
particularly useful for “Instrumental Projects”.

If the expert thinks your project will help you reach your goal, or suggests
mastering something else instead, it's a good sign your motivation and
project might not be aligned.

Reaching Out to Experts:

You can find experts in workplaces, on social platforms, or in forums for

hobbies and other goals.

Most people are hesitant to reach out, fearing rejection or being ignored.

However, most experts are happy to help and offer advice.

To reach out effectively, write a simple and to-the-point email or message:

Explain why you are reaching out to them.

Ask them to spare 15 minutes to answer your questions.

Make the email concise and non-threatening.

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 Do not ask for more than 15 minutes or for ongoing mentorship in the first email.
Some may be willing to help, but it's too much to ask initially.
For Intrinsic Projects:

Asking “Why?” is still relevant.

If you follow a pre-made curriculum, it’s based on what the designer wants you
to learn, not necessarily what you want to learn. Therefore, ask yourself
“Why?” to remove unimportant things and focus on what you intend to learn.

Ask yourself “What are you trying to learn?” This will help you evaluate
different study plans that fit your goals

Answering “What?”
What are you learning?
How is the knowledge structured?

Break down your goal into three categories and brainstorm everything you
need to learn:

Facts

Concepts

Procedures

⇒ It doesn't need to be perfect. You can always revise it later. Just get a rough
first draft. As you learn, adjust your list as needed if it's not quite right.

Concepts:
Write down the things that need to be understood to be useful. Concepts
should be understood deeply and flexibly to create value, not just memorized.

If something needs to be understood, not just memorized, put it in this

category.

Some topics lie between understanding and memorization. Categorize them

based on your perspective, as topics often need to be understood before
they can be memorized.

Facts:
Write down the things that need to be memorized but don't require deep
understanding. You just need to be able to recall them when needed, such as

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 formulas, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

Procedures:
Write down the things that need regular practice to be useful or valuable. These
might involve concepts and facts, or they might not. This includes skills that
require consistent practice, like learning instruments, speaking a language, or
playing sports.

Using Analysis to Draw your Map:

After categorizing, underline the concepts, facts, and procedures you think will
be the most challenging.

⇒ This will give you a rough idea of the obstacles you might face and help you
figure out ways to tackle them in advance.

For example:

For memorization (e.g., formulas or vocabulary) → Use flashcards or

spaced repetition.

For concept understanding (e.g., theories or derivations) → Use additional

resources or teach the concept to someone else to gain a deeper
understanding.

⇒ Knowing your bottlenecks in advance helps you plan your study schedule
more efficiently and discard less relevant tools or resources.
This rough analysis is enough to move on to the next step. With more
experience, you'll recognize patterns in concepts, facts, and procedures that
will help you find new methods to master them effectively and efficiently.
⇒ It's not mandatory to come up with predictions and strategies in your first
project. This is a long-term benefit of Meta-Learning that comes from doing
more projects.

Answering “HOW ?”
How are you going to learn it?

After answering why we are learning it and what we are learning, it's time to
decide "How are we going to learn it?"

There are two methods:

→ Benchmarking Method

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 → Emphasize/Exclude Method

Benchmarking:
Starting Your Project:

Find common ways people learn a skill or subject to create a default strategy as
your "starting point."

For Academic Subjects:

Look at school curricula for that subject.

Check reputed sources like Harvard, MIT, Yale, Stanford, and others.

For Non-Academic Subjects or Professional Skills:

Do online research to find courses, articles, and recommendations.

Find people who have already learned it and interview them to focus on
crucial areas from available resources.

⇒ Invest time in gathering quality resources because it makes a huge

difference in effectiveness. Even if you're eager to start right away, spending a
few hours now can save hundreds of hours later in the project.

Emphasize or Exclude:
Once you find a default curriculum, you can make modifications to it.

This is easier for skills with clear success criteria, like drawing, singing, or
languages. You can usually guess which areas are important before
studying them.

For conceptual subjects, you might not know the terms in the syllabus. Stick to
the benchmark/curriculum until you can recognize the unnecessary parts and
learn a bit more, so you are able to make modifications.
Step 1:

Identify the areas of study or topics that align with your goals.

Step 2:

Omit or delay the parts of your benchmarked curriculum that don’t align
with your goals.

How much Planning Should You Do ?

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 People often fail to do proper research and planning, jumping into projects with
whatever they find at the moment. This leads to gaps in knowledge and
ineffective methods, ultimately derailing the project.

However, research can also be a form of procrastination, especially if the

learning method is difficult or uncomfortable.

Doing a bit more research and planning can become a way to avoid
starting the actual learning.

There will always be some uncertainty in your approach. It's important to

find a balance between insufficient research and overthinking (analysis
paralysis).

⇒ You'll know when you are procrastinating, so just get started!

10% Rule:
A general rule of thumb is to invest 10% of your project learning hours in
research before starting. This percentage decreases as the project time scale
increases.

If you plan to spend 500 to 1000 hours on a project, you don't need exactly
10%. It might be relatively lower, like 5%.

The goal is not to exhaust every learning possibility but to avoid sticking to the
first resource or method you find without exploring alternatives that might be
more effective or efficient.

It's a good idea to be aware of common learning methods, popular

resources, and tools, along with their strengths and weaknesses before
starting.

Diminishing Returns & Marginal Benefit Calculation.

You should continue to do research as you learn. Often, obstacles and
challenges aren’t clear until you start. Reassessing is a necessary step in the
learning process.

You may notice periods where your improvement is stagnant. At this point,
you need to reassess to break through the plateau and reach your goal.

When and How to Do Research:

Compare the marginal benefits of meta-learning to regular learning:

1. Spend a few hours doing more research.

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 2. Spend a few hours doing more learning.

After each, compare the value of learning before and after the new research:

If new meta-learning/research adds more value than learning itself, more

research is still beneficial.

If extra research wasn’t helpful, stick to the plan or method you had before.

⇒ If you keep doing research, it will eventually become less valuable than just
learning. At that point, you can focus on learning.
In practice, research can be variable. You might spend hours and get nothing,
then suddenly find the perfect resource that accelerates your progress.

With experience, planning and research timing will come intuitively. The Law of
Diminishing Returns and the 10% rule provide good approximations for how
much research is required and when.

Long-Term Prospects of Meta-Learning:

The benefits of Ultra-Learning may not be clear in your first project because
it's when you are at the lowest level of Meta-Learning ability. Each project will
update your tools and skills, helping you perform better on successive projects
and creating a positive cycle. Long-term Meta-Learning is something you'll
acquire with experience.

P#2-Focus: Sharpen Your Knife

The struggle with focus, that people generally have come in three broad
varieties.

1. Starting

2. Sustaining

3. Optimizing (The quality of one’s focus)

Problem 1: Failing to start focusing. aka Procrastinating.

Why Do We Procrastinate?
When you start to do something, you might crave another activity or feel an
aversion to the task itself.

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 Step 1: Recognize Procrastination
The first step to overcoming procrastination is to recognize when you are doing
it. Often, we see procrastination as a "much-needed break," "having fun," or
"fear of missing out." Recognize that you might be avoiding a task because it's
unpleasant, or because you prefer another activity.

> Recognizing that you are procrastinating is the first step to avoiding it.
Make it a habit to recognize when you're procrastinating and try to categorize
it:

1. Procrastination to do something different (e.g., eating, checking your

phone, taking a nap).

2. Procrastination due to the difficulty of the work (e.g., it's painful,

exhausting, uncomfortable, or frustrating).

This awareness is necessary for progress. If procrastination is a weakness of

yours, make building this awareness your first priority before trying to fix the
problem.

Step 2: Use Crutches/Mental Tools (5-Minute Rule, Pomodoro,

Calendar)
1. Crutch 1: Recognize what’s unpleasant about the current task (if you avoid
it), or what’s pleasant about an alternative task (if you're distracted). These
impulses don't last long, so ignore them for a couple of minutes and they'll
fade. Convince yourself to do the task for just five minutes before taking a
break.

> Telling yourself to work on a task for just five minutes can help you get
started. Once you start, you may continue for longer without wanting a
break. But, if frequent breaks happen, move to a longer time frame.

2. Crutch 2: If continuing for longer periods is hard, try the 25-Minutes - 5-

Minutes Pomodoro technique. If starting again becomes difficult, go back
to the 5-minute crutch.

3. Crutch 3: Once comfortable with longer sessions, use a calendar to create

time-blocks for your tasks. This helps use your time effectively. If you
ignore the set time-blocks, start again from the first crutch.

> Try building "spontaneous focus" where you use free time to focus on
tasks with the 5-minute rule.

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 Problem 2: Failing to Sustain Focus. aka Getting Distracted.
The second problem people encounter is an inability to sustain focus. They sit
down for a task, like reading, and get distracted by their phone or noise, or drift
off into daydreaming. They realize they’ve been staring at the same paragraph
without understanding it. Just like starting to focus, sustaining focus is also
important. But what kind of focus is best to sustain?

The Flow and the Deliberate Practice:

Flow State
Flow refers to being "in the zone," where you stop being distracted and get
absorbed in the task at hand.
⇒ Flow is the state between boredom and frustration, when a task is neither
too hard nor too easy.
However, there are some limitations:

Flow doesn’t always match the needs of deliberate practice, which requires
monitoring goals, feedback, and error correction. Skilled performers may
enjoy flow during their activities, but it’s not common during deliberate
practice.

