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วิชาจิ๋ว
รู้หนึ่งเข้าถึงหมื่น รู้หมื่นเข้าถึงสุข
LIFE—CHANGING SERIES
หนังสือที่ต้องอ่าน เมื่อต้องการเปลี่ยนชีวิต
วิชาจิ๋ว มิได้สอนให้เราทำเรื่องยิ่งใหญ่ หากแต่ให้เราลองเริ่มต้นฝึกทักษะเล็กๆ อันเรียบง่าย ฝึกแล้วฝึกเล่า เฝ้าฝึกวิชาเหล่านั้น จนกระทั่งเป็นเซียนในศาสตร์เล็กๆ นั้น
หนังสือเล่มนี้นำเสนอ ไอเดียใหญ่ (Big Idea) ที่ซ่อนไว้ในเทคนิคเล็กๆ ของสรรพวิทยามากมาย ซึ่งจะช่วยฝึกเราให้กลายเป็น เซียนจิ๋ว ผู้มี วิชาจิ๋ว
วิชาเหล่านี้เองจะเป็นสิ่งจำเป็นสำหรับโลกยุคใหม่ ซึ่งหุ่นยนต์กลไกจะทำงานแทนเราได้ทางกาย และเอไอจะทำงานแทนเราได้ทางใจ ถ้าเราไม่เริ่ม ฝึกฝนจิตใจให้มีสมาธิกับสิ่งเล็กๆ รอบตัวได้ ก็ยากที่เราจะพัฒนาจิตใจไปจนถึง ระดับรับมือกับความกดดันและความผันผวนของโลกแห่งอนาคตได้
วิชาจิ๋ว จึงคือคำตอบ คือจุดเริ่มต้นที่คนธรรมดาอย่างพวกเราจะใช้เป็นเครื่องมือในการฝึกฝนตนเองอย่างเรียบง่าย เป็นวิธีที่จะทำให้เราใช้ชีวิตอย่างองอาจกล้าหาญกับการเริ่มต้นทักษะใหม่ๆ อันจะนำไปสู่รมแดนที่เราไม่เคยก้าวเดินไปถึงมาก่อน
LIFE—CHANGING SERIES
หนังสือที่ต้องอ่าน เมื่อต้องการเปลี่ยนชีวิต
วิชาจิ๋ว มิได้สอนให้เราทำเรื่องยิ่งใหญ่ หากแต่ให้เราลองเริ่มต้นฝึกทักษะเล็กๆ อันเรียบง่าย ฝึกแล้วฝึกเล่า เฝ้าฝึกวิชาเหล่านั้น จนกระทั่งเป็นเซียนในศาสตร์เล็กๆ นั้น
หนังสือเล่มนี้นำเสนอ ไอเดียใหญ่ (Big Idea) ที่ซ่อนไว้ในเทคนิคเล็กๆ ของสรรพวิทยามากมาย ซึ่งจะช่วยฝึกเราให้กลายเป็น เซียนจิ๋ว ผู้มี วิชาจิ๋ว
วิชาเหล่านี้เองจะเป็นสิ่งจำเป็นสำหรับโลกยุคใหม่ ซึ่งหุ่นยนต์กลไกจะทำงานแทนเราได้ทางกาย และเอไอจะทำงานแทนเราได้ทางใจ ถ้าเราไม่เริ่ม ฝึกฝนจิตใจให้มีสมาธิกับสิ่งเล็กๆ รอบตัวได้ ก็ยากที่เราจะพัฒนาจิตใจไปจนถึง ระดับรับมือกับความกดดันและความผันผวนของโลกแห่งอนาคตได้
วิชาจิ๋ว จึงคือคำตอบ คือจุดเริ่มต้นที่คนธรรมดาอย่างพวกเราจะใช้เป็นเครื่องมือในการฝึกฝนตนเองอย่างเรียบง่าย เป็นวิธีที่จะทำให้เราใช้ชีวิตอย่างองอาจกล้าหาญกับการเริ่มต้นทักษะใหม่ๆ อันจะนำไปสู่รมแดนที่เราไม่เคยก้าวเดินไปถึงมาก่อน
363 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2017
123 people are currently reading
1568 people want to read
About the author
Robert Twigger
27 books104 followersRobert Twigger is a British author who has been described as, 'a 19th Century adventurer trapped in the body of a 21st Century writer'. He attended Oxford University and later spent a year training at Martial Arts with the Tokyo Riot Police. He has won the Newdigate prize for poetry, the Somerset Maugham award for literature and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.
In 1997, whilst on an expedition in Northern Borneo, he discovered a line of menhirs crossing into Kalimantan. In 1998 He was part of the team that caught the world's longest snake- documented in the Channel 4/National Geographic film and book Big Snake; later he was the leader of the expedition that was the first to cross Western Canada in a birchbark canoe since 1793. Most recently, in 2009-2010, he led an expedition that was the first to cross the 700 km Great Sand Sea of the Egyptian Sahara solely on foot.
He has also written for newspapers and magazines such as The Daily Telegraph, Maxim and Esquire, and has published several poetry collections, including one in 2003, with Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing.
Robert has published Real Men Eat Puffer Fish (2008), a humorous but comprehensive guide to frequently overlooked but not exclusively masculine pastimes, while his latest novel Dr. Ragab's Universal Language, was published to acclaim in July 2009. Robert now lives in Cairo, a move chronicled in his book Lost Oasis. He has lead several desert expeditions with 'The Explorer School'.
Robert has given lectures on the topic of 'Lifeshifting', an approach which emphasises the need to centre one's life around meaning-driven motivation. Drawing on experiences working with indigenous peoples from around the world, he has spoken on 'work tribes' and polymathy. He has also spoken on leadership. Some of these talks have been to companies such as Procter and Gamble, Maersk Shipping, SAB Miller and Oracle computing.
In 1997, whilst on an expedition in Northern Borneo, he discovered a line of menhirs crossing into Kalimantan. In 1998 He was part of the team that caught the world's longest snake- documented in the Channel 4/National Geographic film and book Big Snake; later he was the leader of the expedition that was the first to cross Western Canada in a birchbark canoe since 1793. Most recently, in 2009-2010, he led an expedition that was the first to cross the 700 km Great Sand Sea of the Egyptian Sahara solely on foot.
He has also written for newspapers and magazines such as The Daily Telegraph, Maxim and Esquire, and has published several poetry collections, including one in 2003, with Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing.
Robert has published Real Men Eat Puffer Fish (2008), a humorous but comprehensive guide to frequently overlooked but not exclusively masculine pastimes, while his latest novel Dr. Ragab's Universal Language, was published to acclaim in July 2009. Robert now lives in Cairo, a move chronicled in his book Lost Oasis. He has lead several desert expeditions with 'The Explorer School'.
Robert has given lectures on the topic of 'Lifeshifting', an approach which emphasises the need to centre one's life around meaning-driven motivation. Drawing on experiences working with indigenous peoples from around the world, he has spoken on 'work tribes' and polymathy. He has also spoken on leadership. Some of these talks have been to companies such as Procter and Gamble, Maersk Shipping, SAB Miller and Oracle computing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
August 16, 2017
A short and motivating book on how giving yourself permission to just do, and slowly get better has a meaningful impact on one's confidence and competence. It is unlikely one will find all the micromastery examples compelling, but you just need one to start the virtuous cycle.
___
Micromasteries - self-contained unit of doing, complete in itself but connected to a bigger field. E.g.: Cooking an omelette. It is repeatable and has a success payoff. It is pleasing in and of itself.
The right teacher doesn't have to be brilliant, they just have to be able to make you want to do more of whatever you are interested in. Just as doctors aid the body to heal itself, teachers redirect our attention to help us teach ourselves.
Effort hotspots: particular areas where exerted effort has a disproportionate return. The key to the movement or skill (e.g. using the legs to raise oneself in rope climbing, not the arms)
That looks fun, and I can do that - the telltale sign that you've found a way in.
A.E. van Vogt - confidence is simply the ability to say your name clearly and loudly enough when asked, to greet someone warmly and to congratulate them if they have something to be congratulated for.
Confidence is really a performance decision to put more energy into what you do. Forget the inner feelings. To the external performer, there is no difference between a person who can talk to anyone at the bus stop and someone who tells himself, against an inner timidity, to do so and succeeds.
The problem with a wish list is that it can become a list of consumables rather than achievements. And it is a little weird to do things solely to 'look back on them'. Hence a wishlist of micromasteries makes sense.
Mastery is about keeping going, mainly. Its mantra is :"Whatever keeps you on the path is good, whatever causes you to deviate is bad."
The idea that life is about specialising leads to a diminution of meaning. The narrower your world view, the more everything outside it looks meaningless.
It is interesting that the rise of creative thinking as a subject parallels the disappearance of what gives rise to it: a diversity of knowledge, information and perspective.
