PDF Summary:Ultralearning, by Scott Young

The modern workplace is constantly changing, requiring professionals to continually master new skills and knowledge. But not everyone has access to formal education and the upgraded skills required in the workforce are not easy to pick up as you go. In Ultralearning, Scott Young teaches you how to create self-directed learning projects to give you a competitive edge at the fraction of the time and cost necessary for traditional schooling.

In this guide, we’ll cover Young’s core principles of ultralearning to help you stay relevant in your field, advance your career, and master any skill. We’ll also connect Young’s concepts with those in similar books like Jim Kwik’s Limitless and offer tips and insights from other books like Indistractable and The Willpower Instinct to supercharge your ultralearning.

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2. Create constraints. Constraints force you to move outside your comfort zone to learn in new ways, and this enhances your proficiency. For example, if you’ve reached proficiency in a new language by practicing with a bilingual tutor, add the constraint of practicing with speakers who don’t speak your native language. (Shortform note: Research shows that constraints force you to be more innovative and focused. There are different ways you can impose constraints, such as giving yourself tight deadlines and restricting your resources.)

3. Diversify your skills. Young recommends selecting an additional skill to practice that is seemingly unrelated to a skill you’ve already become proficient in. Proficiency in both skills can give you a competitive advantage. For example, if you’re a nurse, you might take up painting, creating a niche for yourself that intersects health with the arts. (Shortform note: Aside from giving you a competitive advantage, learning an unrelated skill can stoke your creativity and lead to new ideas and unique connections. In Think Like a Rocket Scientist, Ozan Varol writes that Albert Einstein used this method, called “combinatory play,” by combining his knowledge of science with his interest in music to yield new insights into both fields.)

Principle 4: Address Your Weak Points

Young’s fourth principle of ultralearning is to isolate a weakness in your learning process and concentrate intensively on it, or what he calls “drilling.” The aspect you isolate will be an integral component of the overall skill or subject, and in mastering it, you unblock areas of learning that are impeding progress. By addressing the most difficult aspects of the process, you reduce delays, learn to confront your weaknesses, and improve overall proficiency.

For example, if you want to be a successful YouTuber, you might have developed your video-editing skills. However, if you haven’t learned how to speak in front of a camera in a natural, engaging way, you still might not be able to attract subscribers. Thus, your speaking ability is impeding your progress, so you should focus your learning efforts on improving that particular skill.

Young advises using the previous principle—practice experientially—in tandem with this principle of focusing on a specific aspect of a skill you’re learning. First, practice your skill in the context you want to apply it in; then, identify your weak links and concentrate on improving those; finally, practice again, integrating the improvements you’ve made.

How to Isolate Your Weak Points

Young writes that it’s important to address any bottlenecks in your learning process, but he doesn’t give specific tips for isolating these weak spots. To this end, it might help to view your learning process as a system based on Donatella Meadows’s tips in Thinking in Systems:

• Make a diagram of your learning process. Doing this allows you to see how each area of the skill you’re learning connects with one another. Having a visual cue makes it easier for you to spot areas that could be causing blocks, impeding your progress in connected areas.

• Get feedback from reliable sources. Show your illustrated process to credible people (such as others who’ve mastered the skill you’re trying to learn) and ask them for their input. They may be able to see barriers that you aren’t seeing.

• Make adjustments based on what you’ve learned. Similar to Young’s method of practicing, addressing a weakness, then practicing again, you should incorporate any helpful feedback you receive. This might mean realigning your process with your learning goals or adding a missing component. Once you’ve made the necessary changes, practice your skill again.

Principles 5 and 7: Strengthen Your Memory

Young discusses techniques for enhancing your memory in two different principles (his principles 5 and 7), which we'll discuss together here. To improve your memory, particularly your long-term memory, he recommends self-testing, excessive studying, and spacing out your learning periods.

(Shortform note: While Young asserts that retaining information is a crucial element of ultralearning, research suggests that forgetting may be just as important for healthy brain function. Scientists theorize that the ability to forget clears your brain of clutter, which helps you process new information more effectively.)

Test Yourself to Encode Information

Young writes that, when learning new information, you should go beyond just reading or listening to a lecture and instead use self-testing: Ask yourself questions to recall the information you learned, through tactics like flashcards or free recall (writing down everything you can remember from what you just studied). The process of forcing your brain to retrieve information on its own, without the source material, helps you commit the information to memory. (Shortform note: Research suggests that self-testing is more effective than other methods such as rereading material and concept mapping because the testing process clarifies what you know and don’t know—when you can’t recall an answer to a question, it’s a clear indication that you haven’t committed the information to memory yet and should thus fill that gap in your knowledge.)

