Have you ever felt like you were just too busy to pick up that new skill you've been dying to learn? Or that mastering a new language, instrument, or programming language was out of reach? Well, Ultralearning is here to shake up your assumptions about what's humanly possible when it comes to learning new skills and talents.

In his book Ultralearning, Scott H. Young introduces us to the incredible concept of ultralearning - using unconventional, aggressive and highly-focused strategies to master difficult skills in record time. We're talking about people teaching themselves to speak fluent Japanese in just a few months, or acing coding after only weeks of effort. Amazing, right? Young shows that ultralearning is not some innate superpower reserved only for prodigies or genius types. With the right framework and techniques, these rapid skill-building tactics can be adapted by anyone, including you! In this summary, we'll unveil the key principles and concrete strategies behind ultralearning, so you can shortcut your own learning and get results that once seemed unbelievable. Whether you want to accelerate your career by adding in-demand skills to your toolbox, impress friends with hidden talents, or simply enrich your life by mastering interests you never had time for, ultralearning is about to make it all happen.

Ultralearning is an intensive, strategic, self-directed learning method to acquire difficult skills and master complex material as efficiently as possible. Unlike passive learning, ultralearning aims to condense the learning timeline to reach an advanced level rapidly. Think of it as self-directed learning on steroids. We're talking aggressively targeting a skill, then putting in the sweat to master it way faster than usual. Sure, it's challenging and not exactly quick as a magic spell, but with the right workout regimen for your brain, people just like you are learning crazy things in record time.

Ultralearner Benny Lewis picked up conversational Hebrew in just 63 days. It takes him a mere 90 days to learn a new language. Dropped out of college Eric Barone taught himself programming and pixel art from scratch. Then created the best-selling video game Stardew Valley single handedly. Barone refined his game's mechanics through trial-and-error. Oh yeah, and it took him just 5 years working nights and weekends around his theater usher job. Simultaneously self-teaching music, sound and storytelling. Casual.

But ultralearning isn't just about pulling off wild personal goals like conversationally speaking 5 languages or painting like Bob Ross. It could be what saves your career too.

With robots coming for mid-level office jobs, we all need to step up our skillsets or risk getting left behind. Ultralearning lets you add strings like "data wizard" or "iOS developer" to your bow without going back to school until you're ancient. Suddenly you have a hybridized skill set and accountant/Chinese speaker or architect/textile designer as your job title! That's someone irreplaceable by any old algorithm.

Okay, so you're pumped about ultralearning, but hold your horses! First you need to learn about metalearning.

Ultralearning is about truly understanding ideas at a deeper level. Having such thorough knowledge that it allows you to see surprising connections between concepts and spot patterns that are invisible to novices. Scientists like Richard Feynman had this ability, called “intuitive expertise." His deep knowledge let him solve problems quickly. Feynman achieved it through a deep understanding of physics built up over years. While it may seem almost magical, his brilliant leaps of intuition were hard-won through diligent study. This intuitive grasp of a subject is super helpful, but it doesn't happen overnight. Building this profound level of comprehension requires serious time and dedication.

The first step is getting back to basics. Understand them thoroughly. It may be tempting to jump ahead, but a shaky foundation limits how much you can grow. You can progress to more complex topics with only a vague grasp of fundamentals, but you can't become an intuitive expert without mastering the building blocks. And don't worry about asking "stupid" questions either! Ask anyone who's been with Feynman. He was known for driving people nuts by questioning everything. 

Once you have a firm grip on foundational ideas, you can start carefully pushing your boundaries into more difficult concepts. You'll definitely struggle at times, and that's a good thing! Challenges lead to deeper understanding. So, embrace the struggle - opt for longer, tougher solutions whenever feasible. When you reach a frustrating point, set a struggle timer, say of 10 minutes, and force yourself to stick with the problem for that long before giving up or seeking an easier solution. Hacks may get you through exams, but an involved, lengthier study is the best route.

Finally, prove core concepts yourself by working through the steps experts took rather than just memorizing end results. Instead of merely reading over a concept, attempt working through each logical step yourself. Rediscovering ideas yourself fosters understanding on a whole different level. If you only believe those key concepts because some genius said they were true, you'll only get surface-level knowledge. To really become an expert, you need to go step-by-step and figure those big ideas out yourself.

Experimentation is the spice of life - and the secret ingredient that can take your skills from solid to sensational. You know Vincent van Gogh, right? Early in his artistic career, his work was decent but nothing groundbreaking. However, through relentless experimentation with different styles and techniques, he went from an unremarkable artist to one of history's most innovative masters.

The same holds true when trying to become an ultralearner. You may reach competency by studying hard in a narrow discipline. But to become an innovator who creates new fusions and pushes boundaries, you need to pepper in experimentation. A great way to dip your toe into experimentation is by mimicking the masters first. Use the “copy then create” technique – copy someone else’s style in your field, then start tweaking and customizing it to make it your own. Stand on the shoulders of giants at first while you get a feel for different approaches. Once you’ve got that down, it’s time to stir things up! Impose constraints to shake yourself out of your habits and usual patterns. For example, challenge yourself to use only a limited color palette in your work. Or omit certain letters while writing. Getting creative within constraints forces innovation and new ways of thinking.

Another way to spark new ideas is by hybridizing – combining different materials, mediums, techniques or skills that don’t normally go together. Blend disparate elements from different fields or genres, and see what interesting new flavors emerge from the fusion. Peanut butter and chocolate, anyone? Some of history’s greatest inventions have come from seemingly odd hybrids. A stellar example of blended hybrid success is cartoonist Scott Adams with his world-famous Dilbert comic strip. Scott creatively combined his engineering background with a natural knack for simple drawing aka doodling into an office humor empire beloved by millions. His experimental hybridizing of both professional skills and talents struck gold.

The lesson is: don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try creative mashups.