Ramses Oudt Profile picture
Sep 6, 2020 6 tweets 1 min read Read on X
What distinguishes humans from other animals, is that we have some kind of choice.

External and internal influences push us around, but when we reflect and weigh pros and cons, we have a sense of agency.

If we act good or not depends on us.
So why are some people “bad”?

First, what is bad in your eyes could be great in mine. It’s all interpretation.

Second, we make choices based on what we think is right. I might make a choice that harms me later, but in this moment I think it’s the best choice.
Socrates and early Stoics held that nobody does wrong on purpose—everybody does what they think is right for them.

That’s why it’s so important to live a philosophical life and reflect on our beliefs and resulting behaviors.
So how can we make the right decisions, the ones that benefit us and those around us?

For Stoics, it’s striving to be wise in everything: thought, speech, and behavior.

We must also strive to be courageous, just, and moderate. Cultivating these traits is uplifting.
On the other hand, we can harm ourselves by living unphilosophical lives.

What would that look like? You’d show foolishness, injustice, cowardice, and immodesty.

You’d not only suffer mentally, but also hurt those around your because of the resulting behavior.
Growing up in a moralistic environment, judging others became my default mode.

Discovering Stoic philosophy helped me shift focus to myself. I’m only responsible for my own behavior, even if others try to harm me.

My only concern is to be wise, courageous, just, and moderate.

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More from @rroudt

Feb 28, 2023
What are the best books about learning?

I asked Twitter this question, and you gave a ton of valuable recommendations.

Read these 9 books to become better at learning anything:
How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler.

This timeless classic is wordy but chockfull of useful gems to remember more from what you read.
A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley.

If you're new to the world of accelerated learning, this book is a simple introduction to how we humans learn.

The book pairs well with Dr. Oakley's free course (see the quoted tweet below).
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Jan 30, 2023
Drill to upskill.

To learn fast, you must leave tutorial hell and apply what you've learned. But how can you ensure you practice effectively?

You design drills for deliberate practice.

Use these 5 tactics from Ultralearning to design your practice sessions: 🧵 Image
1️⃣ Time-slicing

Every skill is made up of subskills.

With the time-slicing approach, you focus on just one part of the skill you need to improve.

Examples:
• Practice layups or penalty shots.
• Practice one part of a musical piece. Image
2️⃣ Cognitive components

Some skills can't be broken up into time blocks. So here, the trick is to isolate the part you struggle with and keep practicing.

Examples:
• Learning Chinese, you practice tones.
• Learning web design, you practice creating the same component. Image
Read 6 tweets
Jan 28, 2023
Practice more than you study.

Are you stuck in an endless stream of courses, videos, and unused notes?

Then you're in tutorial hell.

Use these four tactics from Ultralearning to go from passive learner to creator: 🧵
1️⃣ Make it a project

Instead of taking a never-ending stream of classes, set clear boundaries and build towards something useful for yourself.

Learning by doing is less predictable, but it will help you gain skills for the real world.
2️⃣ Immerse yourself

Whether you're acquiring a language or learning to draw, look for situations where you can use the skill you want to master.

Learning a language? Change your entertainment.

Learning to draw? Follow artists you admire.

Start with the low-hanging fruit.
Read 5 tweets
Jan 26, 2023
Lack of focus destroys learning projects.

For most skills, intensity matters more than how much time you spend learning. But for intensity, you need bursts of focus.

Here are 3 lessons from Ultralearning to boost your focus and learning speed: 🧵
If lack of focus is ruining your learning projects, you likely have problems to:

1) Start focusing.
2) Sustain your focus.
3) Have the right focus.

In Ultralearning, @ScottHYoung prescribes the following medicine 👇
Procrastination is the biggest focus killer.

The first step to tackling procrastination is to become aware you're procrastinating.

What is causing it? Is your project too...

...big?
...vague?
...unimportant?

Know your why and break the project up into smaller sub-projects.
Read 6 tweets
Jan 25, 2023
Metalearn before you tackle a new skill.

If you want to learn quickly, spend 10% of your study time planning the project.

Here's how to use @ScottHYoung's metalearning principles to make every skill-building project a success: 🧵
Every time you want to learn a new skill, you should clearly define:

• Why you want to learn exactly this skill.
• What knowledge you need to learn.
• How you're going to learn the skill.

Metalearning is an essential first step if you want successfully acquire a skill.
Why do you want to learn a skill?

No skill is worth learning if you don't know where you're going. So know your why.

Ask yourself when considering a skill:

• What are the benefits?
• What are the costs?
• What are the alternatives?
• Does this align with my other goals?
Read 6 tweets
Jan 24, 2023
Every professional should ultralearn.

We need to keep acquiring new skills to thrive in the digital age. But how do you learn when you're already overwhelmed?

You run well-defined learning projects.

Here's how the ultralearning framework gives you a competitive advantage: 🧵
What is ultralearning?

It's an intense, self-directed way of learning skills fast.

When you ultralearn, you take complete ownership over your progress towards a goal *you* have set for yourself.

But ultralearning is not for everyone; you must have skin in the game.
The world is changing fast; learn to adapt.

Ultralearning enables you to quickly learn the knowledge and skills needed to change direction in life.

Lost your job?

Don't go back to college.

Instead, pick a goal and learn everything you need to reach it. That's ultralearning.
Read 14 tweets

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