The key to learning any skill is to rehearse it by breaking it down into sub-skills and practicing each one under conditions that simulate the actual performance or test, especially with unfamiliar problems.
Instead of superficially learning many different things, focus on mastering a few core skills or subjects deeply before branching out.
To make better decisions and avoid overconfidence fueled by confirmation bias, reduce complex domains to a handful of key variables that you can effectively follow and reason with.
Clearly articulate what specific changes in your key variables would be necessary to alter your current view or decision, enabling clear feedback and adaptability.
To get accurate feedback on your performance or understanding, practice or explain your ideas to people who don’t know you well, as friends may provide biased, overly positive responses.
Approach challenges with a mindset of playing to win, rather than merely playing not to lose, even if it means taking risks that could lead to occasional losses.
Actively contributing to society is crucial for psychological well-being, as a lack of contribution can be devastating to a person’s sense of self.
To truly understand how to learn and master new subjects, commit to learning one thing exceptionally well, going into sufficient depth to grasp the process of mastery itself.
By focusing on only the key variables that govern an outcome, you can effectively filter out extraneous information, saving time and improving decision-making efficiency.
A crucial part of developing expertise in any field is learning what information is irrelevant, allowing you to focus your attention more effectively on what truly matters.
To master a skill, deeply study the best examples (e.g., chess games) by physically replaying and analyzing them repeatedly until you know them by heart, understanding the rationale behind each action.
To effectively prepare for tests where you must express concepts in your own words, actively translate your verbatim class notes into your personal understanding rather than just rereading them.
To truly prepare for real-world scenarios, rehearse skills under varying and non-optimal conditions, including incomplete information or physical constraints, as optimal conditions are rarely guaranteed.
While single opinions can be dismissed, if three or more people independently give you the same feedback, it’s a strong indicator that you should seriously consider and act upon it.
When receiving feedback, resist the urge to immediately argue or dismiss it; instead, entertain the idea and explore its validity, as defensiveness shuts down valuable learning opportunities.
In life, unlike school, simply following instructions (doing exactly what’s expected) is often insufficient, as bosses or situations typically require more than robotic execution.
Observe and identify your personal optimal times of day or night when you function best, as this can significantly impact your performance and creativity.
Develop single-minded focus on your goal and thoroughly understand your ‘opponent’ or domain by repeatedly studying relevant information (e.g., opponent’s games) to gain an edge.
Rereading notes or highlighted texts is an ineffective learning strategy because it does not rehearse the actual skills required on a test, such as recalling information or solving new problems.
To inspire and lead, especially in challenging times, focus on offering positive, inclusive visions for the future rather than divisive ‘us versus them’ narratives.