Contra Ultralearning, after Young, you can Acquire a skill or knowledge rapidly by being specific, prioritizing the most relevant parts, and deliberately practicing. Rapid skill or knowledge acquisition is possible by only learning “just enough” knowledge that can allow you to practice deliberately and evaluate yourself for improvement every after practice. Intentionally limiting yourself to learning the minimum viable knowledge you need to be able to practice avoids procrastination and allows you to practice in context (see Directness is connected with context of use).
References
Kaufman, J. (2013). The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything…Fast! Portfolio.
Learning concepts related to a skill helps you self-edit or self-correct as you’re practicing.
Dr. Krashen calls this the monitor hypothesis. Learning helps you plan, edit, and correct yourself as you practice. That’s why learning is valuable. The trouble comes when we confuse learning with skill acquisition.
If you want to acquire a new skill, you must practice it in context. Learning enhances practice, but it doesn’t replace it. If performance matters, learning alone is never enough.