Ultralearning Ch. 2 - Why Ultralearning Matters

What exactly is ultra learning? Here is an imperfect definition: A strategy for acquiring skills and knowledge that is both self-directed and intense.

Strategy does not mean the only solution to a given problem, but it may be a good one. Self-directed: it’s about who is in the driver’s seat for the project, not about where it takes place. Intense: Mentally hard. State of flow. Not dabbling.

The author says this definition is, in some ways, un-satisfyingly broad. The ultra learners he’s met have a lot more overlapping qualities than this minimal definition implies. This is why in the 2nd part of the book, he will discuss deeper principles that are common in ultra learning and how they can enable some impressive achievements. Before that, the author wants to explain why he thinks ultra learning matters.

The Case for Ultra Learning

For one, ultra learning is a powerful tool for career advancement. Second, ultra learning offers a path to master those things that will bring you deep satisfaction and self-confidence.

Economics: Average is over.

We are increasingly living in a world in which the top performers do a lot better than the rest. Driving this effect is what’s known as “skill polarization.” In order to succeed, you need to move into the higher-skilled category, where learning is constant, or you’ll be pushed into the lower-skilled category at the bottom. There is hope. If you can master the personal tools to learn new skills quickly and effectively, you can compete more successfully in this new environment. The economic landscape we might have control over, but we can engineer our response to it by aggressively learning the hard skills we need to thrive.

Education: Tuition is too high

College tuition is expensive, and might not be worth it if the degree doesn’t translate to a well-paying job. There are very often skill gaps between what was learned in school and what is needed to succeed. Ultra learning can fill some of those gaps when going back to school isn’t an affordable option.

Rapidly changing fields also mean that professionals need to constantly learn new skills and abilities to stay relevant. While going back to school is an option for some, it’s out of reach for many. Who has the ability to put their life on hold for years as they wade through classes that may or may not end up covering the situations they actually need to deal with? Ultra learning, because it is directed by learners themselves, can fit into a wider variety of schedules and situations, targeting exactly what you need to learn without the waste.

Although in many professions, you legally need a degree in order to get employed, those same professionals don’t stop learning when they leave school, and so the ability to teach oneself new subjects and skills remains essential.

Technology: New Frontiers in Learning

Information is so much more accessible nowadays. Top universities are publishing their best courses for free online. Learners have spaced repetition systems to memorize vocabulary, document readers that translate, podcast libraries, and translation apps. The space of learning possibilities is immense, just waiting for ambitious autodidacts to come up with new ways to exploit it. Ultra learning does not require new technology though. The practice has a long history. However, technology offers an incredible opportunity for innovation.

Accelerate, Transition, And Rescue your Career with Ultra Learning

There are three main cases in which ultra learning can apply: accelerating the career you have, transitioning to a new career, and cultivating a hidden advantage in a competitive world.

Beyond Business: The Call to Ultra Learning

Ultra learning is going to become an increasingly valuable skill, and thus it is worth developing to whatever extent you can, even if it requires some investments first. Professional success, however, was rarely the thing that motivated the ultra learners whom Scott has met — including those who ended up making the most money from their new skills. Instead it was a compelling vision of what they wanted to do, a deep curiosity, or even the challenge itself that drove them forward. Eric Barone didn’t pursue his passion in solitude for five years to become a millionaire but because he wanted the satisfaction of creating something that perfectly matched his vision. The best ultra learners are those who blend the practical reasons for learning a skill with an inspiration that comes from something that excites them.

You also stretch your self-conception. Ultra learning gives you confidence that you might be able to do things that you couldn’t do before. What could you learn? Who could you become?

What about talent? The Terence Tao Problem

Terence Tao and other naturally gifted learners present a major challenge for the universality of ultra learning. If people like Tao can accomplish so much without aggressive or inventive studying methods, why should we bother investigating the habits and methods of other impressive learners?

Putting Talent Aside

What role does natural talent play? How can we examine what causes someone’s success when the shadow of intelligence and innate gifts looms over us? What do stories like Tao’s mean for mere mortals who just want to improve their capacity to learn? There is debate on both sides. The author takes a middle position between the two extremes. Natural talents exist and they undoubtedly influence the results we see. But strategy and method also matter. Scott says that regardless of whether your starting point is dull or brilliant, each of the ultra learning principles, if applied appropriately, will make you a better learner. The ultra learners mentioned throughout the book should serve as exemplars you can use to see how a principle applies in practice, not a guarantee that you can achieve an identical result with identical effort.

Finding Time for Ultra Learning

The first way is by pursing ultra learning part time.

The core of the ultra learning strategy is intensity and a willingness to prioritize effectiveness. Whether this happens on a full-time schedule or just a couple hours per week is completely up to you. As will be discussed in chapter 10, a spread-out schedule may even be more efficient in terms of long-term memory. Whenever you read about an intensive schedule in this book (>= 40 hours per week), feel free to adapt it to your own situation, taking a more leisurely pace while employing the same ruthlessly efficient tactics.

The second way is by pursuing ultra learning during gaps in work and school.

The third way is to integrate ultra learning principles into the time and energy you already devote to learning.

What matters is the intensity, initiative, and commitment to effective learning, not the particulars of your time-table.

Ultra learning is an immensely valuable skill