Federico

By the same author as the “Learning how to learn” online course, the book delivers its contents with simple language and provides strategies to improve how we learn. Each chapter explains one aspect of learning and then offers exercises to test it in real life. The techniques explained in the book include:

- recall as much as possible what you studied right after a learning session
- “enlist” the help of the brain's diffuse mode, avoiding cramming
- solve a problem using different approaches, rather than sticking to one
- interleave subjects
- use cues to change habits and avoid procrastination
- use spaced repetitions and memory techniques (e.g. the memory palace) to consolidate memories

Note: I didn't read the book in its entirety, I simply skimmed through its most salient parts.

The author presents several stories of outliers (people/organizations who stand out from the crowd) and then moves on to analyze them through several lenses (social, geopolitical, personal backgrounds) to prove that

- it's not only geniuses who become outliers: opportunity (being at the right place at the right time) and extensive practice (the famous 10000 hours to reach mastery) play a big role in it
- “practical intelligence” (e.g. knowing what to say at the right time to get the maximum outcome) is a learnable skill, not an inborn trait, and can play an important role in the person's success
- cultural legacies (the set of social and behavioral norms you grow up in) can work to your advantage or detriment
- different ways of parenting lead to different types of growth in children:
- “concerted cultivation” (being actively involved in the children's activities, promoting their interests, and teaching them to make their voice heard) gives them plenty of opportunities to develop their skills
- “accomplishment and natural growth” (leaving children to find their own interests and their way into society) leads to more independence and behavioral growth
- none of the two is inherently wrong