So apparently my planning efforts for 2024 have started to see some fruit – that is, if you count finishing reading a book for the second time a fruit.
It just so happens that this book I decided to re-read was Ultralearning, by Scott Young. I’m pretty sure I wrote about it some time before… and I’m talking about around 5 years ago, way before I started my attempts to write 1000 a words a day, or a minimum of 365000 words a year, more like.
I remember it was at least 5 years ago because I know at around that time I bought a copy of the book (after reading it myself) to a good friend of mine – my brother from another mother who was then based in Dubai. I do remember trying as hard as I could to apply the principles as stated in the book, but I think I was trying a little too hard. Off the top of my head I think I got a little too ambitious, and ended up spitting out more than I could chew.
I know back then, among the list of things I put too much effort into was my attempt to put it all together and ‘convert’ it into Biblical principles. It seemed like a pretty ambitious and good-intentioned concept, but it ended up with me just pasting some Bible verses into the material. Bad execution, or half-assed execution led to a forgettable product.
Today, however, I think I could pay a more proper tribute to all the reading and re-reading of the material. I’m not going to try too hard. The book is, oh, a couple of meters away from me, but I’d like to just draw out what actually stuck to me, and say it all in my own words… and frankly, I’m pretty sure that Christ will be glorified in all this. Or, if y’all don’t want me to sound too religious about it, anything that follows will have some value – to me, at the very least.
I’m obviously not going to go through each principle verbatim, because I’d rather you guys go through the book yourself – but I will do myself, Mr. Young, and you a favor by going through what I extracted and retained this time around.
You’re to introduce new approaches to learning for yourself, sure, but Mr. Young does tell us that it is of utmost importance to decide and commit to what you want to learn. Just as in any other goal, you want to make sure that what you want to learn is as Specific as possible.
It should be Measurable, i.e. you are able to measure if your learning is making less or more progress over a Attainable, Realistic period, bound by Time (or, within a deadline).
Once you have a SMART lesson to learn, plan it out. Make your research as to what needs to be learned, and determine as early as you can, how you can learn with more senses than just one at a time. For instance, what learning stimulates more than just your vision (reading)?
This is why I enjoy writing, because not only am I using my eyes, but I’m also recording, and I’m also using my hands to iron thoughts out, if not downright dump them all for me to have space to move in my brain.
It helps to be intentional about what you want to learn from the get-go… and even before you start. Do your research, set your goals, and commit. In fact, the quality of your research and the precision of your goals can be a good reflection of your commitment.
I may have jumped the gun a little because I mentioned earlier regarding how you should try learning with more senses at one time. I want to reiterate the importance of this for my next point. I’m not sure about precise studies but it works for me – when I’m, say, memorizing something, it helps, of all things, to involve not just my mind, but if I could repeat what I’m to memorize with my voice, it sticks.
And it sticks even more if I find myself standing up and walking around, engaging my body and my mind as I speak out what I want to remember. Sounds kooky but trust me when I say it works.
Another example was the recent Google Cybersecurity Certificate I took. I barely remember anything from the video lessons, but if you were to ask me about what I do recall, one of my first answers will be how we played with Python – simply because there were more hands-on applications than there were mere lessons from talking heads.
With this I have reason to believe that Mr. Young was onto something when he shared that we shouldn’t be surprised if we set and plan a lot of projects in our learning. Projects, case studies, laboratory experiments engage much more of ourselves, and we remember so much more.
Pentesters talk about how a bigger attack surface is ideal for hackers, and how security analysts ought to focus on reducing said space; that is, the amount of ‘open’ (vulnerable) or ‘working’ ‘space’ bad actors have while inside a breached network. Considering how projects expose more of our being to the experience, you can say that projects increase our ‘experience’ surface.
Sorry if that isn’t making any sense but that’s another principle, right there. In your learning, why limit your focus to just the topic in question, when you can link it to what you already know?
As mentioned I just finished this book, but this was after I came from a leadership summit, where the 7 principles of effective ministry were discussed. I couldn’t help but remember what I’ve been reading from Ultralearning, especially when ministry principles such as ‘Clarify The Win’, ‘Teach Less For More’, and ‘Listen To Others’ were being discussed. In fact, I could have gone that route for this entire article, but I chose to make this more of a free-for-all – besides, you recall from other books as well.
But there it is – as you’re learning, if you haven’t already been noticing, you probably should intentionally ask yourself the question – how is what I’m learning linked to what I already know? How can I take what I’m learning and add value to what lessons I’ve already learned, or how can create value from the application of both at the same time?
