Key ideas based on Brian Johnson's PhilosopherNotes:
MYELIN is the key to skill and knowledge.
Myelin wraps nerve fibers making them sharper and stronger…better enabling skill and knowledge.
The thicker the Myelin on our nerve fibers, the better this insulation, and the faster and more accurate are our movements.
"I have always maintained that excepting fools, men did not differ much in intellect, only in zeal and hard work"
Targeted, mistake -focused practice/deep work is how Myelin gets formed around nerve fibers.
Operating, through deep work, at the edge of your abilities and making mistakes actually makes you better and smarter.our working memory can really only hold four ideas at a time.
When you overload yourself, your body responds by trying to take the necessary steps to make the task easier the next time you perform it (this is called "overcompensating").
Making mistakes as part of the practice/deep work is also pivotal in the formation of Myelin.
Build of a Well of Work
Formation of Myelin takes time, that is why passionate and persistent action is key.
People who society generally admire weren't born that way, but were formed by years of practice (i.e.: building a well).
"When a little child is learning to walk or talk, we encourage him and praise him for every tiny improvement he makes. The child beams and eagerly tries to do better. Is this the way you encourage yourself when you are learning something new? Or do you make it harder to learn because you tell yourself that you are stupid or clumsy or a ‘failure’?”
A compelling future vision of ourselves is essential to motivate all the necessary deep work.
Forming Myelin is not easy; we need a strong future vision and why to help drive our practice/deep-work.
“It turns out that self discipline was twice as accurate as IQ in predicting the students’ grade-point average.”
Consistency is Essential
Regular deep work i better than astronomical deep work done intermittently.
Each time we stretch to the edge of our abilities and the body overcompensates, we need to build on this instead of losing momentum.