Flow is possible during ultra-learning, as many cognitive activities fall within

the difficulty range that makes flow likely.

Active learning, which involves deliberate practice, often includes

uncomfortable situations, making flow harder to achieve.

Self-consciousness, which is absent in flow, may need to be present in

ultra-learning and deliberate practice to consciously adjust your approach.

Solving harder problems and pushing yourself to improve can resist

automatic patterns, making flow harder to achieve.

> Your goal is to enhance your learning, which involves pushing through
frustrating sessions that may not be ideal for flow.
Remember, intense learning now will make skillful practice more enjoyable in
the future.

How long a learning session should be ?

Research suggests that longer focus periods aren't always optimal for learning.

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 Breaks: People retain more when practice is broken into different studying
periods rather than crammed together.

Interleaving: Alternating between different aspects of a skill or knowledge,

even within a solid block of focus, can be beneficial.

If you have several hours to study, it's often better to cover a few topics rather
than focusing exclusively on one.
> There are trade-offs, though. If study time becomes too fragmented, it may
be difficult to learn effectively.
> Fifty minutes to an hour is a good length of time for many learning tasks.
If your schedule only allows for concentrated chunks of time, such as once per
week for several hours, take short breaks at the end of each hour and split your
time over different aspects of the subject.
> Find what works best for you, considering not only what's optimal for
retention but also what fits your schedule, personality, and workflow.

Distraction Source 1: Your Environment

The first source of distraction is your environment.

Phone, internet, television, games, noises, and sounds.

While working, you might search for pens, books, etc., which can disrupt focus.
This is often ignored, just like procrastination.

You might think you focus better with music, but it can be a low-level
distraction.

Avoid multitasking to increase productivity. Multitasking feels fun but isn't

suitable for ultra-learning, which requires full concentration.

Distraction Source 2: Your Task

The second source of distraction can be the task itself. Some activities are
naturally harder to focus on.

Choose learning tools that are easier to focus on.

The author said, "I wouldn’t opt for a tool that is much less direct or offers
no feedback, simply for the sake of greater focus."

> Intense strategies, like solving problems, creating something, or explaining

ideas aloud, are harder to do in the background of your mind, reducing

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 distractions.

Distraction Source 3: Your Mind

The third source of distraction is your mind. Negative emotions, restlessness,
and daydreaming can be major obstacles.

A calm and clear mind is the best state for learning or performing tasks.

Deal with negative thoughts and emotions first, as they hinder learning.

Acknowledge random worries, be aware of them, and gently refocus on

your task.

> Allowing negative feelings to pass isn't easy. Emotions can hijack your mind,
making it feel like a Sisyphean task to return to your project.

By not reacting to emotions and not abandoning your task, you'll weaken
their intensity and strengthen your commitment to continue working in the
future.

> Learn to let feelings arise, note them, and release them. This can reduce
the behavior you’re trying to avoid.
If continuing to work feels pointless due to negative thoughts and emotions,
remember that strengthening your ability to persist will be useful in the long
term. Time isn't wasted even if you don’t accomplish much in that session.
> Think of it as a muscle; train it harder now, and it will be easier in the
future. 🙂
Problem 3: Failing to Create the Right Kind of Focus.

Optimal Degree of Alertness for Learning

Arousal Levels
Arousal is your overall feeling of energy or alertness. When you're sleepy, you
have low arousal; when you're exercising, you have high arousal. This affects
your body in various ways, like:

Faster heart rate

Increased blood pressure

Pupil dilation

Sweating

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 High Arousal:

Creates keen alertness with a narrow focus but can be brittle.

Useful for simple tasks requiring intense concentration, like athletes' tasks.

Too much arousal is counter-productive, causing distraction and difficulty

in focusing.

Relaxed Focus:

Beneficial for complex tasks, like solving math problems or writing essays.

Requires considering many different inputs and ideas.

No Focus:

Sometimes, taking a break helps with creative tasks by widening your focus
and leading to "Eureka!" moments.

Relation Between Task Complexity and Arousal

In an experiment, sleepy individuals did better on cognitive tasks in a noisy
environment than well-rested individuals. Noise increased arousal levels,
benefiting the sleepy ones but countering the well-rested ones' performance.

Complex Tasks: May benefit from lower arousal (e.g., solving math
problems).

Simpler Tasks: May benefit from a higher arousal state.

> Find what works best for you since everyone is different.

Improving your Ability to Focus.

> Recognize your current state. If you can't sit still for a minute, start by sitting
still for half a minute. Gradually, this will increase to one minute, then two. Over
time, the frustrations you feel while learning may turn into genuine interest.
Each time you resist the impulse to be distracted, that impulse weakens.

“With patience and persistence, your few minutes may grow into enough
time to accomplish great things.”

P#3-Directness : Go Straight Ahead.

Directness means learning in a way that's closely tied to the situation or
context you want to use it in.

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 Many of us build the wrong skills for the careers and personal achievements we
want.

Direct Learning: Learning the thing we want directly feels uncomfortable,

boring, or frustrating. So, we settle for books, lectures, or apps, hoping they
will make us better at the real thing.

Learning Activities: Should always be connected to the context where the

skills will be used.

The most important resource for passing classes is access to problem sets, not
recorded lectures. Covering the material first is essential, but real learning
happens while doing the thing you want to get good at.

Transfer:
Transfer is applying something learned in one context (like a classroom) to
another (like real life). The education system aims for transfer but often fails to
achieve it at scale.

Paradox of Transfer: When we want it, we don't get it, but it occurs all the
time.

Limited Knowledge: Transfer is harder with limited knowledge. As we gain

more knowledge and skill, they become more flexible and easier to apply
outside their original context.

Overcoming the Problem of Transfer with Directness

Directness solves the transfer problem in two ways:

1. Learn Directly: Connect learning directly to the area where you want to
apply those skills. This reduces the need for transfer.

"If our learning is welded to a place or subject matter, it's better that
those situations be close to where we want to use them."

2. Learn in a Real Context: Real-life learning helps with transfer to new

situations.

Learning rarely depends on easily articulated knowledge but on how

that knowledge interacts with reality.

When learning new things, always strive to tie them directly to the context you
want to use them in.

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 How Ultra-learners Avoid the problem of Transfer
and Learn Directly ?
The simplest way to be direct is to learn by doing. If possible, spend a good
portion of your learning time doing the thing you want to get better at, and the
problem of directness will likely disappear. If this isn’t possible, create an
artificial project or environment to test your skills. What matters most is that the
cognitive features of the skill and the way you practice it are substantially
similar.

Many ultra-learners aim to understand a subject deeply, like gaining a deep

understanding of computer science, rather than a practical goal like
building an app. Even in these cases, directness still matters; it's just less
obvious where to apply these ideas.

> Although research on transfer is often discouraging, there is hope. Gaining a

deeper knowledge of a subject makes it more flexible for future transfer.

Knowledge starts out brittle and specific to the contexts we learn it in, but
with more work and time, it becomes flexible and broadly applicable.

> Many ultra-learners specialize in a smaller subset of fields and master

transfer, largely due to their depth of knowledge, making transfer easier to
accomplish.

How to Learn Directly ?

Directness means learning in a way that's closely tied to the situation or
context you want to use it in. Learning directly can be frustrating and
challenging, but it leads to more effective learning.

Tactic 1: Project-Based Learning

Many ultra-learners use projects instead of classes to learn skills. If you
organize your learning around producing something, you’re guaranteed to learn
how to produce that thing. For intellectual topics, creating a project, like writing
a thesis paper, helps you learn deeply.

Tactic 2: Immersive Learning

Immersion involves surrounding yourself with the environment where the skill is
practiced. This requires lots of practice and exposes you to various situations

Ultra-Learning 15
 where the skill applies. Joining communities engaged in learning can have a
similar impact.

Tactic 3: The Flight Simulator Method

When direct practice isn't possible, like with surgery or piloting, simulate the
environment. Focus on cognitive features where you need to make decisions
and cue knowledge. For example, learning French through Skype tutoring is
more effective than using flashcards.

Tactic 4: The Overkill Approach

Enhance directness by increasing the challenge. Put yourself in an environment
with high demands to ensure you don't miss any important lessons or
feedback. This might feel intense, but with enough motivation, it's easier to
continue long term. Aim for a higher level of performance to push yourself.

Learn Straight from the Source

Always ask how and where the knowledge will manifest itself. If your learning
isn't directly connected to the context you'll use it in, be careful as transfer
problems may occur. Doing a lot of direct practice is crucial, but bulk practice
alone isn't enough.
Next, we’ll discuss the principle of Ultra-Learning: Drill.

P#4-Drill: Attack Your Weakest Point.

Take care of the bars and the piece will take care of itself.
~Philip Johnston.

Slicing a Task:

Break down a task into sophisticated sections.

Improve each section one by one through deliberate practice.

Challenging Ideas:

Challenge another’s ideas with probing questions instead of direct

contradiction.

Avoid abrupt contradiction or argumentation.

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 Focus on being a humble inquirer and doubter.

The Chemistry of Learning.

