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🧠🚫📚 You’re Not Stupid: How to Learn Anything With Books

📝🐒 Human Notes

• 🗺️ Reading map = 📚 curriculum

• 📚 Select books to design 🎯 curricula.
• ✍️ Write a review for every 📚 book you read.

🤖 AI Summary

📚 This video introduces a 🖐️ five-step method for creating a “reading map,” a 🗺️ self-made curriculum designed to help individuals learn anything they want through books in a structured way [01:15].

Here’s a breakdown of the 🖐️ five steps:

• Step 1: 🎯 Define Your Learning Goal [02:23]
  • Identify 🧠 what you want to learn and how deeply you want to learn it [02:46].
  • Topics can be 🌳 broad (e.g., sociology) or 🌿 niche (e.g., ancient medical practices) [03:01].
  • You can also define your goal by 📖 reading every book by a certain author or a specific type of book from a particular era [03:17].
  • If you don’t know what to learn, 🌍 explore various subjects through educational YouTube channels like Crash Course [03:45].
  • If you have too many interests, 🧠 brainstorm them and prioritize the top two to three that align with your current goals or desired identity [04:33].
  • Decide on the 📏 depth of learning: 5-10 books for foundational knowledge, 10-30 for a mini-expert level, and 30-50 for mastery [05:38].
  • Break down your main topic into 🧩 subtopics to build depth in key areas [06:07].
• Step 2: 📚 Gather Potential Books [06:36]
  • This is a ” messy phase” where you 📥 collect any books that might be interesting and help you achieve your goal [06:41].
  • Consider 📚 different types of books:
    • 📖 Introductory books: Short, accessible overviews (e.g., Oxford Very Short Introductions) [07:13].
    • 📝 Secondary sources: Books where scholars explain or build on original ideas [07:23].
    • 📜 Primary sources: Original works by the thinkers who developed specific ideas (e.g., Plato’s Republic) [07:48].
    • 🏛️ Classics: Works that have stood the test of time and shaped fields [08:16].
    • 💡 Lighter reads: Memoirs, narrative non-fiction, or even fiction that relates to your topic, offering emotional depth and real-world context [08:33].
  • Find books using 🌐 resources like Google, Wikipedia bibliographies, suggested reading sections in introductory books, MIT and Yale Open Courseware syllabuses, AI chat recommendations, Reddit, Quora, and YouTube [09:27].
• Step 3: ✅ Vet and Organize Your Books [10:46]
  • 🔍 Screen the books: Ask questions like: Is it beginner-friendly? Is it outdated or biased? Is the author reputable? Does it cover what you think it does? Is it engaging? [11:13] Use Goodreads to read summaries and reviews [11:33].
  • 🗂️ Organize your list:
    • By 🪜 difficulty: Start with easier, broader books and move to more complex ones [12:04].
    • 🗓️ Chronologically: Effective for subjects like history, philosophy, or literature [12:11].
• Step 4: 🛍️ Acquire and Read Your Books [12:24]
  • Find books 💰 cheaply or for free through:
    • 🏛️ Local libraries and the Libby app for ebooks and audiobooks [12:45].
    • 🛒 Thrift stores and used bookstores [12:58].
    • 💻 Buying used books online (Amazon’s used section, Thrift Books, Better World Books) [13:11].
    • 📄 Searching for PDF versions online [13:26].
  • Don’t feel 😔 guilty about abandoning a book if it’s boring, too dense, or not resonating with you; your curiosity should guide you [13:56].
• Step 5: ✍️ Interact with Your Books [14:35]
  • Don’t just 🧘 passively read; reflect on the main ideas and relate the material to your life [15:06].
  • 📝 Write a book review for every book you read [15:20]. Include:
    • ✍️ A short summary in your own words [15:33].
    • 🧠 What you learned or what stood out [15:35].
    • ❓ What confused you or questions you still have [15:37].
    • 🔗 How it connects to other things you’ve read [15:40].
    • 👍 What you agreed or disagreed with [15:43].
    • 👍 Whether you’d recommend it and to whom [15:44].
  • Writing reviews 🧠 strengthens memory, 🔍 reveals knowledge gaps, 🤔 helps form your own opinions, and 🗣️ makes you a better thinker and communicator [15:54]. This practice transforms your reading map into an 🗺️ active learning system [16:46].

🤔 Evaluation

This video provides a 💡 practical and structured approach to self-directed learning through reading. While comprehensive in its steps, it primarily focuses on the how of building a reading map. For a richer understanding, one might explore the why behind deep learning and the cognitive benefits of active reading. Additionally, exploring different learning styles and how they might integrate with a reading map could offer a more nuanced perspective.

📚 Book Recommendations

• 📖 How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren: This classic delves into different levels of reading and provides techniques for active and analytical reading, complementing the “Interact with Your Books” step.
• 🚀🧠🏆 Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott H. Young: Explores intensive, self-directed learning strategies, offering broader principles that can be applied to creating and executing a reading map.
• 🧠🔒 Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel: This book explains research-backed strategies for effective learning and memory, providing scientific context for the benefits of active engagement with material.
• 🐦🕊️ Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott: While focused on writing, its insights into the creative process, perseverance, and dealing with imperfections can be inspiring for anyone undertaking a long-term learning project like a reading map.
• ❤️‍🔥💪 Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth: This book explores the importance of passion and sustained effort in achieving long-term goals, which is crucial for completing a comprehensive reading map.