__
On drawing: I was told in school that copying is unoriginal - what nonsense. Copying is how you get started, get confident, and get going.
On Dialogue: Dialogue that is dramatically interesting reveals status differences.
Don't think character, think relationships when writing dialogues.
On storytelling to one's kids: A story is about piling problems and difficulties on. You also need to look backwards, not forwards, as you tell your stories. Keep bringing in stuff that has been mentioned.
All change begins with observation, which must be done without judgment.
Consumer culture is inherently pessimistic. The underlying message is: shopping and eating and getting new stuff is the limit of our ambition.
The trivial version of success culture is winning the lottery. Yet you can't buy a lifestyle. If you're unhappy before and you strike jackpot, now you're just rich AND unhappy.
The money doesn't remove the need to find something to do. Its only virtue - widening your permission to be interested - is useless if you don't have the basic knowledge about how to micromaster your way into something you will like doing.
___
Micromasteries - self-contained unit of doing, complete in itself but connected to a bigger field. E.g.: Cooking an omelette. It is repeatable and has a success payoff. It is pleasing in and of itself.
The right teacher doesn't have to be brilliant, they just have to be able to make you want to do more of whatever you are interested in. Just as doctors aid the body to heal itself, teachers redirect our attention to help us teach ourselves.
Effort hotspots: particular areas where exerted effort has a disproportionate return. The key to the movement or skill (e.g. using the legs to raise oneself in rope climbing, not the arms)
That looks fun, and I can do that - the telltale sign that you've found a way in.
A.E. van Vogt - confidence is simply the ability to say your name clearly and loudly enough when asked, to greet someone warmly and to congratulate them if they have something to be congratulated for.
Confidence is really a performance decision to put more energy into what you do. Forget the inner feelings. To the external performer, there is no difference between a person who can talk to anyone at the bus stop and someone who tells himself, against an inner timidity, to do so and succeeds.
The problem with a wish list is that it can become a list of consumables rather than achievements. And it is a little weird to do things solely to 'look back on them'. Hence a wishlist of micromasteries makes sense.
Mastery is about keeping going, mainly. Its mantra is :"Whatever keeps you on the path is good, whatever causes you to deviate is bad."
The idea that life is about specialising leads to a diminution of meaning. The narrower your world view, the more everything outside it looks meaningless.
It is interesting that the rise of creative thinking as a subject parallels the disappearance of what gives rise to it: a diversity of knowledge, information and perspective.
__
On drawing: I was told in school that copying is unoriginal - what nonsense. Copying is how you get started, get confident, and get going.
On Dialogue: Dialogue that is dramatically interesting reveals status differences.
Don't think character, think relationships when writing dialogues.
On storytelling to one's kids: A story is about piling problems and difficulties on. You also need to look backwards, not forwards, as you tell your stories. Keep bringing in stuff that has been mentioned.
All change begins with observation, which must be done without judgment.
Consumer culture is inherently pessimistic. The underlying message is: shopping and eating and getting new stuff is the limit of our ambition.
The trivial version of success culture is winning the lottery. Yet you can't buy a lifestyle. If you're unhappy before and you strike jackpot, now you're just rich AND unhappy.
The money doesn't remove the need to find something to do. Its only virtue - widening your permission to be interested - is useless if you don't have the basic knowledge about how to micromaster your way into something you will like doing.
July 27, 2018
Probably the simplest micromastery in this unique and enjoyable book is the exercise of drawing
'zen circles'. That initially had zero interest for me....no pun intended....well, yes, pun intended,
sorry, I couldn't resist...But then, when I tried drawing the circles, I found it fascinating, and relaxing. Plus, I found out that with a little practice in using the helpful tips for drawing these circles, that Iam pretty good at it, I think. Now, the next time someone tells me that I have zero talent, I can reply "Darn right!" A 'micromastery' is, as stated in the book " a self-contained unit of doing, complete in itself, but connected to a greater field". And the examples shown are intended to
be highly 'do-able', things discrete and simple enough to accomplish to the level of repeatability,
and enjoyability. There are many micromasteries to try, with accompanying instructions,
stategies or guidelines; from 'finding the depth of a well or deep hole', to 'climbing
a rope'; from 'making your handwriting beautiful' to 'doing a high-speed getaway J-turn';
from 'building a brick wall' to 'walking the tango walk'. By the time I got through the book,
I had gained a genuine appreciation for some elements of the tale. Part of the message is
learning to 'do something well and satisfyingly', keeping it simple so that you actually
'get there' instead of always part way. Some of it is to encourage the polymathic
approach, at whatever level, not getting locked into narrow specialization in living
one's life. Beyond this, there is the encouragement to be observant and to gain
a better awareness of yourself, or your 'selves'. There is much more; read
it yourself and try out some of the micromasteries, or create your own. Who knows,
you might find yourself on the Hidden Path to Happiness, just like it says on the cover.
'zen circles'. That initially had zero interest for me....no pun intended....well, yes, pun intended,
sorry, I couldn't resist...But then, when I tried drawing the circles, I found it fascinating, and relaxing. Plus, I found out that with a little practice in using the helpful tips for drawing these circles, that Iam pretty good at it, I think. Now, the next time someone tells me that I have zero talent, I can reply "Darn right!" A 'micromastery' is, as stated in the book " a self-contained unit of doing, complete in itself, but connected to a greater field". And the examples shown are intended to
be highly 'do-able', things discrete and simple enough to accomplish to the level of repeatability,
and enjoyability. There are many micromasteries to try, with accompanying instructions,
stategies or guidelines; from 'finding the depth of a well or deep hole', to 'climbing
a rope'; from 'making your handwriting beautiful' to 'doing a high-speed getaway J-turn';
from 'building a brick wall' to 'walking the tango walk'. By the time I got through the book,
I had gained a genuine appreciation for some elements of the tale. Part of the message is
learning to 'do something well and satisfyingly', keeping it simple so that you actually
'get there' instead of always part way. Some of it is to encourage the polymathic
approach, at whatever level, not getting locked into narrow specialization in living
one's life. Beyond this, there is the encouragement to be observant and to gain
a better awareness of yourself, or your 'selves'. There is much more; read
it yourself and try out some of the micromasteries, or create your own. Who knows,
you might find yourself on the Hidden Path to Happiness, just like it says on the cover.
August 1, 2017
Micromastery: Learn Small, Learn Fast and Find the Hidden Path to Happiness (2017) by Robert Twigger is a book that describes why you should learn small skills that appeal to you quickly and then improve on them.
The book has an interesting idea, namely that we often say we want to learn big, time consuming things that take ages to do but then never really undertake these things because they are often too hard and don't provide rewards for our learning early enough. There is definitely something to it. Instead Twigger suggest learning small skills that are impressive and can be done more quickly and more easily and building on these skills. He suggests things like learning how to start a fire with two sticks, juggling four balls, telling a good children's story and various other things.
He puts it forward as being a bit like punk, having an ethos of making your own things, which is really admirable.
However, the book definitely over reaches in suggesting learning these sorts of things is a great way to happiness or a panacea. It's quite a good thing to do, better than watching TV, but the author oversells the idea.
Micromastery isn't a bad book but it's far from great either. It's got some good suggestions and would have made a good essay.
The book has an interesting idea, namely that we often say we want to learn big, time consuming things that take ages to do but then never really undertake these things because they are often too hard and don't provide rewards for our learning early enough. There is definitely something to it. Instead Twigger suggest learning small skills that are impressive and can be done more quickly and more easily and building on these skills. He suggests things like learning how to start a fire with two sticks, juggling four balls, telling a good children's story and various other things.
He puts it forward as being a bit like punk, having an ethos of making your own things, which is really admirable.
However, the book definitely over reaches in suggesting learning these sorts of things is a great way to happiness or a panacea. It's quite a good thing to do, better than watching TV, but the author oversells the idea.
Micromastery isn't a bad book but it's far from great either. It's got some good suggestions and would have made a good essay.
June 26, 2017
I am reallly mixed on that book. On the one hand the writing is farily pleasant and it reads well, it's got a positive, lovely message... On the other hand I feel that the message to so simple that I had already understood it when I read reviews and summaries online before buying it: learn a small task really well, it could lead you to master the whole thing, and in any case it'll make you happier.
The author makes sure to develop this idea on and on and to add anecdotes about famous scientists, writers, Nobel prize winners... But it just makes the book longer and the idea not much more complex.
The second part of the book where he explains how to do many of these "micromasteries" was not very useful either, unless you happen to want to learn these exact same things (cut a log, make an omelette, build a fire from scratch, etc).
I give it three stars because it was lovely, and motivating, and I liked its message. But it lacks depth and reading about it brings you just the same as reading the whole book.
The author makes sure to develop this idea on and on and to add anecdotes about famous scientists, writers, Nobel prize winners... But it just makes the book longer and the idea not much more complex.