The rate-determining step in a reaction is the slowest part of a series reaction,
causing a bottleneck and defining how much time the reaction will take.
Learning works similarly; certain aspects of learning are the rate-determining
step, which controls your proficiency or speed of learning.
For example:

Poor vocabulary when speaking other languages

Weak foundations and calculative speed in mathematics

> By identifying a rate-determining step in your learning, you can isolate it

and work on it specifically. Since it governs your overall competence,
improving it will help you progress faster than practicing every aspect of the
skill at once. This is called DRILL.

Drills and Cognitive Load

Rate-determining steps are components of learning that affect overall
performance. Identifying and working on these steps through drills can improve
learning efficiency.
Even if there isn’t a specific rate-determining aspect, drills are still beneficial.
When learning a skill, multiple aspects demand cognitive resources. Focusing
on one aspect while ignoring others creates a learning trap, leading to
imbalanced performance.
> Drills help by simplifying skills, allowing you to focus on one aspect at a
time and give importance to all aspects relatively.

Directness vs. Drills

The last principle, Directness, suggests working on a skill as a whole, close to
the context you'll use it in. However, drills involve breaking down skills into
isolated components. How should this paradox be addressed?

By integrating both approaches:

1. Use direct practice to work on the skill in real-life situations.

2. Apply drills to target and improve specific components of the skill.

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 Combining these methods ensures holistic improvement while addressing
specific weaknesses.

The Direct-Then-Drill Approach

The contradiction between drills and directness is resolved by alternating
cycles of both, called the Direct-Then-Drill approach. Academic strategies
often focus only on drills, hoping skills will eventually transfer, but this usually
fails.
Step 1: Practice Directly

Figure out where and how the skill will be used.

Practice the skill in real situations (e.g., speaking a language, coding,

writing).

Step 2: Analyze and Isolate

Analyze the skill and isolate the rate-determining components or difficult

subsets.

Develop drills for these components and practice them separately.

Step 3: Reintegration

Return to direct practice and integrate the components back together.

This step checks for hiccups in transfer and ensures the drills were well-
designed.

Reasons for Reintegration:

1. Combining isolated parts can be complex and increase cognitive load.

2. Feedback helps minimize wasted time on ineffective drills.

Early Stages of Learning:

Alternate quickly between direct practice and drills.

Identify and focus on core components.

As you approach mastery, spend more time refining components.

Result:
Your understanding of how complex skills break into components will become
more refined, making improvement harder but more accurate.

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 Tactics for Designing Drills:
1. Figuring Out When and What to Drill:

Identify rate-determining steps in your performance.

Focus on aspects that give the greatest improvement with the least
effort.

Look for aspects of the skill that need to be juggled simultaneously but
are hard to improve.

Experiment to find what's holding you back, and adjust based on

feedback using the Direct-Then-Drill Approach.

2. Designing Effective Drills:

It’s tricky to design drills that improve a component without removing

the difficulty of real application.

Make sure drills replicate the challenging aspects of the skill.

3. Drills Are Hard and Uncomfortable:

Practicing weak areas in isolation takes immense effort and can be

unpleasant.

It’s easier to focus on things you’re already good at, but that's not
effective.

Drill Techniques

Drill 1: Time Slicing

Isolate a slice in time of a longer sequence and drill that slice until mastered.
Add it back to the sequence and perform the entire skill.

Example: Musicians drilling difficult notes, soccer players drilling dribbling

and penalty kicks.

Look for parts of the skill with heightened difficulty or importance and drill
those moments in time.

Drill 2: Cognitive Components

Focus on specific cognitive components rather than a slice of the larger skill.

Ultra-Learning 19
 Example: In math, practice calculations, concepts, and formulas separately
to improve overall problem-solving skills.

Drill 3: The Copycat

Copy the works of others and focus on one aspect to practice.

Example: Musicians copying others' works to focus on specific

components.

By copying the parts of the skill you don’t want to drill, you can concentrate
exclusively on the component you want to improve.

Drill 4: The Magnifying Glass Method

Perform the skill as a whole but focus more on the part you want to improve.

Example: Spending extra time on research while writing articles to develop

new habits and skills.

Drill 5: Prerequisite Chaining

Take up a skill you’re not prepared for and analyze your performance to
pinpoint areas for improvement.

Example: Taking a test unprepared and using the results to identify

concepts to train on.

Addressing the Contradiction Between Drills and Directness

The contradiction between drills and directness is resolved by alternating
cycles of both, called the Direct-Then-Drill Approach.
Step 1: Practice Directly

Figure out where and how the skill will be used.

Practice the skill in real situations (e.g., speaking a language, coding,

writing).

Step 2: Analyze and Isolate

Analyze the skill and isolate the rate-determining components or difficult

subsets.

Develop drills for these components and practice them separately.

Step 3: Reintegration

Ultra-Learning 20
 Return to direct practice and integrate the components back together.

This step checks for hiccups in transfer and ensures the drills were well-
designed.

Reintegration Benefits:
1. Combining isolated parts can be complex and increase cognitive load.

2. Feedback helps minimize wasted time on ineffective drills.

Early Stages of Learning:

Alternate quickly between direct practice and drills.

Identify and focus on core components.

As you approach mastery, spend more time refining components.

By combining these methods, you'll ensure holistic improvement while

addressing specific weaknesses in your learning process.

Mindful Drilling:
To many of us, drilling might seem counter-productive due to our experiences
in school, where we were drilled to memorize facts, procedures, and concepts
that seemed like a waste of time.
This was because we were never told how those drills fit into the broader
context. Drilling without context is counterproductive and mind-numbing.

> Once you've identified the bottleneck preventing you from mastering a skill,
those drills gain new purpose.
In Ultra-Learning, the student is motivated by their own goals rather than
external forces. It's up to the student to enhance the learning process by
accelerating learning in specific areas they find difficult.
This approach transforms drills into creative and imaginative exercises as
students tackle complex learning challenges by breaking them into specific
parts.
> Drills are uncomfortable and provide a reality check on areas where we lack
competence.
If we let ourselves choose drills based on comfort, we'll mostly engage in
subjects where we feel competent, compromising the purpose of drills.

Ultra-Learning 21
 > Drills require identifying core weaknesses and directly addressing them. This
demands strong motivation and comfort with being uncomfortable and learning
aggressively.
"The difficulty and usefulness of drills repeat a pattern that will recur
throughout the Ultra-Learning principles: that something mentally strenuous
provides a greater benefit to learning than something easy."

P#5-Retrieval: Test to Learn.

Effectiveness of Retrieval Practice
An experiment on three groups of students using different study methods—
passive reviewing, concept mapping, and retrieving information—showed that
the retrieval method outperformed the other two. It yielded better test scores
overall and surpassed the concept mapping group in concept mapping tests.
Students often opt for passive reviewing, thinking they lack enough knowledge
to test their retrieval skills. However, when required to use the retrieval method,
students achieve higher scores than with their chosen method. This
demonstrates that, regardless of their readiness, the retrieval method is more
effective, especially when combined with looking up answers.

Is Difficulty Desirable?
What makes retrieval so much better? “Concept of Difficulty”
Free Recall tests > Cue Recall Tests (Hint-Based Testing) > Recognition Tests
(MCQs)
> The idea of desirable difficulties in retrieval makes a potent case for the ultra-
learning strategy. Low-intensity learning strategies typically involve either less
or easier retrieval. Pushing difficulty higher and opting for testing oneself
well before being ‘ready’ is more efficient.
Delaying the first test of a newly learned fact has some benefits over testing
immediately. However, delaying the test too long is counterproductive, as the
information may be forgotten entirely.
> The idea is to find the right midpoint, far enough away to make whatever is
retrieved remembered deeply, but not so far away that you’ve forgotten
everything.

Ultra-Learning 22
 Should You Take the Final Exam Before the Class Even Begins?
Forward Testing Effect:
This is an effect observed in retrieval experiments where retrieval not only
helps you remember the topics or concepts that you have learned, but also aids
in learning new information better.
The causes are generally:

1. Search Strategies:

Retrieval, or taking a test on topics one hasn’t learned yet, makes an

individual programmed to find knowledge and develop structures even
before they’ve been learned. It’s like constructing roads to buildings
where they could be built.

2. Attention Mechanism:

Confronting a problem without knowing the solution makes a person’s

mind automatically hunt or spot information that looks like a solution
when the person learns it later.

> Practicing retrieval not only helps a person learn and remember material
better but also enhances their ability to learn new information through retrieval
testing, even if they haven't encountered it before.

What Should Be Retrieved?

Retrieval may take less time than learning the same thing through reviewing, yet
not learning something is still faster than both. So, what should be retrieved and
what should be avoided?
You need to learn things that will be used frequently in exercising your skill.
Things that are rarely used or are easier to look up than to memorize don’t need
to be retrieved. However, you should still be aware of the things that aren’t
being retrieved and recognize them when needed.
For example, while solving a math problem, you can solve it to the best of your
knowledge and memory. However, if you need to look up something essential
to solve the problem, you must first identify what you need to look up. Without
this recognition, you would fail to solve the problem. Therefore, you should
have a basic understanding or recognition of the missing content or topic so it
can be looked up later.