When testing yourself, Young writes that it might be more beneficial to give yourself time between study and active recall. He cites research suggesting that this small delay makes it more difficult to recall information, giving you a mental challenge that effectively improves learning. (Shortform note: One way to give yourself time between study and active recall: Take a nap. This not only gives you a small delay, as Young recommends, but it may also help you remember more. Matthew Walker explains this phenomenon in Why We Sleep: During sleep the brain moves facts from your hippocampus—your short-term memory bank—to the cortex, which stores long-term memories, enabling you to retain information.)

Study Excessively

Research shows that overlearning something even by just a small amount results in 1-2 weeks of further recall. Young says you can overlearn by selecting a simple learning task (for example, changing a tire), practicing the task until you’re able to do it correctly once, then practicing it multiple times after that.

(Shortform note: Overlearning is a well-acknowledged tactic in the field of psychology, but it does have its downsides. In Atomic Habits, James Clear writes that overlearned behavior can turn into mindless actions, which can then lead to stagnation—when you do something without thinking, you may no longer think about how to improve your performance. To keep improving, he suggests finding ways to increase the degree of difficulty of the task as you repeat it. For example, once you’ve mastered changing a tire, try making it more challenging by changing it in various scenarios, such as in the rain or at night.)

Allow Significant Time Gaps Between Learning Periods

Young recommends spaced repetition—multiple learning periods spread out over time—because taking a break before revisiting what you’ve learned better supports long-term memory retention. (For example, if you want to learn how to play a song on a guitar, it’s better to devote an hour to the task every couple of days than to learn the whole song in one go.) Once you’ve reached proficiency and no longer have to practice intensively, Young recommends practicing semi-regularly to refresh your memory.

(Shortform note: Young suggests that through his techniques of ultralearning, you can master new skills in a short period of time. However, some argue that achieving mastery with spaced repetition like he recommends here requires the same amount of time and effort as it would with traditional schooling. In short, there may not be any shortcuts to sustained mastery.)

Principle 6: Pursue and Filter Feedback

Young’s sixth principle of ultralearning is to aggressively pursue feedback and then filter it to take in what’s most useful. Feedback builds on the previous principle of self-testing: While testing yourself is a highly effective way to learn new information, feedback gives you the opportunity to find out if what you’ve learned—and how you’re applying it—is correct. Young says you should seek out feedback by putting yourself in real-world situations where others will tell you what you need to work on. For example, if you’re learning how to write fiction, you might submit your work to an online writing community for critiquing.

How to Be More Receptive to Feedback

While Young writes that feedback allows you to correct what you’re doing wrong, he doesn’t discuss the fact that many people avoid feedback because it can be uncomfortable to hear. In Principles, Ray Dalio writes that this discomfort comes from your ego or your underlying desire to be seen as capable; experiences that threaten your ego, such as receiving feedback that points out your weaknesses, can cause you pain.

To become more receptive to feedback, Dalio writes that you should change your mindset. Be happy instead of ashamed when someone points out your errors because it gives you an opportunity to get better. Learn to bear and reflect on the pain that comes from other people’s comments, and use it to move forward.

Young writes that the least valuable type of feedback is feedback that appeals to your ego—praise can make you feel good but it may not be a constructive assessment of your skills. On the other hand, negative feedback can feel discouraging and impede learning. The most valuable type of feedback is corrective feedback, which tells you what you’re doing wrong and how to fix it.

How to Ask for Corrective Feedback

Young doesn’t give specific tips for asking for corrective feedback. To get specific, actionable comments instead of vague feedback, Jack Canfield recommends asking two questions in The Success Principles:

1) In what ways do you see me holding myself back? Canfield says that people who know you well can help expose your blind spots, pointing out habits or behaviors that may be holding you back from progress. You can also consult people who’ve mastered the skill you’re learning, because they’ll likely have a better sense of the areas you need to work on.

2) On a scale of one to 10, how would you rate (BLANK)? Ask others to evaluate different aspects of the skill you’re working on. For example, if you’re aiming to become a good public speaker, ask a practice audience to rate you on your voice, pace, and body language.

Principle 7: Seek a Deep Understanding of Ideas

The seventh principle of ultralearning is to seek a deep, detailed understanding of ideas and principles (what Young calls “intuition”). Young asserts that having a deep knowledge gives you a solid foundation. This enables you to build on that knowledge so that you’re able to understand more complex ideas related to your target skill, ultimately leading to true mastery. For example, you must have a deep understanding of algebra before you can master calculus. (Shortform note: Having this deep knowledge can be likened to “principles-first thinking,” which Ozan Varol describes in Think Like a Rocket Scientist. Aside from being able to perform a skill more proficiently, he writes that having a thorough understanding of the fundamental components of a topic can lead to more creative thinking. This is because you’re able to pare down to the core concepts and build new connections from there.)

