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I read The Art of Learning a few years ago, and remember it being basically an autobiography, and not anything like a manual that explains how one could actuall

by stephen 14y ago

I read The Art of Learning a few years ago, and remember it being basically an autobiography, and not anything like a manual that explains how one could actually attain any sort of super learning. It's just personal stories that are basically "hey, this guy is awesome at a lot of stuff." Hm. Well, I do remember how OCD he was about his subjects--reviewing videotapes of himself doing martial arts, studying moves, etc. So, in that regard, I guess his approach, if you could infer one, was basically getting in his 10,000 hours in 1/4-1/3 of the time of most people. Please correct me if my recollection is wrong though.

nelsonweiss 14y ago
The Art of Learning is less about learning things than it is about becoming very, very good at the things you learn. While the book is highly autobiographical, the author does goes into a lot of detail about how he got really good at chess and tai chi. What a lot of people seem to forget to mention about the 10,000 hour theory is that it's 10,000 hours of purposeful, focused practice. The Art of Learning is all about doing that kind of practice.
bennesvig 14y ago
You're right. It's definitely not a manual with a step by step plan to take like a lot of self-help type books. It's subtly brilliant. Some of the concepts I picked up from it: - Practice something enough to get to the point where you can perform the act/task without thinking. Your brain will then be freed up to focus on higher level things. Picture yourself moving up different levels of a pyramid. This is also how you can slow things down in your mind. Because you've experienced something so much, your brain doesn't have to do as much processing. He talks about this in depth, The Inner Game of Tennis talks about it, and one or two other books I read this year mentioned this concept. - Invest in loss. Most entrepreneurs have heard this 1,000 times, but it was still great to read his take on it. He couldn't get better without experiencing a little pain in practice. - Don't fight, avoid, or deny negative forces. Instead, you should look to channel what's coming at you into something positive. He talks about the chess player who would play mental tricks on him or kick him under the table. It through him off at first, but he learned to embrace it and overcome it. - Find a trigger zone. Develop a routine that will get you ready for peak performance. It could be for Tai Chi or a business meeting (which he gives an example of). There is a lot more to the book, but those are a few of the main concepts he talks about.

by stephen 14y ago

nelsonweiss 14y ago

The Art of Learning is less about learning things than it is about becoming very, very good at the things you learn. While the book is highly autobiographical, the author does goes into a lot of detail about how he got really good at chess and tai chi. What a lot of people seem to forget to mention about the 10,000 hour theory is that it's 10,000 hours of purposeful, focused practice. The Art of Learning is all about doing that kind of practice.

bennesvig 14y ago

You're right. It's definitely not a manual with a step by step plan to take like a lot of self-help type books. It's subtly brilliant. Some of the concepts I picked up from it: - Practice something enough to get to the point where you can perform the act/task without thinking. Your brain will then be freed up to focus on higher level things. Picture yourself moving up different levels of a pyramid. This is also how you can slow things down in your mind. Because you've experienced something so much, your brain doesn't have to do as much processing. He talks about this in depth, The Inner Game of Tennis talks about it, and one or two other books I read this year mentioned this concept. - Invest in loss. Most entrepreneurs have heard this 1,000 times, but it was still great to read his take on it. He couldn't get better without experiencing a little pain in practice. - Don't fight, avoid, or deny negative forces. Instead, you should look to channel what's coming at you into something positive. He talks about the chess player who would play mental tricks on him or kick him under the table. It through him off at first, but he learned to embrace it and overcome it. - Find a trigger zone. Develop a routine that will get you ready for peak performance. It could be for Tai Chi or a business meeting (which he gives an example of). There is a lot more to the book, but those are a few of the main concepts he talks about.