Ultra-Learning 23
 > Being able to look things up is an advantage, but without a certain amount of
knowledge inside your head, it doesn’t help you solve hard problems.
The thing that separates mediocre individuals from great ones isn’t the
range of problems they can solve, but that the great ones know dozens of
ways to solve a problem and can select the best one for each situation. This
kind of breadth requires a certain amount of passive exposure, which in turn
benefits from retrieval practice and is unavailable in direct practice because
of the narrowness of knowledge in its approach.

How to Practice Retrieval

Retrieval works, but it’s not always as clear and easy as reviewing, where you
just open a book and go through it until it’s retained. Moreover, most books
don’t have a handy list of questions at the end to test your memory. Here are
some methods for practicing retrieval for almost any subject:

Tactic 1: Flash Cards

Flash cards are a simple and effective way to learn paired associations, like
questions and answers. Traditional paper flash cards are powerful, but spaced-
repetition systems have largely replaced them. These software algorithms can
manage thousands of "cards" and organize a review schedule.
The main drawback of flash cards is that they work best for specific types of
retrieval, where there's a clear pairing between a cue and a response. This is
perfect for memorizing foreign-language vocabulary, maps, anatomical
diagrams, definitions, and equations. However, when you need to remember
information in variable situations, flash cards can be less effective. For
example, programmers can memorize syntax with flash cards, but applying
concepts in real programs often doesn't fit the cue-response framework.

Tactic 2: Free Recall Method

This simple retrieval method involves closing a book or lecture after finishing a
section and writing down the main points and information from memory on a
blank sheet of paper. It's not an easy process; you have to try hard and force
yourself to remember, often missing some points. However, this difficulty is
desirable and leads to progress, helping you remember the information better.

Tactic 3: The Question-Book Method

Ultra-Learning 24
 Most students take notes by copying main points. Another effective method is
to create questions to be answered later, with cues for where to find the
answers. This helps generate material for retrieval practice.
For example, instead of writing "India gained independence in 1947," write
"When did India gain independence?"
A common mistake is creating irrelevant, detailed questions and missing the big
picture. This happens when you lazily restate facts as questions. To avoid this,
limit yourself to one question per section, focusing on the main point rather
than irrelevant details.

Tactic 4: Self-Generated Challenges

The mentioned tactics work well for retrieving simple information like facts or
summaries. However, they aren't effective for skills that require hands-on
experience. Simply recalling information about skills isn't enough. You need to
create your own challenges as notes while studying, so you can practice them
later.
For example, when learning an algorithm, just remembering its details isn't
sufficient. Create a note to practice it later with a real example. Making a list of
such challenges helps you master the information and expand your practical
skills.

Tactic 5: Closed-Book Learning

Almost any learning activity can become retrieval practice if you prevent
looking up hints while recalling information. In a previous experiment, concept
mapping didn't work well because it was done with open books. If it had been
closed-book, requiring retrieval, it might have been more effective. Any
practice that stops you from consulting sources forces you to store information
in your head instead of relying on a reference manual.

P#6-Feedback: Don’t Dodge The

Punches.
Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
~Mike Tyson

Ultra-Learning 25
 The Power of Information.
The main qualities that separate an Ultra-Learning strategy from the
conventional learning is Immediacy, Accuracy, & Intensity of the Feedback
being provided. The deep dive into feedback is uncomfortable but it’s needed
for constant guiding of efforts.

In studies Ericsson found that the ability to gain immediate

feedback on one’s performance is an essential ingredient in
reaching expert levels of performance.

Without Feedback, the results are often stagnant and consume long periods of
time, and still you don’t get better in that skill.

Can Feedback Backfire ?

Feedback is important for learning, but more isn't always better. The type of
feedback matters. Researchers Avraham Kluger and Angelo DeNisi found that
while feedback is generally positive, it had a negative impact in over 38% of
cases. This can be confusing because feedback is essential for improvement,
yet it isn't always beneficial.
The key is the type of feedback. Useful feedback provides information to guide
learning. Negative feedback, especially when it targets a person's ego (e.g.,
praise like "You're so smart/lazy"), often harms learning. Even useful feedback
can be counterproductive if it's not processed correctly. Sometimes people
reject feedback, lower their standards, or give up on the task.
Who gives the feedback also matters due to social dynamics. Ultralearners
need to focus on feedback that offers specific information for improvement and
ignore the rest. Overly positive or negative feedback can impact motivation, so
a balance is needed.
Feedback is often underused because it can be uncomfortable. Seeking and
using feedback aggressively can lead to faster learning, while avoiding it can
slow progress. Ultra-learners succeed by seeking strong feedback when others
don't.

What Kind of Feed Do You Need ?

Ultra-Learning 26
 Feedbacks are often different for various learning projects, Public-speaking
and Computer science need different kinds of feedback, and the same goes for
mathematics and languages. The type of feedback one needs to depend on is
according to the subject of the project one carries out.

1. Outcome Feedback: The most common one and often the only available
one, which tells you the result of your actions.

2. Informational Feedback: Offers details on parts of what the person is

learning and helps understand specific aspects.

3. Corrective Feedback: The hardest to find but the most effective one for
accelerating learning when used well.

Knowing what kinds of feedback one is getting helps him use it effectively and
recognize it’s limitations.

Outcome Feedback: Are You Doing It Wrong ?

Outcome feedback is the most basic type of feedback. It tells you how well
you’re doing overall but doesn’t provide details on what you’re doing right or
wrong. Examples include grades (A, B, C) or overall reactions like applause or
silence.
This feedback is easy to get and can be helpful. For example, applause tells a
speaker if their speech was well-received, but not why. Entrepreneurs get
outcome feedback when a product sells well or poorly, but it doesn't specify
what needs improvement.
Outcome feedback can motivate you by showing progress toward goals and
helping you decide if you need to change your approach. While it’s not detailed,
it’s often the only feedback available and can still improve your learning

Informational Feedback: What Are You Doing Wrong ?

Informational feedback tells you what you’re doing wrong but doesn’t tell you
how to fix it. For example, when speaking a foreign language, a native
speaker’s confused look indicates you made a mistake, but doesn’t provide the
correct word. Comedians, like Tristan de Montebello, get live feedback from
audience reactions, showing which jokes land without explaining why.

This feedback is easy to obtain in real-time. A programmer gets error

messages when code doesn’t compile, indicating mistakes. Artists can see if
their brushstrokes are working just by looking at their painting. This feedback

Ultra-Learning 27
 often comes from direct interaction and pairs well with the principle of
directness.

Corrective Feedback: How Can You Fix What You’re Doing

Wrong ?
Corrective feedback tells you what you're doing wrong and how to fix it. This
feedback usually comes from a coach, mentor, teacher, or good study
materials.
For example, during the MIT Challenge, the author used assignments and
solutions to understand mistakes and correct them. Flashcards also provide
corrective feedback by showing the correct answer after a guess.
Corrective feedback often requires access to knowledgeable individuals who
can pinpoint and correct mistakes. This feedback is worth the effort to find.
Tristan de Montebello improved his public speaking with help from a coach
who identified subtle weaknesses. While more precise than outcome and
informational feedback, corrective feedback can sometimes be conflicting or
unreliable. Tutors can help accurately identify and correct mistakes.
Access to corrective feedback through experts or good study materials is
crucial for effective learning, despite the self-directed nature of ultra-learning.

Further Notes on Types of Feedback.

When trying to upgrade feedback, be cautious. If feedback is holistic (overall),
you can't break it down into details (informational feedback), and trying to do
so can backfire. For example, game designers know play testers' opinions are
often holistic, like disliking the character color or background music. Asking for
more specific feedback can lead to inaccurate guesses.
Corrective feedback requires a correct answer or expert response. If there's no
expert or single correct approach, turning informational feedback into
corrective feedback can be counterproductive.
Tristan de Montebello found that while advice was often not useful, consistency
in feedback showed progress. Consistent comments indicated he was on the
right track.
Ultralearning involves knowing when to selectively ignore certain feedback to
extract useful information. Understanding different types of feedback and their
conditions helps in choosing the right strategy for a learning project.

Ultra-Learning 28
 How Quick Should Feedback Be ?
The timing of feedback is important. Should it be immediate or delayed?
Research generally shows that immediate feedback is better outside the lab.
James A. Kulik and Chen-Lin C. Kulik found that immediate feedback is more
effective in real classroom settings. Expert K. Anders Ericsson also supports
immediate feedback for identifying and correcting mistakes.
However, lab studies suggest delayed feedback can be more effective because
it gives a second, spaced exposure to the information. This means immediate
feedback is best when combined with later retrieval to strengthen memory.
Despite mixed results, faster feedback is usually recommended to quickly
recognize mistakes. But, if feedback is given too soon, it can lead to copying
the answer instead of trying to solve the problem. For difficult problems, setting
a timer can help you think hard before looking at the correct answer.

How to Improve Your Feedback ?

You now understand the importance of feedback for learning. Explained above
why feedback can sometimes backfire and discussed the strengths and
requirements of the three types: outcome, informational, and corrective
feedback. Now, let's focus on concrete tactics to get better feedback.

Tactic 1: Noise Cancellation

When you receive feedback, it includes useful information (signal) and random
factors (noise). Don’t overreact to noise. For example, when posting articles
online, most won’t get much attention. When they do, it’s often due to random
factors, like the right person sharing it. Your writing quality matters, but
randomness plays a role. Be careful not to change your approach based on one
data point.

