How to ultralearn

The author of Ultralearning, Scott Young, passed the tests for MIT’s four-year computer science and math degrees in one year. He also spent one year without English, and learned four languages in the process. His stories, and the countless other ones that he shares in the book, have inspired me to create my own hard-skill ultralearning missions.I appreciate this book as a practical guide to self-directed learning. I recognize the importance of doing your own thing through all of the reading that I do, but Young has created a global community around ultralearning. This doesn’t have to be either-or with traditional education. The beauty of ultralearning is that it is flexible and completely tailored to your life and interests. I find that the option allows for more discernment in figuring out which is actually best for you. Otherwise, we would continue to go down the predictable, well-trodden path, and pay arm-and-leg because we’re told that we have to. With ultralearning, the price of admission is hard work towards a goal that you give yourself and believe is important.Here are some of my notes and quotes on the book:

“Always have a challenge”“What matters is the intensity, initiative, and commitment to effective learning, not the particulars of your timetable”Test yourself, practice recall when learning anything“By taking notes as questions instead of answers, you generate the material to practice retrieval on later”“Avoid situations that always make you feel good (or bad) about your performance”“As creativity becomes valuable, experimentation becomes essential”“One thing is certain: one can never achieve serious pedagogical results, especially at a high level, through coercion” – Laszlo Polgar“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is” – Benjamin Brewster“He who can go to the fountain does not go to the water jar” – Leonardo da Vinci