Should you use this time to Ultralearn or Ultrarest?
Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash
Earlier this year I read the book Ultralearning by Scott H Young. There are two key differences between ultralearning and regular learning:
Ultralearning is aggressive - you learn a lot in a short period of time. The author Scott took all of the classes required to graduate with a computer science degree from MIT in just six months.
Ultralearning is self-directed - you teach yourself by drawing on various sources. Instead of actually attending MIT Scott completed his education entirely through MIT's online classes.
I consider myself a lifelong learner so I was interested in the tips in the book. It turned out to be a timely read because many of us now have plenty of time to start an ultralearning project!
With the stay-at-home orders that most of us are under, I'm seeing a lot of chatter about using this time to the fullest. That could be ultralearning projects, or it could be relatively normal projects like practicing drawing or starting to write a book.
On the other hand, I'm also seeing a number of articles like this one encouraging us to take it easy or be OK with being unproductive during this time. We're living in unprecedented times and there's nothing wrong with feeling overwhelmed right now.
So which is it? Should we use this time for ultralearning or ultraresting? Ultimately I think the answer is going to depend on your personal circumstances. I don't think we need to exclusively pick one or the other. The reality is that we're likely going to be at home for a few more months at least. It's fine to take some time resting first and then take some online classes when you feel up to it.
I think there's great power in learning new things. When I'm feeling stuck learning a new skill helps me break out of the funk and get back to normal. A few weeks ago I signed up for a subscription to SkillShare and I've been exploring a few of the classes. I've particularly enjoyed the classes I've taken on filmmaking. Of course, I haven't spent every day taking classes. Some days I'm better off just chilling.
Where do you stand on this? Are you planning on using this time to learn new things or rest? Feel free to email me to let me know.