To improve, reduce noise by focusing on useful feedback. Sound engineers use

filtering to boost human speech frequencies and reduce noise. Similarly, look
for proxy signals to reduce noise in feedback. For blog writing, use tracking
code to see what percentage of people read your articles to the end. This gives
a clearer indication of your writing quality than just traffic data.

Tactic 2: Hitting the Difficulty Sweet Spot

Feedback is information. More feedback means more chances to learn. If
success is guaranteed, feedback provides no new information. Good feedback

Ultra-Learning 29
 is when the task is unpredictable then feedback provides more information
each time you get it.
This impacts learning based on difficulty. People avoid constant failure as it’s
not always helpful, but being too successful is also an issue. Ultra-learners
adjust their environment so they can’t predict success or failure. If they fail too
often, they simplify the task. If they succeed too often, they make the task
harder or raise their standards.

Avoid situations where you always feel good or bad about your performance.

Tactic 3: Meta-feedback
Typical feedback assesses performance, like a quiz grade. Meta-feedback,
however, evaluates the overall success of your learning strategy.
An important type of meta-feedback is your learning rate, which shows how
fast you're improving in a skill. Chess players track Elo ratings; LSAT students
track mock exam improvements; language learners track vocabulary or errors.
Use meta-feedback to decide whether to continue your current strategy or try
new methods. If your learning rate slows, it may be time for different drills or
environments. You can also compare study methods to see which works better.
For example, during the MIT Challenge, the author tested different approaches
to find the most effective one.

Tactic 4: High-Intensity, Rapid Feedback

Improving feedback is often easiest by getting more of it more frequently. For
example, De Montebello improved public speaking by frequent stage exposure.
Lewis's language immersion gave him feedback early on pronunciation.
High-intensity, rapid feedback has both informational and emotional
advantages. Fear of feedback can hold you back, but facing it often helps you
overcome this aversion faster. Being in high-intensity feedback situations
pushes you to learn more aggressively, knowing your work will be evaluated.
This motivation can outweigh the informational benefits of feedback.

Beyond Feedback
Receiving feedback isn't easy. If you see it as an attack on your ego rather than
your skills, it can be overwhelming. Controlling the feedback environment to be
encouraging is rarely possible. It's better to get feedback early and often, even
if it's stressful at first. Over time, you'll learn to handle it without overreacting.

Ultra-Learning 30
 Ultra-learners expose themselves to lots of feedback, separating useful
information from noise. However, feedback is only helpful if you remember it.
Forgetting is natural, so you need strategies to retain the lessons learned. Next,
we'll discuss retention strategies to ensure you don't forget what you've
learned.

P#7-Retention: Don’t Fill a Leaky Bucket

Memory is the residue of thought.
~ Daniel Willingham

Memory is essential for learning. Programmers need to remember code syntax,

accountants memorize ratios and rules, lawyers recall precedents and statutes,
and doctors know numerous medical facts. Understanding and skills are
useless if you can't remember them. Retention requires strategies to prevent
forgetting. Before discussing these strategies, let's look at why remembering
things is difficult.

Why Is It So Hard to Remember Things ?

Richards' story highlights key themes in learning: retaining information,
defending against forgetting, and storing knowledge for easy retrieval.
Understanding learning involves understanding why we forget.
Forgetting is a perennial problem for educators, students, and psychologists. It
also affects professionals, like doctors, who may provide worse care over time
as they forget knowledge from medical school.
Hermann Ebbinghaus' research discovered the forgetting curve, showing rapid
forgetting after learning, which slows over time. Psychologists have identified
three main theories to explain forgetting: decay, interference, and forgotten
cues. These theories help us understand how to better retain what we've
learned.

Decay: Forgetting with Time.

The first theory of forgetting is that memories decay over time. This seems
logical as we remember recent events better than older ones. However, this
theory has flaws. We can recall early childhood events vividly but forget what
we ate last week. Vivid, meaningful memories are easier to recall than trivial

Ultra-Learning 31
 ones. So, while time decay might play a role in forgetting, it’s unlikely to be the
only factor.

Interference: Overwriting Old Memories with New Ones.

Interference theory suggests our memories overlap and compete with one
another. For example, learning similar programming concepts like for loops,
while loops, and recursion can interfere with remembering each correctly.
There are two types of interference:

1. Proactive Interference: Previously learned information makes it harder to

learn new information. For instance, if you learned "negative" means "bad,"
it can be difficult to understand "negative reinforcement" in psychology,
which means encouraging behavior by removing something unpleasant.

2. Retroactive Interference: Learning new information can erase or suppress

old memories. For example, learning French after knowing Spanish can
cause French words to pop up when trying to speak Spanish.

Interference affects our ability to remember and learn similar but distinct
information.

Forgotten Cues: A Locked Box with No Key

The third theory of forgetting suggests that many memories aren't actually
forgotten, just inaccessible. To remember something, it needs to be retrieved
with the right cue. Sometimes, a link in the retrieval process is broken, making
the memory inaccessible. If the cue is restored or a new path is found, the
memory can be retrieved.
This theory explains the "tip-of-the-tongue" experience, where you feel you
should remember something but can't. Relearning might be faster than initial
learning because it's like repairing instead of building from scratch. However,
forgetting cues isn't the only explanation.
Memory researchers believe that remembering is a creative process of
reconstruction. Memories can be modified or fabricated during recall,
especially in cases like "recovered" witness testimony from traumatic events,
which can feel vivid & authentic to the subject but be untrue.

How Can You Prevent Forgetting ?

Ultra-Learning 32
 Forgetting is common, so ultralearners use strategies to cope. They tackle two
problems: retaining information during the project and maintaining knowledge
afterward. Memory-intensive tasks, like language learning or trivia mastery,
require methods to avoid forgetting.
Some ultralearners use complex electronic systems, while others prefer simple
methods. Choose a mnemonic system that meets your goals and is easy to
follow. Spaced-repetition and conversations can help retain vocabulary, while
continuous practice allows for some forgetting and relearning.
Different systems use four retention mechanisms: spacing, proceduralization,
overlearning, or mnemonics. Let's explore these mechanisms to understand
various ultra-learning methods.

Memory Mechanism 1 — Spacing: Repeating to Remember

Research supports that for long-term retention, don’t cram. Spread learning
sessions over time for better results, even if short-term performance drops.
During the MIT Challenge, the author switched to parallel classes to avoid
cramming and improve memory.
For effective learning, study one hour daily for ten days instead of ten hours in
one day. If intervals are too long, you may forget what you learned.

Ultra-learners use spaced-repetition systems (SRS) to retain knowledge. SRS is

key in language learning tools like Pimsleur, Memrise, and Duolingo. Programs
like Anki help optimize memory.
SRS works best for simple facts and vocabulary, but complex skills need real-
world practice. For example, medical students use SRS due to the vast amount
of information.
Spacing doesn’t need complex software. Simple methods like printing lists and
rehearsing words are effective. Regular practice helps retain skills, like weekly
language conversations on italki.
Don't aim for perfection in retention. Semi-regular refresher projects can help
maintain skills, even if not perfectly spaced. Scheduling this kind of
maintenance in advance can also
be helpful, as it will remind you that learning isn’t something done once and
then ignored but a process that continues for your entire life.

Memory Mechanism 2 — Procceduralization: Automatic Will

Endure

Ultra-Learning 33
 People say "like riding a bicycle" instead of "like remembering trigonometry"
because procedural skills (like biking) are stored differently from declarative
knowledge (like math formulas). Procedural skills are less likely to be forgotten.

Learning often starts with declarative knowledge and becomes procedural

through practice. For example, learning to type starts with memorizing key
positions but becomes automatic with practice. Procedural knowledge lasts
longer than declarative knowledge.
Using this, focus on core information to make it procedural and long-lasting. In
language learning, repeating common phrases makes them unforgettable,
unlike less-used words.

In the MIT Challenge, failing to fully proceduralize skills was a flaw. Most skills
aren't completely automated and need active thinking. Ensuring some
knowledge is procedural before finishing practice helps.
Strategies include making initial steps automatic, like starting a new
programming project. These speculative strategies suggest ways to apply the
declarative-to-procedural transition for effective learning

Memory Mechanism 3 — Overlearning: Practice Beyond

Perfect
Overlearning means practicing a skill beyond just being able to do it correctly
once. This extra practice makes the memory of the skill last longer. In
experiments, subjects practice a task until they can do it correctly and then
continue practicing, which doesn't improve performance but helps retain the
skill longer.
Overlearning usually has short-term benefits, such as for first aid or emergency
protocols. However, combining overlearning with spaced practice and
proceduralization may have long-term benefits. For example, repeated practice
in drawing or programming makes it hard to forget the skills, even without
regular practice.
Overlearning aligns with direct practice. Skills practiced directly and repeatedly
are less likely to be forgotten. Academically learned subjects spread practice
evenly, which may result in forgetting core patterns.

There are two methods for applying overlearning:

1. Core Practice: Continually practice and refine core skill elements. This
works well with immersion or extensive projects after initial ultra-learning.

Ultra-Learning 34
 Shifting from learning to doing involves deeper learning, beyond just
applying previously learned knowledge.