The second part of the book where he explains how to do many of these "micromasteries" was not very useful either, unless you happen to want to learn these exact same things (cut a log, make an omelette, build a fire from scratch, etc).
I give it three stars because it was lovely, and motivating, and I liked its message. But it lacks depth and reading about it brings you just the same as reading the whole book.
Read
April 2, 2022วิชาจิ๋ว ว่าด้วยการใส่ใจรายละเอียดของสิ่งต่างๆ โดยเริ่มต้นจากความสนใจของเราเสียก่อน แล้วค่อยๆ ก้าวไปสู่หนทางของความเป็นเลิศ เลิศที่ไม่ได้หมายถึงความเชี่ยวชาญเฉพาะทาง แต่เป็นเลิศในทุกๆ การกระทำของตัวเองในกิจกรรมที่เราสนใจ
จริงๆ ปัจจุบัน (2022) เราไม่ต้องมาเถียงกันแล้วว่ารู้ลึกหรือรู้กว้างดีกว่ากัน ก็ดีมันไปหมดทั้งสองอย่างไปเล้ย แต่ประเด็นอยู่ที่ว่า รู้กว้าง รู้หลายๆ อย่าง เท่าไรที่เรียกว่า “พอดี” แล้วทำอย่างไรให้เรามีความสนใจ (แถมมีพลังเหลือ) มากพอที่จะสนใจจะเรียนรู้อะไรหลายๆ อย่างได้ แล้วจะสนใจหรือลงมือทำอะไรดี เล่มนี้ได้ไกด์ความสนใจบางอย่างไว้ให้ และเทคนิคที่จะทำให้เราสนุกไปกับกิจกรรมได้ (มีตั้งแต่ทอดไข่ไปจนถึงปีนเชือกหรือจะเป็นพลิกเรือ วาดรูป เขียนไดอะล็อค เป็นต้น)
วิชาจิ๋วจึงเป็นเหมือนประตูแรกเริ่มที่เปิดความสนใจ ความสนุก และความสุขที่จะทำให้เราได้รู้จักความหลากหลายและความเป็นไปได้อีกมากในศักยภาพของตัวเราเองค่ะ
จริงๆ ปัจจุบัน (2022) เราไม่ต้องมาเถียงกันแล้วว่ารู้ลึกหรือรู้กว้างดีกว่ากัน ก็ดีมันไปหมดทั้งสองอย่างไปเล้ย แต่ประเด็นอยู่ที่ว่า รู้กว้าง รู้หลายๆ อย่าง เท่าไรที่เรียกว่า “พอดี” แล้วทำอย่างไรให้เรามีความสนใจ (แถมมีพลังเหลือ) มากพอที่จะสนใจจะเรียนรู้อะไรหลายๆ อย่างได้ แล้วจะสนใจหรือลงมือทำอะไรดี เล่มนี้ได้ไกด์ความสนใจบางอย่างไว้ให้ และเทคนิคที่จะทำให้เราสนุกไปกับกิจกรรมได้ (มีตั้งแต่ทอดไข่ไปจนถึงปีนเชือกหรือจะเป็นพลิกเรือ วาดรูป เขียนไดอะล็อค เป็นต้น)
วิชาจิ๋วจึงเป็นเหมือนประตูแรกเริ่มที่เปิดความสนใจ ความสนุก และความสุขที่จะทำให้เราได้รู้จักความหลากหลายและความเป็นไปได้อีกมากในศักยภาพของตัวเราเองค่ะ
May 6, 2025
I deeply enjoy learning and dabbling in many different interests and micromasteries, which I learnt is a feature of polymathic individuals. This book explained this concept and part of my current lifestyle to me, which provided me with the confidence that I needed!
This is a book to read when life feels too career/work heavy. It is a reminder to not to obsess over your dream career, or to feel down about not succeeding with it. This book reassures you by explaining how the culture of overspecialising and following a single path is not what we are biologically designed to do.
Though some parts are repetitive in the book (which explains the 3 star rating), micromastery, in my eyes, is an essential topic to be aware of.
This is a book to read when life feels too career/work heavy. It is a reminder to not to obsess over your dream career, or to feel down about not succeeding with it. This book reassures you by explaining how the culture of overspecialising and following a single path is not what we are biologically designed to do.
Though some parts are repetitive in the book (which explains the 3 star rating), micromastery, in my eyes, is an essential topic to be aware of.
January 23, 2023
Shocked by how pompous and self-righteous the author of a basic learning skills method can make me so angry. Think I need a break from self-help books of old men giving me permission to follow my own passions.
May 8, 2021
This is a book about motivation masquerading as a book about mastery. There are a lot of unspoken assumptions made in the book, some of which are firmly untrue. Although I am almost certain there is someone out there for whom this book makes all the difference, to me it didn't add up. If you are also mildly irked but can't tell exactly why the below might be of help:
1) The book assumes the challenge of acquiring mastery is sustaining motivation as all of its key messages are around how to keep yourself interested, manage your expectations, get in early rewards, find shortcuts and tricks so on. These are all to keep one believing in feasibility of the challenge, accumulate pleasure and suspend judgement whilst learning.
Although I firmly believe wildly unrealistic expectations (people expecting to become a chef in timelines that are most amenable to mastering a perfect omelette) is very very destructive and should be actively monitored, the main challenge of mastery will always be the deliberate practice itself. Making sure you are continually challenging yourself just to the edge is how you improve and improvement is what gives the intrinsic motivation, not external validation.
2) The book completely overlooks the foundational skill building for the sake of 'demonstrable output'. It says don't worry about cooking techniques, make an omelette. Don't worry about 10K hours, learn a martial arts kick to impress family and friends. I make clothes. It is something I continually improve on. A lot of my early work is atrocious in quality despite the high motivation and imagination I had and the well wishing encouragement i got. This was because I did not yet have the motor skills and muscle memory to make things look right. Instead of churning out yet another omelette, I have actively worked to improve my stitching technique, repeating exercises that noone saw, examining my output not for judgement but for understanding how my hands worked. There weren't entry tricks, there weren't 'ways in', something to show, or something to motivate myself with. Yet this was crucial in developing mastery. Sometimes you just gotta dice 10 kilos of onions instead of wondering what the entry trick to salads might be.
3) The book has a very anti-school, anti-book learning and an almost anti-intellectual stance. I feel bad for the author as I suspect they may have had a terrible academic experience. There is no substitute for doing, but doing without any feedback is also not deliberate practice. You have to do something and be able to judge if it is what you wanted or be able to link what you did to how something turned out. A school, a book, an expert who is already at a level of teaching others IS a shortcut to this crucial element. I feel like the author HAD to create this strawman of a singularly focussed, stuffy, imaginary book learners just to tear it down and sell his own ideas.
4) There is also a tone implying there is 'a right way' of learning and that we all been failed by wrong ways so far. This of course is just nonsense as there are as many ways of learning as there are people. For example I was once shown a trick to how to do shirt yokes where raw edges would be left inside on both ends. It is a neat trick, and it was explained with a nice mnemonic yet I stitched it wrong like 3 times. It just wasn't sinking in. Only when I got pen and paper out and drew the layers of fabric the same way I would solve a geometry problem at school, I could learn it. I still draw it when i am tired to figure out the right way to do it. I literally applied the book learning to someone else's entry level trick because that's how my brain works. Plus that's definitely not how I like my omelette.
5) The book has language that implies some degree of perfectionism or at least high self judgement which rubs me the wrong way. It says things like 'learning quickly enough', 'your way in' like there are universal benchmarks to how fast one must master things or mastery is an exclusive country club the unworthy must sneak into. I reject these ways of thinking. I genuinely believe anyone can learn to do anything with the right setup, time and effort. Mastery is like a garden full of ripe fruit trees that you can go harvssting if you choose to do so. Some might take long, some might just too tall for you to reach but with creativity (get a ladder), help, time and effort, you can have as many as you want, no matter what your age, skill level, etc is.
6) Finally, the book doesn't really say much that is new. Micromastery is mastery. What makes it distinct can only be defined in comparison to made up ideas the author thinks people have about mastery. I have yet to meet an actual human that is a master in solely one thing and one thing alone. Everybody masters more than one thing and ability to master anything to any given extent (dare I say to the level of a 'classic' micromastery) is absolutely fine. You don't have to canoe or juggle to learn how to learn.
1) The book assumes the challenge of acquiring mastery is sustaining motivation as all of its key messages are around how to keep yourself interested, manage your expectations, get in early rewards, find shortcuts and tricks so on. These are all to keep one believing in feasibility of the challenge, accumulate pleasure and suspend judgement whilst learning.
Although I firmly believe wildly unrealistic expectations (people expecting to become a chef in timelines that are most amenable to mastering a perfect omelette) is very very destructive and should be actively monitored, the main challenge of mastery will always be the deliberate practice itself. Making sure you are continually challenging yourself just to the edge is how you improve and improvement is what gives the intrinsic motivation, not external validation.
