The Brian Keane Podcast

#492: Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author Scott H. Young On The Secret To Mastering Hard Skills, Becoming An Ultra Learner and How To Get Better At Anything!

Jul 8, 2024

51:59

Scott is a wall street journal best-selling author of Ultralearning: Accelerate Your Career, Master Hard Skills and Outsmart the Competition. His work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Business Insider and More. His new book Get Better at Anything – 12 Maxims for Mastery is available now. It explores why it’s so difficult for people to learn new skills, arguing that three factors must be met to make advancement possible, and offering 12 maxims to improve the way we learn.

The MIT CHALLENGE:

"In 2012, I decided to try to learn MIT’s 4-year undergraduate computer science curriculum in 12 months, without taking any classes. I was successful in passing the final exams for 33 classes and completing the required programming projects. You can view my TEDx Talk regarding the challenge" Scott H.Young.

I’m currently learning Spanish (a mental challenge) and Muay Thai (a physical challenge) so this episode will be great for anyone looking to learn a skill; and the framework Scott created to do so.

Here are some of the things we talked about in today’s show:

How building permanent habits requires understanding the carrying cost and reducing the effort required to sustain them.
The role motivation plays in pursuing difficult goals, and reducing friction can help sustain motivation.
The misconception around traditional learning styles and why it has little evidence to support it.
The secret with desirable difficulties, such as variable practice and retrieval practice; and how it can enhance learning and memory retention.
Unlearning old skills and techniques may be necessary when learning something new.
The principles of retrieval and retention in Ultra Learning have been particularly impactful for readers. Invest time in meta-learning before starting a new skill or subject.
Why you need to expose yourself to your fears to overcome them and reduce anxiety.
And much more.