2. Advanced Practice: Go one level above the skill, overlearning core parts by
applying them in a more challenging domain. For example, algebra students
who learned calculus retained algebra skills better.

Overall, overlearning helps make core skills more durable and resistant to
forgetting.

Memory Mechanism 4 — Mnemonics: A Picture Retains a

Thousand Words
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering
Everything. (Book)

Mnemonics are tools to remember specific information by translating abstract

data into vivid images or spatial maps. They're very effective for memorization.
For example, the keyword method helps remember foreign language words by
converting them into familiar sounds and creating mental images.
However, mnemonics have limitations:

1. They require significant effort to set up.

2. Recalling information from mnemonics is slower than directly remembering

it.

Mnemonics are useful for memorizing dense information in a specific format for
short-term use. They can also help with initial learning. While powerful, they
often serve as cool tricks rather than a foundation for learning. Some ultra-
learners are dedicated to using them, but their applications can be limited in
real-world settings.

Winning the War Against Forgetting

To retain knowledge, we must combat the natural tendency to forget. Strategies
like spacing, proceduralization, overlearning, and mnemonics help improve
short- and long-term memory.
Nigel Richards's Scrabble mastery remains a mystery, but he and other
ultralearners use active recall, spaced rehearsal, and intense practice. With
hard work and a good strategy, we can fight against forgetting.

Ultra-Learning 35
 While Richards's Scrabble practice involves memorizing words without
understanding their meanings, real life requires integrating knowledge into a
deep understanding. The next principle will explore moving from memory to
intuition.

P#8-Intuition: Dig Deep Before Building

Up.
Do not ask whether a statement is true until you know what
it means.
~ Errett Bishop

Intuitive experts think differently from novices by focusing on deeper

principles rather than superficial features of problems.

Developing intuition requires extensive experience and a large mental

library of organized experiences.

Intuition involves recognizing patterns intuitively based on this mental

library.

Experts' intuition is built from extensive practice and deep understanding of

core principles.

Intuition can fail when dealing with problems outside of one's expertise.

How to Build Your Intuition.

Simply spending a lot of time studying doesn't create deep intuition. Feynman's
experience shows that students who memorize solutions often fail to apply
them outside textbooks. For example, he tricked classmates into believing a
common fact about a French curve was special. This shows a "brittle" learning
method that doesn't relate knowledge to real-world problems.
To develop flexible intuition like Feynman, there's no exact recipe, but
experience and intelligence help. Feynman's learning process offers useful
guidelines for thinking differently.

Rule 1: Don’t Give Up on Hard Problems Easily

Ultra-Learning 36
 Feynman was obsessed with solving problems. From his childhood tinkering
with radios, he worked stubbornly until he found a solution. This persistence
carried over to math and physics, where he often avoided easier methods to
better understand problems.
To apply this in your own work, use a "struggle timer." When you feel like giving
up on a difficult problem, set a timer for another ten minutes. This extra effort
can help you solve the problem or better remember the solution when you find
it later as we learned in retrieval principle.

Rule 2: Prove Things to Understand Them

Feynman initially struggled with the work of physicists T. D. Lee and C. N. Yang,
thinking it was too complicated. His sister teased him, saying the issue was that
he hadn't invented it. Feynman then read the papers carefully and found them
easier than expected.
Feynman mastered physics by mentally re-creating results rather than just
following others' work. This approach sometimes led him to repeat existing
work but also helped build his deep intuition.
Albert Einstein used a similar method, trying to prove mathematical and physics
propositions as a child. Both men aimed for a deeper understanding beyond
just reading.
Researcher Rebecca Lawson highlights the "illusion of explanatory depth"—
believing you understand something better than you do. Testing knowledge,
like sketching a bicycle, reveals gaps in understanding. Feynman and Einstein's
method of demonstrating propositions helps achieve true understanding.

Rule 3: Always Start with a Concrete Example

People don't learn well in the abstract. Most learn general rules after seeing
many concrete examples. Feynman used concrete examples to understand
math deeply.
This deep processing helps retention, as shown in memory studies. It's not just
time spent, but how you think about information that matters. Participants who
deeply processed words remembered them better than those who didn't.
Feynman's habit of using examples enhances retention and fosters intuitive
understanding. This feedback-rich process was key to Feynman's learning
style. This technique also enables some feedback, because when it’s not
possible to imagine an appropriate example, that’s evidence that you don’t

Ultra-Learning 37
 understand something well enough and would benefit from going back a few
steps and learning the material better before continuing. Using feedback-rich
processes to test whether or not he knew something was a hallmark of
Feynman’s learning style.

Rule 4: Don’t Fool Yourself

Feynman's popular saying, "Don't fool yourself," reflects his skepticism of his
own understanding. He criticized social scientists for believing they discovered
something without rigorous standards. This relates to the Dunning-Kruger
effect, where people with little knowledge overestimate their understanding.

To avoid fooling yourself, ask lots of questions. Feynman asked "dumb"

questions, leading to deeper insights. Avoiding questions to seem
knowledgeable can be costly. Feynman found that students often didn't know
answers but avoided admitting it. Asking questions helps avoid false
confidence in your knowledge.

The Feynman Technique

The Feynman Technique is a method inspired by Richard Feynman to
understand and deeply learn ideas. Here’s a simplified version:

1. Write down the concept or problem you want to understand at the top
of a piece of paper.

2. In the space below, explain the idea as if you had to teach it to

someone else.

a. If it’s a concept, ask yourself how you would convey the idea to
someone who has never heard of it before.

b. If it’s a problem, explain how to solve it and—crucially—why

that solution procedure makes sense to you.

3. When you get stuck, meaning your understanding fails to provide a

clear answer, go back to you

The core idea is to avoid the illusion of understanding by clearly articulating the
idea. This will quickly reveal any gaps in knowledge, making it easier to address
them. The method can be adjusted based on specific needs.

Application 1: For Things You Don’t Understand at All

Ultra-Learning 38
 When you don't understand something at all, one way to approach it is by using
a book. Go back and forth between your explanation and the book's
explanation. While this method doesn't benefit from retrieval practice, it can be
essential if the given explanation confuses you.
Feynman used a similar approach when he encountered confusing
philosophical writing. He would read one sentence slowly to understand its
meaning. For example, he translated a complex sentence about how people
receive information into simple terms: "People read."
Although Feynman's method highlighted confusing prose, you can use the
same method to learn anything that is difficult to understand. For instance, the
author used this technique when learning about photogrammetry during the
MIT Challenge. With their textbook, they took notes and sketched out the main
ideas to grasp the concept better.

Application 2: For Problems You Can’t Seem to Solve

Another way to apply this approach is when solving a difficult problem or
mastering a technique. It's essential to go through the problem step by step
along with your explanation, rather than just summarizing it. Summarizing might
skip the core difficulties. Going deeper can take time but helps you understand
the method better in one go, reducing the need for many repetitions.
The author used this approach in a computer graphics class for a technique
called grid acceleration which speeds up ray-traced rendering systems by
avoiding objects that won't be visible on the screen. To understand this better,
the author went through the problem with the technique, imagining rendering a
snowman with lines representing the camera's view.

Application 3: For Expanding Your Intuition

A final way to use this method is for ideas that are very important and require a
deep understanding. Instead of explaining every detail, focus on creating
examples, analogies, or visualizations to make the idea clear to someone with
less knowledge.
Imagine you're writing a magazine article about the idea. What visual examples
would you use? How would you simplify complex concepts?
The author used this technique to understand voltage in an electromagnetism
class during the MIT Challenge. Although they could solve problems with it,
they struggled with the concept itself. Voltage isn't just energy, electrons, or

Ultra-Learning 39
 flows. By comparing voltage equations to gravity equations, they saw that
voltage is to electrical force what height is to gravitational force. They imagined
wires as troughs of water at different heights, batteries as pumps, and resistors
as hoses of varying widths. This visualization made the concept clearer and
helped the author understand new situations better.

Demystifying Intuition
People often focus on Richard Feynman's intuitive leaps and playful style,
thinking his learning seemed effortless. However, Feynman, like other ultra-
learners, worked hard to understand things. He spent much of his spare time
mastering the methods that made his intuition work. In college, he and a friend
studied quantum mechanics intensively, ahead of their classmates.
Feynman also applied aggressive methods to his hobbies, like lock picking. He
practiced all possible combinations until he could try 400 combinations in less
than half an hour, allowing him to open a safe in up to eight hours.
Feynman's greatest gift was his ability to combine persistent practice with play.
He approached both lock picking and solving quantum electrodynamics
puzzles with the same enthusiasm. This spirit of playful exploration is crucial
for ultra-learning, especially for experimentation.

P#9-Experimentation: Explore Outside

Your Comfort Zone
Results? Why, I have gotten lots of results! I know several
thousand things that won’t work. ~ Thomas
Edison

Experimentation Is the Key to Mastery

When you start learning something new, it’s helpful to follow the example of
someone more experienced. Understanding how a subject breaks down into
different parts (metalearning) and seeing how others have learned it gives you
a good start. But as you get better, just following others isn't enough; you need
to experiment and find your own way.

Ultra-Learning 40
 Initially, learning a new skill is easier because many people have taken that
path, and there are plenty of resources. But as you advance, there are fewer
teachers and peers, and your learning becomes more unique.
Experimentation becomes more important as you approach mastery for a few
reasons:

You need to unlearn ineffective methods and discover the best ways to
solve problems.