2) The book completely overlooks the foundational skill building for the sake of 'demonstrable output'. It says don't worry about cooking techniques, make an omelette. Don't worry about 10K hours, learn a martial arts kick to impress family and friends. I make clothes. It is something I continually improve on. A lot of my early work is atrocious in quality despite the high motivation and imagination I had and the well wishing encouragement i got. This was because I did not yet have the motor skills and muscle memory to make things look right. Instead of churning out yet another omelette, I have actively worked to improve my stitching technique, repeating exercises that noone saw, examining my output not for judgement but for understanding how my hands worked. There weren't entry tricks, there weren't 'ways in', something to show, or something to motivate myself with. Yet this was crucial in developing mastery. Sometimes you just gotta dice 10 kilos of onions instead of wondering what the entry trick to salads might be.
3) The book has a very anti-school, anti-book learning and an almost anti-intellectual stance. I feel bad for the author as I suspect they may have had a terrible academic experience. There is no substitute for doing, but doing without any feedback is also not deliberate practice. You have to do something and be able to judge if it is what you wanted or be able to link what you did to how something turned out. A school, a book, an expert who is already at a level of teaching others IS a shortcut to this crucial element. I feel like the author HAD to create this strawman of a singularly focussed, stuffy, imaginary book learners just to tear it down and sell his own ideas.
4) There is also a tone implying there is 'a right way' of learning and that we all been failed by wrong ways so far. This of course is just nonsense as there are as many ways of learning as there are people. For example I was once shown a trick to how to do shirt yokes where raw edges would be left inside on both ends. It is a neat trick, and it was explained with a nice mnemonic yet I stitched it wrong like 3 times. It just wasn't sinking in. Only when I got pen and paper out and drew the layers of fabric the same way I would solve a geometry problem at school, I could learn it. I still draw it when i am tired to figure out the right way to do it. I literally applied the book learning to someone else's entry level trick because that's how my brain works. Plus that's definitely not how I like my omelette.
5) The book has language that implies some degree of perfectionism or at least high self judgement which rubs me the wrong way. It says things like 'learning quickly enough', 'your way in' like there are universal benchmarks to how fast one must master things or mastery is an exclusive country club the unworthy must sneak into. I reject these ways of thinking. I genuinely believe anyone can learn to do anything with the right setup, time and effort. Mastery is like a garden full of ripe fruit trees that you can go harvssting if you choose to do so. Some might take long, some might just too tall for you to reach but with creativity (get a ladder), help, time and effort, you can have as many as you want, no matter what your age, skill level, etc is.
6) Finally, the book doesn't really say much that is new. Micromastery is mastery. What makes it distinct can only be defined in comparison to made up ideas the author thinks people have about mastery. I have yet to meet an actual human that is a master in solely one thing and one thing alone. Everybody masters more than one thing and ability to master anything to any given extent (dare I say to the level of a 'classic' micromastery) is absolutely fine. You don't have to canoe or juggle to learn how to learn.
February 5, 2024
Quite a riveting and is inspiring read that has motivated me to consider the negatives of a culture of specialisation. I might go and cook a soufflé or learn to crack a whip or discover all the greetings in Mandarin.
It’s all a bit exciting.
But three stars because it could have been a TED talk.
Perhaps it was at one point??
It’s all a bit exciting.
But three stars because it could have been a TED talk.
Perhaps it was at one point??
February 25, 2022
The point about micromasteries is that they give a person the means to acquire a little skill. Being able to do a little something builds confidence. Read the book to see how micromasteries take the daunting out of learning. Western approaches to learning may rest on shaky ground. The Japanese, according to Twigger, assume anyone may learn anything. They teach skill by skill.
'BECAUSE THE BIGGEST REASONS FOR NOT ACHIEVING ANYTHING ARE GIVING UP. FAILING TO GAIN MOMENTUM AND BECOMING DISTRACTED..................... IF YOU DON'T HAVE MICRO SUCCESSES ALONG THE WAY YOU'LL LOSE HEART AND GIVE UP, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE LEARNING SOMETHING ON YOUR OWN.'
Want to get out of a rut, big or small? Need a shove, big or small, even a new profession/job? Micromastery tells you how. At least fields possibilities. Stuck on one track (particularly if you are not enjoying it and it is a track on a screen) is bad for your health and future prospects.
The brain like a muddy path can bog you down if you keep going over the same ground, spinning the same old wheels. See the science in the book for explanation: lightly touched on, understandably explained. Should the micromasteries be not exactly the little skills you would choose or are the skills you already possess, it doesn't matter… gives you the idea and an idea. Eg. tTone deaf, can't sing in tune. Would like to sing. Well, perhaps it is not so impossible. I can draw a little but I don't draw. The other day attracted by a blue teapot on a pink tablecloth, picked up a pencil and rummaged a miniature drawing set someone had sent me. Drew the teapot. The clumsiest, ugliest tea pot emerged from my efforts. Hmm can't draw any more, out of practice, not up to speed. BUT… those perfect circles... of course... three perfect circles in a thrice... had forgotten: hold the pencil lightly, the hand not crabbed over the 'nib/brush' end, wing the line with the whole arm or the whole body if possible; on go a graceful tea pot handle and spout... half circles after all. A swirl or two for a base and tea lid and there you are: elegant tea pot... a little out of proportion. Never mind, do it again. That's the thing about a micromastery, you can repeat it as often as you wish. In the depths of gloom and despair, have never picked up a pencil in your life… as one other reviewer says… trying to draw a perfect circle with nib or brush, crayon or pencil is soothing, relaxing, a high class doodle. You can't make perfect circles and think. And that is it. Get away from the thoughts and into the observations. Excellent, helpful, easy to read. At two hundred and forty-one pages it is NOT overlong.
'BECAUSE THE BIGGEST REASONS FOR NOT ACHIEVING ANYTHING ARE GIVING UP. FAILING TO GAIN MOMENTUM AND BECOMING DISTRACTED..................... IF YOU DON'T HAVE MICRO SUCCESSES ALONG THE WAY YOU'LL LOSE HEART AND GIVE UP, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE LEARNING SOMETHING ON YOUR OWN.'
Want to get out of a rut, big or small? Need a shove, big or small, even a new profession/job? Micromastery tells you how. At least fields possibilities. Stuck on one track (particularly if you are not enjoying it and it is a track on a screen) is bad for your health and future prospects.
The brain like a muddy path can bog you down if you keep going over the same ground, spinning the same old wheels. See the science in the book for explanation: lightly touched on, understandably explained. Should the micromasteries be not exactly the little skills you would choose or are the skills you already possess, it doesn't matter… gives you the idea and an idea. Eg. tTone deaf, can't sing in tune. Would like to sing. Well, perhaps it is not so impossible. I can draw a little but I don't draw. The other day attracted by a blue teapot on a pink tablecloth, picked up a pencil and rummaged a miniature drawing set someone had sent me. Drew the teapot. The clumsiest, ugliest tea pot emerged from my efforts. Hmm can't draw any more, out of practice, not up to speed. BUT… those perfect circles... of course... three perfect circles in a thrice... had forgotten: hold the pencil lightly, the hand not crabbed over the 'nib/brush' end, wing the line with the whole arm or the whole body if possible; on go a graceful tea pot handle and spout... half circles after all. A swirl or two for a base and tea lid and there you are: elegant tea pot... a little out of proportion. Never mind, do it again. That's the thing about a micromastery, you can repeat it as often as you wish. In the depths of gloom and despair, have never picked up a pencil in your life… as one other reviewer says… trying to draw a perfect circle with nib or brush, crayon or pencil is soothing, relaxing, a high class doodle. You can't make perfect circles and think. And that is it. Get away from the thoughts and into the observations. Excellent, helpful, easy to read. At two hundred and forty-one pages it is NOT overlong.
November 11, 2017
I attended the Bridport Literary Festival and heard Robert speak, it was very inspiring and the book did not disappoint. It resonated so strongly with me and has opened my eyes to why over the last three years, I've learned to weld, bought a sewing machine, renovated camper vans and have written and published one novel, (and busy writing the second). On reading the book, I've already started to make more omelettes, improve my handwriting, practise zen circles with the aim of improving my drawing, and added to my already significant wish list of things to master, which include learning to dance (at least three styles), being able to dive into swimming pool and swim front crawl properly, write a screenplay and many others. This book should be encouraged to be read by all youngsters as it makes so much sense.
March 29, 2018
List of ideas to learn random stuff and call them micromasteries. Suffered through, so not for me. Single nugget of info for me was to tune your learning according to your feeling of discomfort - it should be somewhat uncomfortable but not too much. Thats how you gauge when you are far enough out of comfortzone.
October 17, 2019
Dull! 39 examples right in the middle of a 250-ish page book, are you kidding me? The book gives you a six-step framework to learn random things. I like the idea of breaking complex and abstract tasks down into small concrete steps, and that's what this book will bring you. However, it feels there is too much padding when reading it.
