Get Better at Anything

Author of Wall Street Journal Bestseller Ultralearning 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.

Life depends on learning. We spend decades in school, acquiring an education. We want to be good at our jobs, not just for the perks that come from being one of the best, but for the pride that comes from mastering a craft. Even the things we do for fun, we enjoy to a large extent when we feel we’re capable of getting better at them.

Yet learning is often mysterious. Sometimes it comes effortlessly, as when we quickly find our way around a new neighborhood or pick up the routine at a new job. In other cases it’s a slog. We may spend hours in the library, with little to show for it on the final exam. We may want to switch companies, industries or even professions, but not feel qualified to make the leap. Decades spent driving a car, typing on a computer, or hitting a tennis serve don’t reliably make us much better at them. Improvement is fickle, if it comes at all.