Published in Mind Cafe·Jan 19Member-onlyHow My Views on Learning Have Changed Over 17 YearsI’ve been writing my blog for almost seventeen years. From nearly the beginning, learning has been a central theme. Initially, as a college student, “how to study” was pretty much the only topic I could credibly offer advice on, but my interest in the subject of learning has endured. However…Ultralearning8 min readUltralearning8 min read
Jan 13Member-onlyMy Top 10 (of 122) Books I’ve Read RecentlyOver the last eighteen months, I’ve been reading a lot to prepare for my next book. My notes list 122 books, most of which I read cover-to-cover. Below I’d like to share a few of the ones that influenced my thinking the most. 1. Fear and Courage by S. J. Rachman People are more resilient than they are…Reading6 min readReading6 min read
Published in Better Humans·Jan 4Member-onlyThe Intermediate PlateauWhy we get stuck in skills development, and what we can do about it — I remember having a conversation with my friend Olle Linge about learning Chinese. I had already spent a couple of years studying, and while I could converse and read some books, I still struggled in more complicated situations. My progress had slowed, and I was in an awkward phase where…7 min read7 min read
Dec 22, 2022Member-onlyMy Top 8 Essays of 2022I wrote 40 essays in 2022. While far from my most prolific year, I am pleased with how most of them turned out. Thus, to give myself a little writing break over the holidays, I thought I’d share some of my favorites from this year: Why Don’t We Use the…2 min read2 min read
Published in Better Humans·Dec 14, 2022Member-onlyThe Ten-Book Rule for Smarter ThinkingTen well-chosen books are usually enough to understand the expert consensus on any reasonable question you might have. At this point, I can imagine the doctors, lawyers and anyone with a PhD cringing at my exceedingly low bar for expertise. But let me unpack that above rule: The books have…Book Review5 min readBook Review5 min read
Published in Mind Cafe·Dec 8, 2022Member-onlyGood Advice is “Obvious”Years back, a customer of one of my courses told me that he planned to judge the course based on how “counterintuitive” the advice was. From the theory of information, this is a reasonable strategy. Information, in this sense, is a measure of surprise. You don’t learn much when someone…Advice3 min readAdvice3 min read
Dec 1, 2022Member-onlyWhy You Need a Learning SystemIf you’ve been following my writing for any length of time, you know I write about learning…a lot. I’ve written hundreds of essays, done in-depth personal projects and reviewed countless research-based books on how learning works. One part that can be missing from simply following my regular writing is how…Ultralearning3 min readUltralearning3 min read
Nov 30, 2022Member-onlyHow to Approach Any Exam With ConfidenceYou know the feeling: sweaty palms, tightness in your chest and the tunnel vision that centers on the exam paper sitting in front of you. You feel like you should know the answers, but you keep forgetting. You glance at the clock and realize you’re falling behind. When the exam…Exam3 min readExam3 min read
Nov 28, 2022Member-onlyWhich Matters More for Studying: Method or Motivation?Here’s a question for you: when studying for a test, which matters more, the method you use, or how motivated you are to learn the material? That question is a bit vague, so let’s make it more concrete. Suppose I read out loud to you a list of words. Now…Learning3 min readLearning3 min read
Published in Better Humans·Nov 9, 2022Member-onlyThe Best Strategy for Studying to Land a JobHow to choose the right learning path by reverse engineering what’s required to reach your goal — Reader Talal asks: I have a question: 1. Single variable calculus (MIT) 2. Mathematics for computer science (MIT) 3. Harvard CS 50 (Harvard) 4. Intro to algorithms (MIT) 5. Design and analysis of algorithms (MIT) 6. Leetcode practice problems Are taking these courses enough if I want to get a…Programming5 min readProgramming5 min read