Skills often require originality. Successful individuals in various fields not

only master the basics but also bring new ideas and creativity to their work.

In essence, as you become more skilled, experimenting and finding your own
approach becomes crucial for continued growth and creativity.
A great mathematician is one who can solve problems others cannot, not
merely a person who can solve previously solved problems easily. Successful
business leaders are those who can spot opportunities others cannot, not
merely those who can copy the style and strategy of those before them.

Three Types of Experimentation.

1. Experimenting with Learning Resources
When starting to learn, experiment with different methods, materials, and
resources. Van Gogh did this by trying various artistic techniques and learning
methods. Experimentation helps you find what works best for you, but it must
be paired with hard work. Van Gogh produced a lot of art using each method he
tried.
A good strategy is to choose a resource (like a book or class) and commit to it
for a set time. Afterward, evaluate its effectiveness and decide whether to
continue or try something new.

2. Experimenting with Technique

In the beginning, you experiment with different materials. As you progress, the
question becomes not "How can I learn this?" but "What should I learn next?"
For example, in language learning, beginners focus on basic vocabulary and
phrases. As you improve, you need to decide whether to learn literature,
professional conversation, comic books, business discussions, etc. The
choices expand, so you must decide what to focus on.

Ultra-Learning 41
 Experimentation is key. Choose a subtopic within the skill you're developing,
work on it intensely, and then evaluate your progress. Decide whether to
continue in that direction or try something new. There's no single "right"
answer, but some choices will be more useful for mastering the skill you're
pursuing.

3. Experimenting with Style

Once you've learned the basics, the focus shifts from resources and
techniques to developing your own style. Many skills, like writing, design, and
music, don't have just one correct way of doing things. Instead, there are
multiple approaches, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. This allows
for experimentation. For example, Van Gogh tried different styles from various
artists and found what worked best for him.
To experiment with styles, you need to be aware of the different ones that exist.
Van Gogh studied many artists' works to build a library of ideas he could use.
Similarly, you can identify masters in your field and analyze their styles to see
what you can incorporate into your own approach.
As you explore different methods, there's a balance between trying new things
and focusing deeply on one approach to become proficient. This process
involves cycling through experimentation and dedicated practice, much like
how Van Gogh worked on his ideas.

How to Experiment ?
Experimenting may seem easy but can be challenging to do effectively.
Random activity doesn't lead to mastery. To succeed, you need to understand
your learning problems and find ways to solve them. Here are some tactics to
help you integrate experimentation into your ultra-learning projects:

Tactic 1: Copy, Then Create

Van Gogh, though famous for his original work, spent a lot of time copying
other artists' drawings and paintings. This helped him make decisions and
experiment with his art. Copying simplifies experimentation because it provides
a starting point. It also helps you understand why certain techniques work by
deconstructing them. This method can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of
different approaches and dispel misconceptions you might have.

Ultra-Learning 42
 By starting with copying, you can then venture into your own creative
directions.

Tactic 2: Compare Methods Side-by-Side

The scientific method controls conditions to study one variable. You can use
this in learning by trying two different approaches and changing one factor to
see the impact. This helps find what works best for you.

For learning French vocabulary, the author tested two methods: looking at
words with their translations and using visual mnemonics. The author found
that mnemonics helped remember words almost twice as well.
Split tests have two benefits:

1. They provide better information about which method works best.

2. They increase expertise by trying different approaches.

Experimenting with different methods helps you learn more effectively by

pushing you out of your comfort zone.

Tactic 3: Introduce New Constraints

When you start learning, you don't know what to do. And in the end, you might
think you already know what to do, which can lead to repeating old habits of
solving in old techniques which aren’t always the best way. To break these
routines, introduce new constraints that make old methods unusable.
In design, the best innovations come from working within constraints. Unlimited
freedom can lead to messy solutions. Specific constraints encourage you to
explore new options and sharpen your skills. Think about how you can add
limitations to force yourself to develop new abilities.

Tactic 4: Find Your Superpower in the Hybrid of Unrelated

Skills
The traditional way to master a skill is to practice it relentlessly, like athletes
who train for years. However, another approach is to combine two different and
unrelated skills to create a unique advantage. For example, an engineer who is
also good at public speaking can stand out in presenting engineering topics.
Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, combined his engineering background with
an MBA and cartooning skills for his success.

Ultra-Learning 43
 This level of experimentation often spans multiple projects. For instance, after
completing the MIT Challenge, the author used programming knowledge to
create flash cards for learning Chinese. Combining different skills can lead to
new opportunities and synergies.

Tactic 5: Explore the Extremes

Van Gogh's art broke many conventions. He used thick paint instead of thin
layers, quick brushstrokes instead of careful ones, and bold colors instead of
subtle ones. His style was extreme in many ways.
In higher dimensions, most of the volume of a shape lies near its surface.
Similarly, in complex skills, many of the best options are extreme in some way.
Playing it safe only lets you explore a small part of the possibilities.
To learn effectively, push yourself to extremes in some aspects of your skill.
Even if you later return to a more moderate approach, this helps you explore
more options and gain broader experience.

Experimentation and Uncertainty

Learning involves experimenting in two ways:

1. Trial and Error: Practice, get feedback, and adjust your knowledge and
skills to the real world.

2. Experimenting with Methods: Try different learning approaches and use

what works best for you. Principles are guidelines, not strict rules.

Experimentation helps you find the right balance between different methods,
explore beyond your comfort zone, and discover concrete tactics that suit your
personality, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. For example, you might learn
a language through speaking or by consuming lots of media. There's no single
correct way.
The author constantly experimented with different methods, whether learning
languages, programming, or drawing. Some experiments failed, while others
succeeded. This process of trial and error is essential for finding what works
best.

Experimentation ties everything together, encouraging you to try new things,

discard ineffective methods, and ultimately reach your full potential. It also
helps eliminate bad habits and superstitions by testing them in the real world.

Ultra-Learning 44
 Your First Ultra-Learning Project.
The beginning is always today.
~Mary Shelly

You're probably eager to start your ultra-learning project now. Think about the
things you want to learn but have put off due to fears or lack of time. Consider
what old skills you could improve. The biggest obstacle is that many people
don't prioritize their self-education. But since you're reading this, learning is
important to you.
Ultra-learning projects require planning, time, and effort, but the rewards are
worth it. Learning hard things quickly and effectively is a powerful skill. One
successful project can lead to others. The first project needs the most thought
and care. A well-planned and executed project gives you confidence for future
challenges. Even if you fail, it's not a disaster, but it might make you hesitant to
try again. This chapter will share how to get it right.

Step 1: Do Your Research

The first step in any project is to do the meta-learning research to give you a
good start. Planning ahead avoids problems and prevents major changes to
your learning plan. Research is like packing for a long trip: you may forget
something, but thinking ahead will save you trouble later. Your ultra-learning
"packing" checklist should include, at a minimum:

1. What Topic You’re Going To Learn and It’s Approximate

Scope.
Before starting a learning project, you need to decide what you want to learn.
Sometimes it's clear, but other times you need to research to find the most
valuable skill or knowledge. If your goal is to achieve something specific (like
starting a business, getting a promotion, or writing an article), knowing what to
learn is crucial. Start with a narrow focus, which can expand later. For example,
"Learning enough Mandarin Chinese to hold a fifteen-minute conversation on
simple topics" is more specific than "Learn Chinese," which could include
reading, writing, studying history, and more.

2. The Primary Resources You’re Going To Use.

Ultra-Learning 45
 Identify your learning resources, such as books, videos, classes, tutorials,
guides, and mentors. Decide on your starting point. For example, "I’ll complete
exercises in a Python programming book," "I’ll learn Spanish through online
tutoring," or "I’ll practice drawing by making sketches." Some materials will
guide your learning, while others will support your practice. Get these
resources ready before you begin.

3. A Benchmark For How Others Have Successfully Learned

This Skill or Subject.
Most popular skills have online forums where experienced learners share their
approaches. Find out what others have done to learn the skill. You don't need
to follow them exactly, but it helps you avoid missing important steps. The
Expert Interview Method in Chapter 4 is a useful way to explore this further.

4. Direct Practice Activities.

Every skill you learn will be useful eventually, even if it's just to help you learn
something else. Consider how you'll use the skill to find practice opportunities
early on. If direct practice isn't possible, find ways to mimic the mental
requirements of using the skill.

5. Backup Materials And Drills.

Besides your main materials and methods, consider possible drills and backup
materials. Backup materials are useful if you think a tool or set of materials
might be helpful but don't want to be overwhelmed at the start.

Step 2: Schedule Your Time

Your ultra-learning project doesn’t need to be full-time to succeed, but it
requires some time investment. Decide in advance how much time you can
commit to learning, rather than hoping you'll find the time later.

Reasons to Plan Your Schedule:

1. Prioritization: Scheduling your project ensures you give it importance.

2. Avoid Distractions: Set aside dedicated learning time to avoid

procrastination.

Steps to Plan:

Ultra-Learning 46
 1. Decide Time Commitment: Determine how much time you can commit
based on your schedule. It could be a gap in employment or a few hours
per week.

