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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Ultralearning summary
Accelerate Your Career, Master Hard Tasks and Outsmart the Competition
30 mins
Brief summary
"Ultralearning" by Scott H. Young is a guide to mastering any skill quickly, based on research and interviews with experts. It provides practical strategies and examples for self-directed learning that can lead to significant personal and professional development.
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Ultralearning
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Ultralearning is the smart, strategic way to skill up for personal fulfillment and professional advantage.
Benny Lewis is a polyglot who takes an average of three months to learn a new language. That makes him an ultralearner: a self-directed learner who can acquire new skills in a short time frame, through adopting an aggressive and strategic learning approach.
Ultralearning projects are self-directed, challenging and time-consuming. Just look at the ultralearning project devised by Eric Barone. Most successful computer games are created by teams of professionals with huge budgets. Barone, an IT graduate working as a theater usher, decided to create one completely on his own. Over five years, Barone refined his game’s mechanics through intensive trial and error. Along the way, he taught himself pixel art, music composition, sound design and story writing.
The finished game, Stardew Valley, was released in 2016. It sold over three million copies that year and landed Barone on Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’ list.
Your ultralearning project might not land you in the pages of Forbes magazine, but it can bring ‘unrealistic’ dreams, like learning French or mastering watercolor painting, within reach. Beyond being a path to personal fulfillment, though, ultralearning can help you hone your professional edge. And staying competitive professionally has never been more urgent.
As medium-skilled jobs are threatened by automation, workers need to adapt, upskill and retrain to stay competitive. In the new professional landscape, the most desirable workers have hybridized skill sets: librarian/data analyst, architect/textile designer, accountant/Mandarin speaker. Ultralearners can diversify their skill sets without taking time off work to pursue further education or qualifications.
If ultralearning sounds appealing, you’re probably already wondering how it works. The following blinks will break down the principles of ultralearning, and outline how to implement them in your own ultralearning project.
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What is Ultralearning about?
Ultralearners are ordinary people who can master difficult skills with extraordinary speed. As a result, they achieve tremendous personal success and cultivate a serious professional advantage. But how exactly do they pull it off? In Ultralearning (2019), Scott H. Young analyzes the aggressive, self-directed learning strategies of some of the world’s most successful ultralearners and breaks them down into techniques and strategies that anyone can implement.
Ultralearning Review
Ultralearning (2019) by Scott H. Young is a thought-provoking book that explores the strategies and mindset needed to master new skills effectively. Here's why this book is definitely worth your time:
- Packed with practical techniques, it equips readers with the tools to learn deeply and quickly, allowing them to tackle ambitious learning projects with confidence.
- By drawing on inspiring case studies and research, the book offers compelling evidence that ultralearning can lead to extraordinary achievements and personal growth.
- The book presents innovative approaches to learning that challenge conventional wisdom and invite readers to think differently about how they acquire knowledge and develop skills.
Who should read Ultralearning?
- Anyone who’s tried to learn a new skill and become discouraged.
- Workers who want to extend and upgrade their professional skill sets.
- Busy people who want to skill up efficiently and effectively.
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Ultralearning FAQs
What is the main message of Ultralearning?
The main message of Ultralearning is that we can become self-taught experts by employing accelerated learning techniques.
How long does it take to read Ultralearning?
The reading time for Ultralearning varies, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Ultralearning a good book? Is it worth reading?
Ultralearning is worth reading because it inspires us to approach learning in more efficient and effective ways, helping us achieve mastery in any field.
Who is the author of Ultralearning?
The author of Ultralearning is Scott H. Young.
What to read after Ultralearning?
If you're wondering what to read next after Ultralearning, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Learn Better by Ulrich Boser
- Limitless by Jim Kwik
- Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley
- The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone
- Be Obsessed or Be Average by Grant Cardone
- Get Better at Anything by Scott H. Young
- Strategize to Win by Carla A. Harris
- How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Indistractable by Nir Eyal