Young writes that there are three rules to developing deeper knowledge:

1. Let yourself struggle. Young says you should exert effort to face the difficulties that come with mastering a skill, instead of shying away from them. (For example, instead of skipping an algebraic equation that you find challenging, keep working on problems until you understand the concept.) This deliberate struggle leads to a deeper understanding of ideas and concepts. Young says you can encourage this by setting a timer for 10-15 minutes and pushing yourself to work on a difficult problem at least until the timer goes off. (Shortform note: Getting stuck on a problem can be discouraging, so Ryan Holiday recommends breaking down intimidating problems into more manageable steps. In The Obstacle Is the Way, he writes that you should focus on what you have to do now, going step by step, instead of thinking about the end goal.)

2. Challenge your understanding. Young says that when you think you understand something more than you actually do, you keep yourself from learning. You should frequently question yourself to avoid the cognitive bias which leads you to overestimate your knowledge. Always ask, “Do I understand this well enough to explain how it works?” (Shortform note: To check if you understand something correctly, Ray Dalio suggests that you seek out smart people and listen to what they have to say. In Principles, he writes that you should recognize that you have blind spots and should thus be open-minded enough to accept the possibility that others might know something better than you do.)

3. Use concrete examples. The human brain understands abstract information better when it’s connected to concrete examples. Additionally, when you personalize those concrete examples, you retain information at a deeper level. (Shortform note: Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski explain why using personalized concrete examples can help you gain a deeper understanding of a subject. In Learning How to Learn, they explain that thoughts are based on neural connections, and new information becomes easier to retrieve when it’s connected to existing information stored in your brain—like familiar, concrete situations or personal details about your life.)

Putting It Into Practice: Create an Ultralearning Project

Now that you’ve explored Young’s principles of ultralearning, you’re ready to create your first ultralearning project. Young outlines five steps.

Step #1: Research How to Learn the Material

Conduct research on the best way to learn the material. By the time research concludes, Young says you should know what you want to learn and why, the materials you’ll need, your learning benchmarks based on what others have done before, and ways you’ll practice what you’ve learned.

How to Choose a Skill to Learn

If you’re having a difficult time deciding what to learn—particularly if your goal is to get ahead in your career—experts recommend asking yourself three questions:

• What skills can help my organization? Identify the areas that have an impact on your company’s growth and figure out what you can do to contribute to those areas. For example, if your company’s social media presence is underutilized, you can learn social media management.

• What am I good at? Compare the list of areas that you’ve identified with your strengths. Look for overlaps and narrow your choices down to those skills.

• What do I want to learn? Determine which skill gets you excited or which will give you the greatest personal benefit.

Step #2: Create Your Schedule

Think about the amount of time you’re willing to devote to the project, and plan accordingly. A schedule can help you manage your pace so you don’t feel pressure to learn too quickly or frustrated with scheduling conflicts down the line.

(Shortform note: To carve out time for learning when you already have a packed schedule, consider Stephen Covey’s tip in First Things First. Classify all of your tasks into four zones: significant and pressing, significant but not pressing, pressing but not significant, and neither significant nor pressing. Prioritize the tasks that are significant but not pressing—such as learning—because these are the ones that help you reach your goals. Then, limit the time you spend on other tasks that aren’t significant.)

Step #3: Start Learning

Review the key points of each ultralearning principle and determine whether you’ve maximized your use of it. With metalearning, for example, you might ask: “Have I completed enough research to determine the best ways to learn this skill or topic? Is there anyone I can get new insights from?” Make modifications wherever necessary and possible.

(Shortform note: At this point, experts recommend considering whether you’ve chosen the optimal learning style. You may have mapped out a learning plan based on your perceived abilities—for example, your primary method of learning might be to listen to lectures because you’re an auditory learner. However, the authors of Make It Stick argue that it’s more important to match the style of instruction to the subject of the lesson, rather than your preferences.)

Step #4: Analyze Your Progress

After you complete your project, Young says you should identify areas of success as well as areas that need improvement. For successful projects, repeat the things that worked, and for weak projects, identify where and how to improve. (Shortform note: The authors of Make It Stick caution that evaluating your own performance can inhibit your progress because people are generally poor judges of their own abilities. To get a more accurate view of your progress, you should learn alongside others—whether they’re seasoned veterans, fellow professionals, or students learning the same skill.)

Step #5: Create a Plan for Long-Term Retention

Much of what we learn decays with time, so determine your plan of action for remembering information right after you reach the learning goal. To help you retain what you’ve learned, Young recommends finding a way to incorporate it into your day-to-day life, taking a class to refresh your memory, or immediately beginning a new learning project that supplements your original learning goals. (Shortform note: Another way to retain what you’ve learned is to teach it to another person. One study shows that students who taught others what they learned remembered more than those who didn’t teach the material.)