bookchickdi: The Only Skill That Matters by Jonathan A. Levi

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

The Only Skill That Matters by Jonathan A. Levi

The Only Skill That Matters by Jonathan A. Levi
Published by Lioncrest Publishing ISBN 9781544504346
Trade paperback, $15.99, 185 pages

As someone who reads 100 books per year, I was drawn to Jonathan A. Levi's book The Only Skill That Matters- The Proven Methodology to Read Faster, Remember More, and Become a Superlearner. Levi, who bills himself as "a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker, podcaster and bestselling author", struggled in school as child, having a difficult time keeping up with the other children.

Things turned around for him in high school, but when it came time to take an intensive MBA program, he was overwhelmed with the extensive reading he had to do. He met a couple who, using "neuroscience, memory, and learning theory", helped him to become what he termed a "superlearner".

With the couple, he built a hugely successful online course to help others become superlearners. One of the most important aspects of learning is measuring your progress, having goals. Levi created a SMART system (Specific, Measureable, Ambitious, Realistic and Time-Based) of goals. He uses the example of setting a goal of getting better at Excel. If instead you get specific, say set a goal of "learning six new features of Excel, including pivot tables and macros by December 31st", you'll be more likely to meet your goal. That makes sense.

Another interesting idea is that there is no such thing as "below-average memory". In a 2017, a study by Radboud University determined that practicing mnemonic techniques for 30 minutes per day can double memory capacity for anyone. As someone who has a difficult time remembering names of people, I guess I'd better start creating my "highly detailed visualizations."

As a big reader, I was intrigued by the mention of an app- Readwise. You can connect it to all your highlighted text in Kindle, Apple Books, and Instapaper (I highlight on Kindle frequently for book reviews), and then add all of the print books you have read. It will create a database, add the common highlights, and then send you an weekly email of the highlights. That will also help reinforce what you have read during the week. I'm definitely going to get that app.

The Only Skill That Matters will be most helpful to people who have to do massive amounts of reading and have to retain what they read- law students and medical students could benefit greatly.
Levi has a website- superhumanacademy.com- to learn more about it.