October 2, 2020
คอนเซ็ปต์ดี เขียนได้น่าติดตาม อ่านแล้วรู้สึกอยากลุกขึ้นมาฝึกวิชาจิ๋วของตัวเองบ้าง
May 25, 2022
The first part of the book is a run of the mill self help book. It describes the concept of micro mastery, which is really good and makes a lot of sense, followed by a loosely organised stream of commentary and observations around the idea, including the mandatory references to scientific studies and how micromastery can make you a happier and better person on par with geniuses and Nobel prize winners.
The second part of the book is a list of suggested micromasteries (eg how to bake bread, to start a fire with sticks, etc). The average reader will with no doubt find at least a few which will seduce them. For each one the author describes a recommended list of steps and tips to succeed. The problem I see is that by giving a two page list of short instructions it fails to give a sense of how fascinating the skill can be.
Without knowing that it was a “thing” I’ve been a practitioner of micromastery for a few years already before finding this book. I found a couple interesting insights and tips but overall it hasn’t told me anything that I didn’t know. But for someone who wants to find interesting occupations for his or her spare time but is overwhelmed with the effort needed to learn new skills (10000 hours allegedly), this book will be an eye opener and highly recommended.
The second part of the book is a list of suggested micromasteries (eg how to bake bread, to start a fire with sticks, etc). The average reader will with no doubt find at least a few which will seduce them. For each one the author describes a recommended list of steps and tips to succeed. The problem I see is that by giving a two page list of short instructions it fails to give a sense of how fascinating the skill can be.
Without knowing that it was a “thing” I’ve been a practitioner of micromastery for a few years already before finding this book. I found a couple interesting insights and tips but overall it hasn’t told me anything that I didn’t know. But for someone who wants to find interesting occupations for his or her spare time but is overwhelmed with the effort needed to learn new skills (10000 hours allegedly), this book will be an eye opener and highly recommended.
September 17, 2018
Six steps to master new skills: the entry trick, the rub-pat barrier, background support, immediate payoff, repetition and experimentation. The explanations made sense and might be useful to motivate some of us to try new things.
August 27, 2018
(read abridged version of the book)
Let's take natural learning process, split it into a set of informal steps and put some fancy labels.
This is perfect recipe for writing yet another self-motivation book.
Let's take natural learning process, split it into a set of informal steps and put some fancy labels.
This is perfect recipe for writing yet another self-motivation book.
June 14, 2021
Highlights:
So I was thinking about how long it would take to learn how to cook really well. I recalled a chef telling me that the real test is doing something simple—like making a perfect omelet. Everything you know about cooking comes out in this simple dish. So I decided to switch the order around. Instead of spending 10,000 hours learning the basics of cookery and then showing my expertise in omelet making, I’d start with just making an omelet. I really focused on making that omelet. I separated it from the basic need that cooking usually fulfills—filling my stomach—so that it now occupied a special, singular place in my life. It had become a micromastery. A micromastery is a self-contained unit of doing, complete in itself but connected to a greater field. You can perfect that single thing or move on to bigger things—or you can do both. A micromastery is repeatable and has a success payoff. It is pleasing in and of itself. You can experiment with the micromastery because it has a certain elasticity—you can bend it and stretch it, and as you do you learn in a three-dimensional way that appeals to the multisensory neurons in our brain.
Do you know the feeling of doing an introductory course on something, which you give up on, and then a few years later you try to tell others what you learned, but you can’t remember? A micromastery isn’t like that. It’s with you forever—and it’s nice to have something to show others. For instance if you learn a martial art you need something to shut people up with when they say, “Go on, show us a move.”
A chef gave me the tip about using the fork to bulk up the omelet. I kept practicing. I went online and found more tips. Then a French woman told me about separating the yolk from the white, which allows your omelet to double in thickness and softness. When it’s served, people simply go: “Wow!” This is what I call the “entry trick.” Every micromastery has one. It is a way, in one stroke, to elevate your performance at that task and get an immediate payoff—a rush of rewarding neurochemicals, which is a nice warm feeling. In some micromasteries, the entry trick is huge, an integral part of the whole thing. In others it just gives you enough of a push to get you going. There are lots of big-shot learners out there boasting of their ability to master foreign languages, get calculus down, or absorb C++ programming, but they all seem to miss this point. Learning must not be like school; it must not be boring. It doesn’t need to be silly fun, but it mustn’t be deadening or dull or too hard. The entry trick, in one fell swoop, sweeps all that away.
Rule 3: Go three-dimensional, go multisensory The latest research into neurological function reveals that much of our brain is composed of multisensory neurons. There isn’t one type of brain cell for smell, another separate one for sight—all these inputs can be handled by the same cell. We learn better the more dimensions and senses we involve.
Hebb’s Law (“what fires together, wires together”) is a basic observation of neuroscience. If it rains while you take a first trip to Paris, the two will always be connected. But its broader implication is that the greater the variety of experience, the wider the sensory impact, the stronger the trace in the brain, and the greater the connectivity. This not only aids memory but also guards against senility. One wonders at the current epidemic in dementia and must concur with Dr. Merzenich—whose brain-training company treats patients suffering from cognitive decay—that we have made life too lacking in variety and multisensory demand. It is easy to live on autopilot, but do it for too long and basic cognitive abilities fall away. Instead, live polymathically and boost your brain.
Merely doing what one has always done, such as a specialist does, strengthens existing networks but builds no new ones in the brain. It also means that short- and medium-term memory are used less and less. The lesson—an intuitive one only recently supported by scientific research—is simple: if you do not use your memory, it will atrophy. If you don’t visit new places where you are required to orientate yourself by, for example, learning where the shops are, finding the way back to your hotel, or even remembering where you parked your car, then you’ll gradually lose even this basic skill. And it does help to think of memory as a skill.
Neuroscientists now believe there is a “superstimulus” effect, a sort of mental synergy that can be produced when we combine different senses as we really study something. This embeds deeper connections in the brain, producing faster and better learning and also enabling us to connect to other areas we are interested in. Micromastery, by seeking out tasks that require us to use more than one sense, realigns us with this better and more natural way of operating.
Micromastery enhanced by deeper looking
The eighteenth-century German writer and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe believed that we learned as much from deeply looking at something as we did from the usual scientific method of taking it apart and noting its constituent elements. Goethe saw that by noting the connections between the thing looked at and its environment, its rich context, we gained insights of great value.
The eighteenth-century German writer and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe believed that we learned as much from deeply looking at something as we did from the usual scientific method of taking it apart and noting its constituent elements. Goethe saw that by noting the connections between the thing looked at and its environment, its rich context, we gained insights of great value. I think the key is not to be in a rush. Before visiting a country I often hang its map on the wall. I don’t ever really study it, I just kind of live with it, peering at it from time to time. All kinds of ideas for travel and writing about travel have come from this simple activity. Artists have long considered “deep looking” a way of capturing in the mind’s eye the essence of a thing. The writer Bruce Chatwin, who had previously been a director at Sotheby’s auction house, believed that having one art object on display which you lived with and slowly consumed with all your senses—eyes, hands, everything—if you could, would, after a while, reveal all its secrets to you. When it was fully digested you sold the piece and obtained another.
How many of us learned math, French, geography, chemistry at school and, having never used what we learned, now recall almost nothing? When you learn the basics it never sticks, unless you keep going to achieve something permanent like a micromastery—a distinct and recognizable unit of skill. Since most people never get past the basics except in their specialism, most people lose most of what they learn. All of which would be supremely depressing if we didn’t naturally accumulate micromasteries, even if the formal academic culture is against them or refuses to take them seriously.
Micromastery can be a small thing, a simple thing—but it can lead you into previously unimagined realms of happiness. Producing is more satisfying than consuming. Consuming is what is eating up the planet’s resources and polluting the sea. Of course, a nice meal is enjoyable—there is no need to scarf down cans of baked beans and suffer. But micromastery switches us to a more productive view of life. We come to see that making things is simply better. Happiness comes from inside—it’s a decision. Enjoyment comes from outside—it has to be sniffed out. Enjoyment gets you out of bed in the morning, but happiness helps you sleep at night. In general, the enjoyment derived from production is far more durable than the enjoyment we get from consuming.
Lack of confidence is connected to not liking to be watched or on display. People who lack confidence can feel a reluctance even to say their own names loudly in public and they rather dread those little intro speeches you have to do at seminars and courses.
No one likes to be judged, but a micromastery puts you outside the judging zone because it is only one of many versions. Doing the task badly matters less. When I make an omelet for someone I could get nervous—what if I fail? But then I remember that the whole point is that I am on the path to mastery, not one-off success. This is just one more step, and if they say it is less than perfect I’ll try hard to thank them sincerely for deigning to eat my food. And my next one will be better.
