Category: Commentary, Critique, and Response

😉 The first question is easy – at least at a descriptive level. (You can watch my videos). The second question is not so easy, because it depends a bit on what you want to learn. That said, in general, (a) you have to want to learn (b) learning is work (a spectrum of exercise to stress) (c) you must learn to like the exercise to stress or nothing will better. (d) the best way is to learn by doing. (e) and to learn by doing at your pace (f) and by repetition and increase in precision at your pace.

Some of us learn very quickly, some of us not so, and some of us with hardship. In general I advise people to read an entry level over view, read a textbook or manual, then go as deep as you need to.

The primary advice I’ve given people is that it depends on your focus and frustration levels (exhaustion). meaning it is better to watch, listen to, read, or do, the same thing a number of times rather than to cram and then wonder why it didn’t stick.

Reading a book, for example… “how to read a book” by Adler teaches you how to make three passes. I prefer to listen to audiobooks while I’m moving around doing something like housework, chores, or driving. And I’ll listen to someone very deep like Hayek or certain historians three or four times. Because every listen reinforces and exposes new insights. Whenever possible today I suggest watching a set of videos on the topic, then finding a textbook, then reading the original authors.

It’s this incremental addition tht helps. It also means that learning takes time. And that time is costly to all of us. And that you aren’t aware of how much faster you’re learning by that repetition, I’m recommending vs ‘working harder and studying harder.”

What we recommend for the future is that all of us will be taught at our own pace by computers and only study a few hours a day. The rest is for exercising, work, play, and socializing. ANd the value of starting to work for your own money as soon as you can walk is about the best advice we can give to anyone.

I can write something more precise when I have time but what i want you to take away is ‘make learning relaxing’. Figure out how to do that. I tend to answer my communications and hold my meetings in the morning. then in the afternoon, relax a bit and socialize, then in the evening or at night I generally read papers published that week. Not many new books worth reading are being published. Very rare. A few a year.

Reply addressees: @sommatic