I said we’d do best to involve more of our being in our learning… but here I guess we’re emphasizing how the past and its lessons as much a part of our being than our mere senses.
What we have so far:
You’d do well to plan and show intention and commitment to your learning.
It’s best to involve as much of yourself as possible, instead of merely sitting down and taking notes. Learn more by application.
If you haven’t already realized how what you’re learning already fits in with the rest of what you know, you ought to think about those connections.
And you see what I did there? That’s another principle. In, say, memorizing, you drill yourself – sure, you can be intentional, but it wouldn’t really mean much if you were linear. What I’m trying to say is that you may want to consider constantly recapping, to remember what you’ve been learning in the past, and see how it connects to the present. You think about connections to consult things learned way back in the past, but you’re also drilling by ensuring what you remembered 5 minutes ago stays remembered 5 years from now.
Sort of like how the Fibonacci sequence works. With the exception of zero where you explicitly add a 1, You get the next number by adding the present number with the previous number. So the immediate past helps you to see 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55…
Before you take the next step, repeat the previous step for reinforcement.
We’ve focused on how we can exploit the archives of our past, as well as our RAM (or, memory closer to today) to aid us in our learning. We’ve also seen how being intentional in our present by being as immersed as we can is a big help.
Finally, I’d also like to emphasize that our future can help us as well. Think to yourself today, where else can I go with what I’ve learned, tomorrow? Your planning shouldn’t end at the beginning of your learning project.
I remember something Jim Kwik taught, especially when it comes to journaling. It helps to have two columns – one for the notes you’re really taking, and another for the thoughts that come seemingly out of nowhere, for you to easily record and go back to, before going back to your main flow. In some ways, this is tapping our future, because you’ll probably, by way of reflex, ask yourself, why did those other thoughts come in while I was learning?
Mr. Young was an advocate of how we can conduct experiments as a trial and error approach to what next steps to take… but I also believe that these next steps will come up naturally, as we live our lives along our learning.
I’ve learned, most often than not, that these thoughts would give you ideas as to next steps to take, when you find yourself ‘finished’ with the current learning journey you’re in. Do not neglect them, because they may just be what you find yourself learning as you continue your overall journey.
And that’s the thing. I wrote ‘finished’ in quotes because, cliche as it’s been sounding recently, you never really stop learning.
Of course, we can end it at that, but in the light of all we’ve been talking about, I’d like to share what Mr. Young revealed, as the reading came to a close – it’s not verbatim, but it’s the point that when we do find ourselves at the end of our projects, and at the end of the overall learning program, we would do well to celebrate what we finished, BUT we should also realize that the end is a beginning to the next project, to the next lesson.
By re-reading Ultralearning I’ve been reminded of the importance of Commitment and Intention, Hands-On Application and Monitoring, Connection and Relevance, Repetition for Retention, and Experimentation and Continuation.
We learn all, in the name of curiosity over compliance.
Part of me is saying, ‘In application of Connection and Relevance, shouldn’t you be ‘connecting’ this to Christ?’
Well, the book ‘Awe’ by Paul David Tripp comes to mind. And if I’m asking myself what book to read next, I might re-read Awe. But here’s an excerpt from his book I’d like to share:
Every created awe is meant to point you to the Creator. …Creation is awesome. God designed it to be awesome. And God designed you to take in creation’s awesome display. You are meant to be inspired and to celebrate the awesome things that come from the Creator’s hand. But as you participate and rejoice in the awesome display of creation, you must understand that these awesome things were not intended to be ultimate. They were not made to be the stopping place and feeding station for your heart. No awesome thing in creation was meant to give you what only the Creator is able to give. Every awesome thing in creation is designed to point you to the One who alone is worthy of capturing and controlling the awe of your searching and hungry heart.
As it is true of a street sign, so it is true of every jaw-dropping, knee-weakening, silence-producing, wonder-inspiring thing in the universe. The sign is not the thing you are looking for. No, the sign points you to what you are looking for. So you can’t stop at the sign, for it will never deliver what the thing it is pointing to will deliver. Created awe has a purpose; it is meant to point you to the place where the awe of your heart should rest. If awesome things in creation become your god, the God who created those things will not own your awe. Horizontal awe is meant to do one thing: stimulate vertical awe.
Tripp, Paul David. Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do (pp. 20-21). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
We worship by way of our curiosity… and this is ignited by the awesome Creation we see, which apparently points to our wonderful Creator.
We learn all, in the name of curiosity over compliance.
We learn, always from awe and wonder.
Let’s stay curious, folks.
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