Refine and reboot your bucket list
The problem with the wish list is that it can become a list of consumables rather than real achievements. And it is a little weird to do things solely to “look back on them.” Surely they should be good at the time too? There needs to be balance. By making a wish list of micromasteries you have something that is interesting to do, useful forever, and nice to look back on.
Doing the same thing every day of your life will kill you with boredom; doing the same thing every day for a period of time while you aim to master something is a proven and effective learning strategy. You then switch to something new, maybe a new micromastery. Be on track until you find yourself in a rut, then switch tracks. Micromastery makes switching tracks pain-free, easy, and part of the program. We aren’t meant to be specialists. As we mentioned earlier, one study showed that only 3.4 percent of the population are naturally inclined to specialization. If you are part of the rest of the population, read on, and even if you aren’t, read on. According to extensive research for UNESCO by Dr. Robert Root-Bernstein: We found that compared with typical scientists, Nobel laureates are at least 2 times more likely to be photographers; 4 times more likely to be musicians; 17 times more likely to be artists, 15 times more likely to be craftsmen; 25 times more likely to be writers of non-professional writing, such as poetry or fiction and 22 times more likely to be performers, such as actors, dancers or magicians.*
These Nobel Prize–winning scientists are specialists, but they enhance their specialty with outside interests, thus gaining new perspectives. There is informal recognition of the advantage of a polymathic background: 82 percent of scientists and engineers surveyed by Robert Root-Bernstein answered “Yes” to the question “Would you recommend an arts-and-crafts education as a useful or even essential background for a scientific innovator?”* Arts and crafts are the natural home of micromastery—self-contained, scalable, repeatable, defined.
Synergy between different areas of knowledge (not just academic but also practical) is little studied. After all, what field would it come under? One of the few to have studied it is Carl Gombrich of University College London. He has found that students who study sciences and arts at A Level (a minority in the UK) are later more likely to have positions of responsibility and leadership—by six orders of standard deviation, a hugely positive correlation.* The more you know, and the greater number of different perspectives you have on things, the exponentially better it is for you. Fields of knowledge cross-fertilize in many, often surprising, ways. The kernel of creativity is, after all, putting together things that have never been put together before.
Masters keep going at what they do. They bend before opposition but do not break; they take the path of least resistance, as long as it still is the path. Masters use ritual instead of repetition to achieve long-term, maybe even dimly conceived, goals. Ritual is making repetition into something fun that you look forward to, or at least tolerate. You can make a ritual out of anything—even checking e-mails. You have your special e-mail-checking chair, a cup of Ethiopian coffee best drunk at 116°F, your e-mail-checking hat . . . you get the picture.
Our culture pimps and peddles this pessimism—it wants us to be passive consumers rather than superhuman producers. Look at those McDonald’s ads—the world is portrayed as a crappy place where a Big Mac is the best you can aspire to. I’m lovin’ it.
So I was thinking about how long it would take to learn how to cook really well. I recalled a chef telling me that the real test is doing something simple—like making a perfect omelet. Everything you know about cooking comes out in this simple dish. So I decided to switch the order around. Instead of spending 10,000 hours learning the basics of cookery and then showing my expertise in omelet making, I’d start with just making an omelet. I really focused on making that omelet. I separated it from the basic need that cooking usually fulfills—filling my stomach—so that it now occupied a special, singular place in my life. It had become a micromastery. A micromastery is a self-contained unit of doing, complete in itself but connected to a greater field. You can perfect that single thing or move on to bigger things—or you can do both. A micromastery is repeatable and has a success payoff. It is pleasing in and of itself. You can experiment with the micromastery because it has a certain elasticity—you can bend it and stretch it, and as you do you learn in a three-dimensional way that appeals to the multisensory neurons in our brain.
Do you know the feeling of doing an introductory course on something, which you give up on, and then a few years later you try to tell others what you learned, but you can’t remember? A micromastery isn’t like that. It’s with you forever—and it’s nice to have something to show others. For instance if you learn a martial art you need something to shut people up with when they say, “Go on, show us a move.”
A chef gave me the tip about using the fork to bulk up the omelet. I kept practicing. I went online and found more tips. Then a French woman told me about separating the yolk from the white, which allows your omelet to double in thickness and softness. When it’s served, people simply go: “Wow!” This is what I call the “entry trick.” Every micromastery has one. It is a way, in one stroke, to elevate your performance at that task and get an immediate payoff—a rush of rewarding neurochemicals, which is a nice warm feeling. In some micromasteries, the entry trick is huge, an integral part of the whole thing. In others it just gives you enough of a push to get you going. There are lots of big-shot learners out there boasting of their ability to master foreign languages, get calculus down, or absorb C++ programming, but they all seem to miss this point. Learning must not be like school; it must not be boring. It doesn’t need to be silly fun, but it mustn’t be deadening or dull or too hard. The entry trick, in one fell swoop, sweeps all that away.
Rule 3: Go three-dimensional, go multisensory The latest research into neurological function reveals that much of our brain is composed of multisensory neurons. There isn’t one type of brain cell for smell, another separate one for sight—all these inputs can be handled by the same cell. We learn better the more dimensions and senses we involve.
Hebb’s Law (“what fires together, wires together”) is a basic observation of neuroscience. If it rains while you take a first trip to Paris, the two will always be connected. But its broader implication is that the greater the variety of experience, the wider the sensory impact, the stronger the trace in the brain, and the greater the connectivity. This not only aids memory but also guards against senility. One wonders at the current epidemic in dementia and must concur with Dr. Merzenich—whose brain-training company treats patients suffering from cognitive decay—that we have made life too lacking in variety and multisensory demand. It is easy to live on autopilot, but do it for too long and basic cognitive abilities fall away. Instead, live polymathically and boost your brain.
Merely doing what one has always done, such as a specialist does, strengthens existing networks but builds no new ones in the brain. It also means that short- and medium-term memory are used less and less. The lesson—an intuitive one only recently supported by scientific research—is simple: if you do not use your memory, it will atrophy. If you don’t visit new places where you are required to orientate yourself by, for example, learning where the shops are, finding the way back to your hotel, or even remembering where you parked your car, then you’ll gradually lose even this basic skill. And it does help to think of memory as a skill.
Neuroscientists now believe there is a “superstimulus” effect, a sort of mental synergy that can be produced when we combine different senses as we really study something. This embeds deeper connections in the brain, producing faster and better learning and also enabling us to connect to other areas we are interested in. Micromastery, by seeking out tasks that require us to use more than one sense, realigns us with this better and more natural way of operating.
Micromastery enhanced by deeper looking
The eighteenth-century German writer and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe believed that we learned as much from deeply looking at something as we did from the usual scientific method of taking it apart and noting its constituent elements. Goethe saw that by noting the connections between the thing looked at and its environment, its rich context, we gained insights of great value.
The eighteenth-century German writer and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe believed that we learned as much from deeply looking at something as we did from the usual scientific method of taking it apart and noting its constituent elements. Goethe saw that by noting the connections between the thing looked at and its environment, its rich context, we gained insights of great value. I think the key is not to be in a rush. Before visiting a country I often hang its map on the wall. I don’t ever really study it, I just kind of live with it, peering at it from time to time. All kinds of ideas for travel and writing about travel have come from this simple activity. Artists have long considered “deep looking” a way of capturing in the mind’s eye the essence of a thing. The writer Bruce Chatwin, who had previously been a director at Sotheby’s auction house, believed that having one art object on display which you lived with and slowly consumed with all your senses—eyes, hands, everything—if you could, would, after a while, reveal all its secrets to you. When it was fully digested you sold the piece and obtained another.
How many of us learned math, French, geography, chemistry at school and, having never used what we learned, now recall almost nothing? When you learn the basics it never sticks, unless you keep going to achieve something permanent like a micromastery—a distinct and recognizable unit of skill. Since most people never get past the basics except in their specialism, most people lose most of what they learn. All of which would be supremely depressing if we didn’t naturally accumulate micromasteries, even if the formal academic culture is against them or refuses to take them seriously.
Micromastery can be a small thing, a simple thing—but it can lead you into previously unimagined realms of happiness. Producing is more satisfying than consuming. Consuming is what is eating up the planet’s resources and polluting the sea. Of course, a nice meal is enjoyable—there is no need to scarf down cans of baked beans and suffer. But micromastery switches us to a more productive view of life. We come to see that making things is simply better. Happiness comes from inside—it’s a decision. Enjoyment comes from outside—it has to be sniffed out. Enjoyment gets you out of bed in the morning, but happiness helps you sleep at night. In general, the enjoyment derived from production is far more durable than the enjoyment we get from consuming.
Lack of confidence is connected to not liking to be watched or on display. People who lack confidence can feel a reluctance even to say their own names loudly in public and they rather dread those little intro speeches you have to do at seminars and courses.
