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“A counterintuitive way to gain insight into a new skill is to contemplate disaster, not perfection. What if you did everything wrong? What if you got the worst possible outcome? This is a problem-solving technique called inversion, and it’s helpful in learning the essentials of almost anything. By studying the opposite of what you want, you can identify important elements that aren’t immediately obvious. Take white-water kayaking. What would I need to know if I wanted to be able to kayak in a large, fast-moving, rock-strewn river? Here’s the inversion: What would it look like if everything went wrong?”
― The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
― The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
“Not being willing to jump in over your head is the single biggest emotional barrier to rapid skill acquisition. Feeling stupid isn’t fun, but reminding yourself that you will understand with practice will help you move from confusion to clarity as quickly as possible.”
― The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
― The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
“This mental simulation also gives me a shopping list: I’d need to invest in a flotation vest, helmet, and other safety gear. Now, instead of (1) raft river (2) have fun (3) don’t die, I have a concrete list of subskills to practice and actions to take to ensure I actually have fun, keep my gear, and survive the trip. Inversion works.”
― The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
― The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything . . . Fast!
Philip King’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Philip King’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
729 books
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73 friends
1,732 books
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320 friends
1,740 books
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177 friends
339 books
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193 friends
195 books
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67 friends
317 books
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170 friends
1,526 books
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256 friends
81 books
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83 friends
More friends…
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