2. Set Learning Times: Choose specific times to learn (e.g., Sundays,

mornings, evenings, lunch breaks). Consistency helps build good habits.

3. Optimize Learning Sessions: Shorter, spaced sessions are better for

memory. Longer uninterrupted sessions may benefit tasks with long warm-
up times.

4. Set Project Duration: Shorter commitments are easier to stick with. Break
big goals into smaller projects of a few months each.

5. Schedule Everything: Put all learning hours into your calendar to spot
conflicts and stay committed.

Bonus Step:
For longer projects, do a pilot week to test your schedule. Adjust if needed to
avoid burnout and ensure the plan fits your life.
By following these steps, you can ensure your ultra-learning project is well-
planned and achievable

Step 3: Execute Your Plan

Whatever plan you started with, now it's time to put it into action. No plan is
perfect, and you might find that your learning approach isn't ideal. You may rely
too much on passive reading, or your practice methods might not align with
how you'll actually use the skill. You might feel like you're forgetting things or
not truly understanding them. That's okay. Sometimes the perfect approach
isn't possible because the right resources don't exist. It's important to
recognize these misalignments and make improvements.

1. METALEARNING. Have I done research into what are the typical ways of
learning this subject or skill? Have I interviewed successful learners to
see what resources and advice they can recommend? Have I spent
about 10 percent of the total time on preparing my project?

2. FOCUS. Am I focused when I spend time learning, or am I multitasking

and distracted? Am I skipping learning sessions or procrastinating?
When I start a session, how long does it take before I’m in a good
flow? How long can I sustain that focus before my mind starts to

Ultra-Learning 47
 wander? How sharp is my attention? Should it be more concentrated
for intensity or more diffuse for creativity?

3. DIRECTNESS. Am I learning the skill in the way I’ll eventually be using

it? If not, what mental processes are missing from my practice that
exist in the real environment? How can I practice transferring the
knowledge I learn from my book/class/video to real life?

4. DRILL. Am I spending time focusing on the weakest points of my

performance? What is the rate-limiting step that is holding me back?
Does it feel as though my learning is slowing down and that there’s too
many components of the skill to master? If so, how can I split apart a
complex skill to work on smaller, more manageable components of it?

5. RETRIEVAL. Am I spending most of my time reading and reviewing, or

am I solving problems and recalling things from memory without
looking at my notes? Do I have some way of testing myself, or do I
just assume I’ll remember? Can I successfully explain what I learned
yesterday, last week, a year ago? How do I know if I can?

6. FEEDBACK. Am I getting honest feedback about my performance early

on, or am I trying to dodge the punches and avoid criticism? Do I
know what I’m learning well and what I’m not? Am I using feedback
correctly, or am I overreacting to noisy data?

7. RETENTION. Do I have a plan in place to remember what I’m learning

long term? Am I spacing my exposure to information so it will stick
longer? Am I turning factual knowledge into procedures that I’ll
retain? Am I overlearning the most critical aspects of the skill?

8. INTUITION. Do I deeply understand the things I’m learning, or am I just

memorizing? Could I teach the ideas and procedures I’m studying to
someone else? Is it clear to me why what I’m learning is true, or does
it all seem arbitrary and unrelated?

9. EXPERIMENTATION. Am I getting stuck with my current resources and

techniques? Do I need to branch out and try new approaches to reach
my goal? How can I go beyond mastering the basics and create a
unique style to solve problems creatively and do things others haven’t
explored before?

Use these principles to guide you. Look at your progress and see what you
could change. Do you need different resources? More focused practice? New

Ultra-Learning 48
 environments for feedback or immersion? Make these subtle adjustments along
the way to improve your learning.

Step 4: Review Your Results

After finishing your project (or pausing it), spend some time analyzing it. What
went right? What went wrong? What should you do differently next time to
avoid the same mistakes?
Not all projects will be successful. The author had some ultra-learning projects
that went well and others that didn't. Often, problems with projects can be
traced back to their planning stage.
Example: The author worked on improving Korean by studying five hours per
week. It wasn't as successful because the author didn't focus enough on
immersive, direct practice. Instead, the author relied on boring textbook
exercises. If the author had planned better, they would have found places to
practice beforehand.
Even successful projects are worth analyzing. They reveal the elements that
contributed to success, which can be retained and replicated for future
projects. Ultra-learning aims to enhance your overall learning process, so
refining and improving each project is valuable.

Step 5: Choose to Maintain or Master What You’ve

Learned.
After learning a skill and analyzing your efforts, decide what to do with it.
Without a plan, most knowledge decays. Following ultralearning principles can
help, but all knowledge decays without intervention. The best time to decide
how to handle this is right after you learn something.

Option 1: Maintenance
Sustain Skill: Practice regularly, even if minimally, to maintain the skill
without aiming to improve it.

Example: After learning languages intensively, the author practiced each

language for 30 minutes a week in the first year, then 30 minutes a month in
the second year.

Integrate Skill: Use the skill in daily tasks to keep it usable. For instance,
the author writes Python scripts for work tasks, even though it's not as

Ultra-Learning 49
 deep as the MIT coursework.

Benefit: Regular practice prevents rapid forgetting and preserves most of

the knowledge over time. You can start with serious practice and gradually
reduce the time while retaining the benefits.

Option 2: Relearning
Forgetting isn't ideal, but relearning a skill later can be easier than keeping it
sharp continuously.

1. Selective Decay: You may forget less important knowledge you don't use.

2. Easier Relearning: Refreshing a skill is faster than learning it from scratch.

3. Example: Studying complex subjects, you may only need to remember the
basics and can refresh details when needed.

Relearning is a good strategy for skills you use infrequently. Recognizing which
knowledge is useful for solving problems is often more important than
remembering all details, as you can relearn specifics when required.

Option 3: Mastery
After you've learned a skill, you can choose to dive deeper into it. This can be
done through continued practice at a lighter pace or by starting a new ultra-
learning project.

Focus on Subtopics: Identify specific areas within the skill to improve or

transfer the skill to a new domain. For example, after learning Chinese, aim
to improve reading skills.

Gradual Learning: Mastery takes time. Overcoming initial barriers allows for
gradual accumulation of knowledge at a patient pace.

Overcome Frustrations: Some projects may get stuck, requiring unlearning

and pushing through challenges. Ultra-learning methods help reach
mastery.

Mastery is a long road that extends beyond a single project. By following these
steps, you can dive deeper into your skill and work towards mastery.

Alternatives to Ultra-learning: Low-Intensity

Habits and Formal Instruction

Ultra-Learning 50
 At the start of this book, the author pointed out that ultralearning is a strategy
for solving certain problems. Given that it's uncommon, the author focused the
book on this strategy instead of covering all possible ways to learn effectively.
Now, the author will touch on two other strategies that can work with ultra-
learning in different contexts.
None of the ultra-learners approaches learning the same way for every skill.
For example, Benny Lewis uses intensive learning projects for languages but
revisits countries to deepen his knowledge. Roger Craig learned aggressively to
win at Jeopardy! but engaged in more leisurely trivia learning when not
preparing for the game show.
Being an ultralearner doesn't mean everything has to be done intensely. The
author will briefly consider two main alternative strategies to ultra-learning to
see how they fit into lifelong learning.

Alternative Strategy 1: Low-Intensity Habits

Work Well When:

Learning is spontaneous and rewarding.

Frustration level is low.

Barriers to learning are minimal.

Example: Once you reach a conversational level in a language, it becomes

easy to learn more by living in a country where it's spoken. Similarly, using
programming for your job pushes you to learn new things regularly.

Spectrum of Habits

Range: From zero-effort engagement to high-effort ultra-learning.

Intermediate Effort: Some habits need a bit of effort but not the intensity of
ultra-learning.

Example: Learning Excel macros might require occasional practice, and

public speaking takes some courage to perform.

Choosing the Right Approach

Depends On: Your personality and life constraints.

Habits vs. Ultra-learning:

Habits: Good for gradually adding new skills and knowledge.

Ultra-Learning 51
 Ultra-learning: Better for unlearning ineffective behaviors and
overcoming frustration barriers.

Trade-Off

Effective vs. Enjoyable: Sometimes fun activities aren't effective for

learning, and effective methods aren't always easy.

Author's Experience: Enjoyment comes from being good at things.

Pursuing ultra-learning projects can lead to reaching a level where learning
becomes fun.

By considering these factors, you can decide whether to set up long-term

habits or pursue a concentrated ultra-learning project.

Alternative Strategy 2: Formal, Structured Education

At the beginning of this book, the author explained that ultra-learning is self-
directed, meaning you make the decisions, but it doesn't have to be done
alone. Ultra-learning can be pursued within a school or university as a resource
for learning.
Reasons to Pursue Formal Education
Credentials: Necessary or recommended for certain careers.
Learning Environment: Beneficial aspects like apprenticeships, team projects,
and immersive communities.
School vs. Ultra-learning: Ultra-learning isn't about rejecting formal education
but taking control of your own learning.
The correct mindset is to recognize that learning possibilities are broader than
they might first appear, and formal education can still play a valuable role.

Lifelong Learning
The goal of ultra-learning is to expand your opportunities. It creates new ways
for learning and encourages you to pursue them actively instead of waiting
passively. While it may not suit everyone, it can inspire those who are ready to
try it.

Ultra-Learning 52