No one likes to be judged, but a micromastery puts you outside the judging zone because it is only one of many versions. Doing the task badly matters less. When I make an omelet for someone I could get nervous—what if I fail? But then I remember that the whole point is that I am on the path to mastery, not one-off success. This is just one more step, and if they say it is less than perfect I’ll try hard to thank them sincerely for deigning to eat my food. And my next one will be better.
Refine and reboot your bucket list
The problem with the wish list is that it can become a list of consumables rather than real achievements. And it is a little weird to do things solely to “look back on them.” Surely they should be good at the time too? There needs to be balance. By making a wish list of micromasteries you have something that is interesting to do, useful forever, and nice to look back on.
Doing the same thing every day of your life will kill you with boredom; doing the same thing every day for a period of time while you aim to master something is a proven and effective learning strategy. You then switch to something new, maybe a new micromastery. Be on track until you find yourself in a rut, then switch tracks. Micromastery makes switching tracks pain-free, easy, and part of the program. We aren’t meant to be specialists. As we mentioned earlier, one study showed that only 3.4 percent of the population are naturally inclined to specialization. If you are part of the rest of the population, read on, and even if you aren’t, read on. According to extensive research for UNESCO by Dr. Robert Root-Bernstein: We found that compared with typical scientists, Nobel laureates are at least 2 times more likely to be photographers; 4 times more likely to be musicians; 17 times more likely to be artists, 15 times more likely to be craftsmen; 25 times more likely to be writers of non-professional writing, such as poetry or fiction and 22 times more likely to be performers, such as actors, dancers or magicians.*
These Nobel Prize–winning scientists are specialists, but they enhance their specialty with outside interests, thus gaining new perspectives. There is informal recognition of the advantage of a polymathic background: 82 percent of scientists and engineers surveyed by Robert Root-Bernstein answered “Yes” to the question “Would you recommend an arts-and-crafts education as a useful or even essential background for a scientific innovator?”* Arts and crafts are the natural home of micromastery—self-contained, scalable, repeatable, defined.
Synergy between different areas of knowledge (not just academic but also practical) is little studied. After all, what field would it come under? One of the few to have studied it is Carl Gombrich of University College London. He has found that students who study sciences and arts at A Level (a minority in the UK) are later more likely to have positions of responsibility and leadership—by six orders of standard deviation, a hugely positive correlation.* The more you know, and the greater number of different perspectives you have on things, the exponentially better it is for you. Fields of knowledge cross-fertilize in many, often surprising, ways. The kernel of creativity is, after all, putting together things that have never been put together before.
Masters keep going at what they do. They bend before opposition but do not break; they take the path of least resistance, as long as it still is the path. Masters use ritual instead of repetition to achieve long-term, maybe even dimly conceived, goals. Ritual is making repetition into something fun that you look forward to, or at least tolerate. You can make a ritual out of anything—even checking e-mails. You have your special e-mail-checking chair, a cup of Ethiopian coffee best drunk at 116°F, your e-mail-checking hat . . . you get the picture.
Our culture pimps and peddles this pessimism—it wants us to be passive consumers rather than superhuman producers. Look at those McDonald’s ads—the world is portrayed as a crappy place where a Big Mac is the best you can aspire to. I’m lovin’ it.
April 27, 2024
"When you have micro mastered something, no matter how down you get, it can't be taken away from you. It become part of your permanent, positive inheritance." - Micromastery
January 19, 2019
Short and sweet; the idea of investing in small but achievable projects really resonated. It has inspired me to try lots of new things. Lovely book.
September 22, 2018
I read this book thanks to Blinkist.
The key message in these blinks:
Learning something new can sometimes be overwhelming and can demotivate us from sticking with it. That’s why it’s much more efficient to learn various smaller tasks quickly and work your way gradually toward mastering a skill, which is a method called micromastery. Micromastery involves six main elements: an entry trick, the rub-pat barrier, background support, immediate payoff, repetition and experimentation.
Actionable advice:
Draw perfect circles.
To become a master at drawing, you first need to micromaster drawing circles. Coordinate time and accuracy until you can quickly and easily draw perfectly round circles. Find a good pen and keep practicing until you get it right. After that, you can start adding details to the circles and create some circular designs.
Suggested further reading:
Mastery by Robert Greene
In Mastery (2012), author Robert Greene argues and illustrates that everybody can achieve mastery of a skill or field if they follow the established steps of historical and present-day masters. Based on interviews and studies of some of the best in their respective fields, Greene provides a diverse array of tips and strategies on how to become a master.
The key message in these blinks:
Learning something new can sometimes be overwhelming and can demotivate us from sticking with it. That’s why it’s much more efficient to learn various smaller tasks quickly and work your way gradually toward mastering a skill, which is a method called micromastery. Micromastery involves six main elements: an entry trick, the rub-pat barrier, background support, immediate payoff, repetition and experimentation.
Actionable advice:
Draw perfect circles.
To become a master at drawing, you first need to micromaster drawing circles. Coordinate time and accuracy until you can quickly and easily draw perfectly round circles. Find a good pen and keep practicing until you get it right. After that, you can start adding details to the circles and create some circular designs.
Suggested further reading:
Mastery by Robert Greene
In Mastery (2012), author Robert Greene argues and illustrates that everybody can achieve mastery of a skill or field if they follow the established steps of historical and present-day masters. Based on interviews and studies of some of the best in their respective fields, Greene provides a diverse array of tips and strategies on how to become a master.
July 19, 2020
This is a short and easy read with an important message: you are more than one "self"; you have multiple interests and desires, so foster them in manageable chunks. In a world obsessed with figuring out your personality type and love languages, etc. this book is a refreshing look at the way all people are designed for more (not to say that taking those personality tests is "bad," but rather that we tend to rely on them to fully describe us as people and we are more multidimensional than that). The 39 micromasteries laid out in the book provide an interesting starting point to spark your creativity.
May 30, 2018
Why I liked this book so very, very much, muchissimo: it made me eager to learn things, made me start drawing and joining Urban Skechers, bake bread for a while, join a weekend course in escimoroll, do a nettle rope. I learned from the book how important it is for our brains to learn new things and how not surprisingly satisfying it is to do so.
His books Walk (made me start walking of course) and Zenslacker, (when in a self critical mood) are similar in that way that they make me/you happy. Both on Kindle only
His books Walk (made me start walking of course) and Zenslacker, (when in a self critical mood) are similar in that way that they make me/you happy. Both on Kindle only
March 4, 2019
garbage. Didn’t bother finishing after a couple of chapters about things you could become interested in doing to make other people think you’re cool. (“Buy the most expensive tools! Don’t hold back”) Some of the “facts” are objectively incorrect. People who announce their goals before they reach them do not all improve their odds of accomplishing them, often they receive the feeling of completing prematurely and don’t finish.
Very happy for the authors experiences with Japanese fighting or whatever and climbing ropes - honestly I don’t even remember most of this book already.
Very happy for the authors experiences with Japanese fighting or whatever and climbing ropes - honestly I don’t even remember most of this book already.
July 9, 2022
Very poor book. Many many assertions are not referenced or fully explained. Examples overused and inappropriate - how many examples of drawing and photography are needed? While the concept of micro mastery is explained - how and when to apply it was not given diligence.
September 12, 2018
Meh. Want to be a jack of all trades? Try micromastery.
May 5, 2019
A blog entry. Not a book.
June 18, 2018
I first encountered this book at a friend's house and was very taken by the concept so when I received it as a present from my wife I was very pleased.
Micromastery pretty much does what it says on the tin. It's about learning a small, repeatable task to the point of mastery. The main concept of the book is that it can be much more beneficial to micromaster many disparate skills rather than spending years becoming an expert in just one field because diversity broadens our horizons and gives us a much more balanced view of the world.
The author is a polymath and gives examples of a number of famous intellectuals who were also polymaths, even if they're only famous in one particular field now. Micormastery allows everyone to become a polymath and when you consider what a micromastery is you will begin to realise that you probably already have loads under your belt.
I love the idea of mastering one skill and then moving on to mastering something else. I once started learning how to play Pink Floyd's 'With you were here' on the guitar because I thought it would be cool to be able to pick up a guitar anywhere I was and play that one song really well and then just put it down again. I never did finish learning but if I had that would have been a perfect example of a micromastery.
I've given the book four rather than five stars for a technical reason rather than a conceptual one. I felt some of the example masteries felt like they'd been put in as filler and were a bit too light on detail to enable an easy way in to the skill being explained. For example, writing brilliant dialogue. Twigger presents a very intriguing way of approaching how you write dialogue and I can see how it works but I feel there's so much more required to write good dialogue that that one concept alone isn't enough. I will definitely use his concept but it will be alongside everything else I already know about writing dialogue.
This is a fairly minor point because there are a wide range of skills to be mastered and he does acknowledge that there will be times that you will need to look elsewhere for more detailed instructions.
