#learning #skills # Steps: How to Learn Anything Using [[LLM]]s ==Click on each of the steps; there you can find the pipeline for each specific step.== 1. Understand/Gather Information 1. [[Learn with LLM - Promps]] 2. Study (Anki) 1. [[Create Anki Flashcards - Prompts]] 3. Create Notes (obsidian) 1. [[Create a Summary for My Obsidian Notes - Prompts]] 4. Explain to myself ([[Feynman technique]]) 1. Record a memo and explain it to myself. --- Articles [[Learning how to learn — LessWrong]] [[A brief summary of effective study methods — LessWrong]] [[14 Techniques to Accelerate Your Learning — LessWrong]] --- # How to Always Learn - Fundamental concepts ### Asking Questions: - I can’t emphasize this enough: I learn best from interacting with others. It allows me to ask specific questions, receive immediate feedback, and also fulfills my social needs. My life goal is to surround myself with the smartest people so I can continuously learn from them in real-time. ### Mental Model: "First Principles Thinking" - **What to Do:** - Choose a topic you want to learn (e.g., building a startup). - ==Break it down into its **core components**== (e.g., product development, market research, customer acquisition). - ==Ask fundamental questions:== "Why does this business model work?", "What are the simplest rules of this field?". - Study foundational materials like research papers or original texts. ### **Most Effective Learning [[Strategy]]** [How to Get the Most Out of Studying: Part 2 of 5, "What Students Should Know About How People Learn"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O7y7XEC66M&list=PL85708E6EA236E3DB&index=4) (Highly recommend watching the entire series) ![[Pasted image 20241008150920.png]] - Deep processing is most effective compared to shallow [[learning]]. - It's also more effective than intentional vs. incidental learning. - ![[Pasted image 20241008150748.png]] ![[Pasted image 20241008151007.png]] ![[Pasted image 20241008151110.png]] ### Cognitive Principles for Achieving [[Deep Processing]]: - [[Elaboration]]: How does this concept relate to other concepts? - [[Distinctiveness]]: How is this concept different from other concepts? - Personal: How can I relate this concept to my personal experience? - Appropriate to Retrieval and Application: How am I expected to use or apply this concept? ### Practical Principles for Achieving Deep Processing: 1. Question generation: based on elaboration and distinctiveness, personal use cases, and application (see above) 2. Concepts maps 3. Practice retrieving information the way the teacher expects 1. Practice recalling without referring to notes ### **Handle the Bigger Picture:** → Big picture and high-level understanding. Good prompts include: - What is going on here? - What problems are we trying to solve? - Why do we care about this? - How could I re-derive/generate this idea from scratch if I needed to? - Notice when a decision feels arbitrary and unmotivated, and try to figure out where it comes from. - Sit down and try to write out the key points of a topic from memory. What are the biggest holes in your understanding? - What’s missing? + What is currently confusing me? - What felt surprising? ### Read and listen at the same time The headline explains everything. Readwise has a text-to-audio feature that allows you to read and listen to the article simultaneously. Also, push the speed of the audio so you are continuously challenged to follow the content and don’t let your thoughts flow away. ### Group Studying: ![[Pasted image 20241008152811.png]] --- ### Learn Faster: [LessWrong Blog Post](https://read.readwise.io/new/read/01j9p0xcgdskh6gseca4m3vffh) #### Read and listen at the same time The headline explains everything. Readwise has a text-to-audio feature that allows you to read and listen to the article simultaneously. Also, push the speed of the audio so you are continuously challenged to follow the content and don’t let your thoughts flow you away. #### Recursive Sampling: - Before reading, look up reviews. Before you spend X hours on a book, spend 10 minutes getting an understanding of whether it's the best book in the field or not. ### Boost Understanding: - Intuition flooding: - Find a number of examples you want to understand (20-100) and look at them. - e.g., you want to understand architecture; look at 100 different architectural masters. =» you will develop an intuitive grasp of it. ### Spot the Curve: - Figure out the most important parts of the idea. - How would your tweet look like? - e.g., you could only use an additional 280 characters, what would you do? ### Expert observation: - Check out what the best people in the field do and why. ### Remember: #### [[Spaced Repetition]] and [[Active Reading]] One famous study found that using active recall, students could remember 80% of what they learned long-term, whereas, with traditional study techniques, students could only remember 36%. [Link](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5574966_The_Critical_Importance_of_Retrieval_for_Learning) Otherwise, your knowledge lands into the forgetting curve: ![[Pasted image 20241008155352.png]] ![[Pasted image 20241008155429.png]] #### Incremental reading - [[Piotr Wozniak]]: - Going through new material and reviewing older material simultaneously ### Put your learning into practice: #### Trigger-action plans: → When Situation X arises, I will perform response Y ten times. Mentally rehearse it a total of ten times. Yes, ten times! #### Project-based learning (PBL): - Turning learning into practice is working on small projects using the skills you are trying to learn. - Advantage of PBL: increases engagement and motivation toward learning. ## More fundamental principles ### **Forget "Learning," Focus on *Absorption***: **Advice**: Stop thinking of learning as something passive, like reading a textbook. Build a knowledge ecosystem ([obsidian](https://timfarkas.com/Integrating+knowledge+across+time)). **How**: - Live the subject: Surround yourself with people, environments, media, and conversations that echo what you’re trying to learn. - Immerse yourself in sensory experiences related to the topic (music, podcasts, art, coding, etc.). - Build a "knowledge ecosystem" where every moment contributes to your growth. --- ### **Optimize Learning Environment:** - **What to Do:** - Create a **dedicated learning space** free from distractions (no social media, background noise, etc.). I find studying in a library ideal for this task. - Add tools like a **whiteboard** for brainstorming and visual learning. - Use **background instrumental music** to maintain focus, such as binaural beats or classical music. - **Daily Action:** Build your own deep work chamber. --- ### **Micro-Dose Knowledge and "Stack Learning":** - **What to Do:** - Break topics down into **15-20 minute learning blocks** (use an app like Notion or Anki to organize concepts). - Stack related topics. For example, when learning about startups, study **finance** and **marketing** simultaneously to see how they connect. - **Daily Action:** Spend 20 minutes in the morning learning one topic and another 20 minutes in the evening stacking it with a related topic. --- ### **Set Learning Milestones:** - **What to Do:** - ==Set clear **learning goals** for the week (e.g., “By Friday, I will be able to build a basic website”).== - **Weekly Action:** Review your progress every Sunday and set **new goals** for the next week. ([[Weekly planning]]) --- ### **Build an Internal "[[curiosity]] Engine":** **Advice**: Stop forcing yourself to learn. Instead, nurture curiosity. When you’re truly curious, learning feels like discovery rather than effort. **How**: - Reframe learning into questions that excite you. - Ask “What if” and “Why” constantly until curiosity pulls you into new knowledge. - Start from bizarre questions like “Why do zebras have stripes?” and let those questions expand. --- ### **Teach as You Learn ([[Feynman technique]])**: - **What to Do:** - After learning a concept, **explain it** to someone (even if they don’t know the subject). - Start a **YouTube channel** or **blog** where you teach back what you’ve learned. - Use **Feynman’s Technique**: after teaching, identify what you don’t understand and review the material again. - **Daily Action:** Record a memo of what I have learned. --- ### Emotional Learning Hooks: **Advice**: Emotions solidify memories. Attach emotional significance to the material you want to master. **How**: - Dramatize information. Imagine you're about to give a TED Talk or are writing a movie about the subject. - Create emotional stakes by connecting the material to something you care deeply about (e.g., learning economics to better understand the wealth gap). - Use “emotional triggers” like music, visualization, or vivid metaphors when studying to anchor concepts emotionally. --- ### Timing: Learning Sprints with [[Deep Work]] Intervals": - **What to Do:** - **Set a timer** for ==90 minutes, then focus on one specific subtopic== (e.g., marketing in startups). - Eliminate all distractions (turn off phone notifications, work in a quiet space). - After each session, take a **10-minute break** to recharge (use a walk, stretching, or listen to calming music). - **Daily Action:** Complete 2–3 deep work sessions each day with a clear learning goal for each sprint. --- [[Emerson spartz]] You are a progressional athlete: try different learning experiment every single day Make it as interesting as possible: how would the future version of yourself super interesting. Like add emotions and variance to it ([[Information Theory]] lets you add way more bits of information every time) 1) leve just repeating 2) rephrasing 3) Saying it is loud 4) making a voice note 5) Connected concepts: add examples context etc # [[Emerson spartz]] [How to learn with Emerson Spartz](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Z02r6IfixCLw9a0ZaSV49?si=0ee332c7554e42db) - Read an listen at the same time - increase speed - like building [[muscle mass]] - keep increasing speed, push yourself and train your reading muscles - have extreme sped to slow down or increase speed: - a 300 page book has maybe 25 pages that are actually intserting. skim through the lest important ones and stop and pay intensive focus to the most important ones ![[Pasted image 20250105180025.png]] #### Main question: If you were to train yourself as an olympic learning what would you do? # Resources [How to learn with Emerson Spartz](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Z02r6IfixCLw9a0ZaSV49?si=0ee332c7554e42db)