Self-Education Is the Ultimate Competitive Edge

When you practice deliberately, you set a specific intention for your practice session and ruthlessly focus on only that. You’re also honest about your current performance, constantly asking how you can improve.

Popular ideas such as the 10,000-hour rule give the impres...

In essence, you need to determine your learning style. However, it’s not as simple as the outdated idea of three different learning styles. In reality, you probably learn well in multiple ways, and the best approach will also depend on the topic.

Some of the main ways you c...

• There was a time when having a college degree was enough to secure a good job. But with more people graduating from college than ever, you now need other ways to differentiate yourself.
• While there are many ways to stand out in a job interview, one of the best is to demonstra...

• Focus on resources that make few assumptions and focus on teaching absolute beginners. This way, you don’t miss fundamentals or develop bad habits that could come back to haunt you later.
• Beyond that, pick whatever learning resources work best for your style.

Spaced repetition is similar to traditional flashcards, with one important twist. Instead of spending equal time studying every flashcard, spaced repetition systems focus your studies on the information you struggle with the most.

Meanwhile, spaced repetition also h...

The first step to learning something new is to pick a skill or subject. You probably have a vague idea in mind already, to make it more specific. This way, you can better track your learning progress.

Besides being specific about what you want to learn, you should a...

• You just need a way to measure your progress so that you can make sure your learning is on track and adjust accordingly.
• Pick an objective, third-party measure. That is, don’t assess your ability based only on your own judgment. If you can get someo...