All in all, a very exciting concept, so here are the micromasteries on my to-do list: Do a track stand on a push bike; juggle clubs; juggle four balls; become a confident jumper on my mountain bike (Seems like a fairly narrow field so I'll try to diversify and think of some more).
Micromastery pretty much does what it says on the tin. It's about learning a small, repeatable task to the point of mastery. The main concept of the book is that it can be much more beneficial to micromaster many disparate skills rather than spending years becoming an expert in just one field because diversity broadens our horizons and gives us a much more balanced view of the world.
The author is a polymath and gives examples of a number of famous intellectuals who were also polymaths, even if they're only famous in one particular field now. Micormastery allows everyone to become a polymath and when you consider what a micromastery is you will begin to realise that you probably already have loads under your belt.
I love the idea of mastering one skill and then moving on to mastering something else. I once started learning how to play Pink Floyd's 'With you were here' on the guitar because I thought it would be cool to be able to pick up a guitar anywhere I was and play that one song really well and then just put it down again. I never did finish learning but if I had that would have been a perfect example of a micromastery.
I've given the book four rather than five stars for a technical reason rather than a conceptual one. I felt some of the example masteries felt like they'd been put in as filler and were a bit too light on detail to enable an easy way in to the skill being explained. For example, writing brilliant dialogue. Twigger presents a very intriguing way of approaching how you write dialogue and I can see how it works but I feel there's so much more required to write good dialogue that that one concept alone isn't enough. I will definitely use his concept but it will be alongside everything else I already know about writing dialogue.
This is a fairly minor point because there are a wide range of skills to be mastered and he does acknowledge that there will be times that you will need to look elsewhere for more detailed instructions.
All in all, a very exciting concept, so here are the micromasteries on my to-do list: Do a track stand on a push bike; juggle clubs; juggle four balls; become a confident jumper on my mountain bike (Seems like a fairly narrow field so I'll try to diversify and think of some more).
June 3, 2019
This is a book in two-and-a-half distinct parts. I really wish I could rate them differently.
The first section of the book covers the concepts of Micromastery and the psychological underpinnings of the approach. It addresses the concept from a pedagogical perspective: that we learn best by being interested, and interest in a subject derives from tangible outcomes. In effect, if you want to be a good cook, don't start by learning the basics of knife work; start by mastering one specific dish. Twigger also praises, rightly, in my opinion, the value of a polymathic mindselt - the gaining of skills across many fields, because they rub off on each other, and it's a boon to creativity.
That half of the book deserves a solid 5 stars.
The next section comprises Twigger's "39 little skills to help you find happiness". And, honestly, the less said about most of the skills suggested here, the better. The first section made a very good point about there being far greater meaning - fulfilment - in producing rather than consuming; that we feel better from having made something than simply from experiencing what someone else has made. Yet the list of 39 sample micromasteries, only half even approach the concept of making somehting, and some are extremely left-field (lay a brick wall, stack logs). They also skirt the skills needed to be learned - they are nothing but the author's bragging about the skills he has acquired, combining the frivolous, the uninteresting, and some that are too easy to be worthy of mention.
This second hald deserves… 0 stars. (1 if I were being very generous).
the additional half section, tacked on the end, appears to be a series of essays that were the author's initial forays into expressing the ideas in the first section of the book. They do not add anything, except dilution of the initial ideas through some really bad metaphor.
Overall, best read only until the point where the examples start.
The first section of the book covers the concepts of Micromastery and the psychological underpinnings of the approach. It addresses the concept from a pedagogical perspective: that we learn best by being interested, and interest in a subject derives from tangible outcomes. In effect, if you want to be a good cook, don't start by learning the basics of knife work; start by mastering one specific dish. Twigger also praises, rightly, in my opinion, the value of a polymathic mindselt - the gaining of skills across many fields, because they rub off on each other, and it's a boon to creativity.
That half of the book deserves a solid 5 stars.
The next section comprises Twigger's "39 little skills to help you find happiness". And, honestly, the less said about most of the skills suggested here, the better. The first section made a very good point about there being far greater meaning - fulfilment - in producing rather than consuming; that we feel better from having made something than simply from experiencing what someone else has made. Yet the list of 39 sample micromasteries, only half even approach the concept of making somehting, and some are extremely left-field (lay a brick wall, stack logs). They also skirt the skills needed to be learned - they are nothing but the author's bragging about the skills he has acquired, combining the frivolous, the uninteresting, and some that are too easy to be worthy of mention.
This second hald deserves… 0 stars. (1 if I were being very generous).
the additional half section, tacked on the end, appears to be a series of essays that were the author's initial forays into expressing the ideas in the first section of the book. They do not add anything, except dilution of the initial ideas through some really bad metaphor.
Overall, best read only until the point where the examples start.
April 29, 2023
mulle vist eelkõige meeldis see raamat seetõttu, et kordas ja kinnitas asju, mille olen ise enda jaoks juba välja mõelnud ja millesse kirglikult usun. eelkõige siis seda, et uute asjade õppimine teeb meele rõõmsaks ja elu toredaks. et neid asju ei pea õppima palju ega võtma endale igaveseks hobiks, et need ei pea seotud olema su erialaga või millekski kasulikud või tulusad. lihtsalt see tunne, et oled mingi asja selgeks saanud, mida enne ei osanud, on NII mõnus. lisaks avardub maailmapilt, areneb loovus ja kõik need asjad.
lisaks seletamisele, MIKS uusi asju õppida, ja ilmselt selleks, et raamat oleks tummisem, püüab Twigger mikrooskuste omandamist struktureerida ja toob sisse mõiste "rub-pat barrier", mis peaks kirjeldama seda, mis iga uue oskuse keeruliseks teeb - et sa pead kahte erinevat/vastandlikku asja üheaegselt hästi tegema, nagu selles koordinatsiooniharjutuses, kus üks käsi patsutab pead ja teine teeb kõhu peal ringe. ma ei ole päriselt kindel, kas ma sellise üldistusega nõus olen, aga ta kannab selle põhiosas suht kenasti välja.
teine pool raamatut kirjeldab lühidalt üht portsu (39, lubab pealkiri) üsna suvalisi asju koos vihjetega, kuidas nende õppimisele nutikas läheneda oleks. et mis jahu hankida leivategemiseks või millisest liigutusest alustada eskimopöörde õppimist (see on see, kui ümberläinud kajaki suudad tagasi õigetpidi keerata, ise sealt väljumata). mis puitu kasutada hõõrumistehnikaga tuletegemiseks ja milliste tähtede teisitikirjutamine jätab kõige lihtsamini mulje heast käekirjast (a ja g, pole tänu väärt).
suur hulk neist 39st oskusest mind isiklikult ei kõnetanud, aga mõned kavatsen ette võtta küll - nõgestest nööri punumine, nelja palliga žongleerimine ja katakana selgeksõppimine tunduvad täpselt sedasorti väiksed, mõttetud ja efektsed asjad, millistega ma end meeleldi lõbustan. (selle raamatu lugemise ajal olid mul parajasti pooleli projektid kätelseisu, kahe sõrmega vilistamise ja vesivärvidega lillede maalimise õppimiseks.)
lisaks seletamisele, MIKS uusi asju õppida, ja ilmselt selleks, et raamat oleks tummisem, püüab Twigger mikrooskuste omandamist struktureerida ja toob sisse mõiste "rub-pat barrier", mis peaks kirjeldama seda, mis iga uue oskuse keeruliseks teeb - et sa pead kahte erinevat/vastandlikku asja üheaegselt hästi tegema, nagu selles koordinatsiooniharjutuses, kus üks käsi patsutab pead ja teine teeb kõhu peal ringe. ma ei ole päriselt kindel, kas ma sellise üldistusega nõus olen, aga ta kannab selle põhiosas suht kenasti välja.
teine pool raamatut kirjeldab lühidalt üht portsu (39, lubab pealkiri) üsna suvalisi asju koos vihjetega, kuidas nende õppimisele nutikas läheneda oleks. et mis jahu hankida leivategemiseks või millisest liigutusest alustada eskimopöörde õppimist (see on see, kui ümberläinud kajaki suudad tagasi õigetpidi keerata, ise sealt väljumata). mis puitu kasutada hõõrumistehnikaga tuletegemiseks ja milliste tähtede teisitikirjutamine jätab kõige lihtsamini mulje heast käekirjast (a ja g, pole tänu väärt).
suur hulk neist 39st oskusest mind isiklikult ei kõnetanud, aga mõned kavatsen ette võtta küll - nõgestest nööri punumine, nelja palliga žongleerimine ja katakana selgeksõppimine tunduvad täpselt sedasorti väiksed, mõttetud ja efektsed asjad, millistega ma end meeleldi lõbustan. (selle raamatu lugemise ajal olid mul parajasti pooleli projektid kätelseisu, kahe sõrmega vilistamise ja vesivärvidega lillede maalimise õppimiseks.)
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