9 Ultra-Learning Principles To Master Anything Fast And Effectively
And outsmart the competition
Ultra-learning is the ultimate skill.
This idea is from Scott Young's blogs and later book, “Ultra-Learning: Accelerate Your Career, Master Hard Skills, And Outsmart The Competition” (affiliate link), which I highly recommend reading.
He exemplifies this by sharing his iconic project, in which he studied for a full MIT Computer Science degree in just one year, using the resources available on the Internet. Insane, right?
In this book, he shares nine principles for any ultra-learning project, which I summarize below. Because there are nine, I will keep this general. In the following posts, I will write a step-by-step learning project using these principles.
For now, let’s focus on their definitions.
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1. Meta-Learning
This is about understanding how knowledge is structured.
For example, to master machine learning, you first need Python, Data Analysis, Math, and Machine Learning algorithms. Or to learn a new language, you must learn A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1 levels (CEFR). Check what you need to know at those levels.
Courses and university programs are examples of meta-learning.
When you start a subject from 0, programs help you structure how knowledge is organized. For example, for an introductory course in Biology, you would have a first week focusing on the cell, then DNA, and so on. This is meta-learning.
So, when self-taught learning, you must structure a way to master the topic.
For example, if you’re learning machine learning, many make the mistake of studying computer vision or large language models (advanced topics) without focusing on baseline machine learning (logistic regression, decision trees, clustering, etc.).
That’s why meta-learning, a structure, matters.
Key ideas:
Structure your project.
Learn how your knowledge is structured.
Draw a map for the topics you need to learn to master it.
Learn how to learn the topic.
2. Focus
Focusing on studying is hard.
Our environment is full of distractions. This includes external cues like your smartphone and ourselves (mind-wandering, for example). I don’t think there’s a simple solution, as every person is a universe.
But something that works for me is the Pomodoro technique.
Study for 25 minutes.
Take a break of 5 minutes.
Repeat the process 3 times.
Take a long break of 25 minutes.
This method is so powerful because you only need some minutes to start getting things done. Plus, you can realize how long a task takes you.
You can also personalize it quite a lot. For example, Focumon makes you collect Pokémon every time you finish a Pomodoro. Make it fun!
Key ideas:
Create an environment to focus on learning the topic.
Make a schedule for your study sessions.
Use Pomodoros to defeat procrastination.
Brief study sessions are way better than long ones.
3. Directness
Here, directness is a synonym of “do it.”
Stop watching and rewatching online courses if you want to learn programming. Instead, start coding challenges or projects. Similarly, if you want to learn a new language, speak it. If you want to learn how to drive a car, drive it.
Theory is important, but so is practice.
Key ideas:
Learn by doing.
Apply what you learned in real scenarios.
Learn actively, not passively.
4. Drill
When learning, there’s always something more challenging to master.
For example, in my case, that was learning math for machine learning (linear algebra and calculus). These topics are crucial to understanding how those models work.
So, I had to drill (studying them for more time) to learn them correctly.
Key ideas:
Spot and study your weakest point.
Isolate this and concentrate on it.
Drill it.
5. Retrieval
As I mention often in my posts, retrieval is one of the simplest yet most powerful study methods.
It helps you link information from short-term to long-term memory, which is the key idea of effective learning. In contrast, rereading, highlighting (alone), and rewatching only link data to your short-term memory.
This will give you a false sense of learning (illusion of learning).
So, use retrieval anytime you study.
Key ideas:
Study smarter, not harder.
Use retrieval to recall the information you learned.
Try flashcards, free-recall, or the question book method to recall.
This technique is one of the most effective ways of learning.
6. Feedback
Feedback is uncomfortable.
But it is essential to understand what you’re doing well and what you're doing wrong. For example, when learning German, I spoke with native people to get feedback about my writing and pronunciation.
Their corrections were uncomfortable (it is frustrating when you make too many mistakes), but crucial for learning.
Key ideas:
Get positive feedback about what you’re doing well.
Get negative feedback about how to improve.
Ask experts to give you feedback on what you’re doing well and not so well.
7. Retention
Make learning automatic.
For example, after learning how to ride a bicycle, you no longer need to think about how to move your muscles and limbs to use it. That’s proceduralization.
This is a huge step forward in your ultra-learning project.
Key ideas:
Once you learn it, automate it with proceduralization.
“Save” what you learned in your long-term memory.
Understand what and why you forget.
Improve your encoding techniques (spacing, mnemonics, etc).
8. Intuition
Do you understand how that thing works?
If you can explain it in easy words, then that means you understand the topic. If not, no. One simple method to improve your understanding and intuition of the topic is asking yourself what, how, and why questions.
In other words, using elaborative interrogation.
Key ideas:
Understand how understanding works.
Focus on examples in context.
Use the Feynman Technique.
9. Experimentation
Transfer your learning.
For example, if you are learning a new language, try talking to people of other dialects or engaging in complex conversations such as science or politics. If you know Python for data analysis, try coding an app with a streamlet module to create a user interface data app.
Explore.
Key ideas:
Explore outside your comfort zone.
Apply your knowledge in other contexts.
These nine principles inspired me to learn new things.
Using the amazing amount of resources on the internet, ultra-learning helped me shape my learning system to master anything.
I hope they help and inspire you, too.
Ultra-learning saved my career.
It helped me learn anything without overstudying or overworking. But remember, each person has a different life. Perhaps you work full-time and also study. Or maybe you have a family, etc.
Be reasonable, and don’t fall into toxic productivity.
Here are some last recommendations:
Don’t compare yourself with others. Take your time.
This is not a competition. This is about you. Make it fun and healthy.
Please take care of yourself. That’s the most important thing!
Now it is your turn.
What are you going to learn next?
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thanks. Any chance you can use some of this to progress your book from Chapter 1.
As usual, great information for students or anyone who wants to increase the efficiency of their learning and performance! Keep it coming!