May 9, 2020

We live in changing times. In the next ten years, every knowledge worker on earth will become one of two things: invaluable or obsolete. No matter the industry, the pace of progress and new information is faster today than ever before in human history—and it's accelerating exponentially.

In this new reality, how can we possibly hope to keep up?

How can we learn, unlearn, and relearn fast enough to stay relevant in the world to come?

How can we adapt and respond to situations such as worldwide pandemics and the replacement of many jobs by automation or artificial intelligence?

In his new book, The Only Skill that Matters: The Proven Methodology to Read Faster, Remember More, and Become a SuperLearner, my guest on today's podcast, Jonathan Levi, unveils a powerful, neuroscience-based quick learning methodology that'll have you reading faster, remembering more, and learning more effectively in no time. You’ll master the ancient techniques being used by world record holders and competitive memory athletes to unlock the incredible capacity of the human brain. You’ll learn to double or triple your reading speed, enhance your focus, and optimize your cognitive performance. Most importantly, you’ll be empowered to confidently approach any subject—from technical skills, to names and faces, to foreign languages, and even speeches—and learn it with ease.

I enjoyed this book so much that I shared it with my twin twelve-year-old boys, who both wrote a book report on it, and I thought you'd absolutely love this title (and the deeper dive I take on today's podcast with Jonathan) as well.

Jonathan Levi is a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and keynote speaker born and raised in Silicon Valley. At the age of 16, he started an eCommerce company that would go on to become one of Inc.’s 5,000 fastest growing companies in America before being sold in 2011. Since 2014, Jonathan has been one of the top-performing instructors on the online learning platform Udemy. He then snowballed this success into the launch of his rapidly growing information products company, SuperHuman Enterprises, which produces such products as the award-winning SuperHuman Academy Podcast; the bestselling Become a SuperLearner®” print, digital, and audiobooks; and numerous other online courses through its own online training portals, SuperHuman Academy® and Branding You™ Academy.

Jonathan’s media products have been enjoyed by over 250,000 people in 205 countries and territories. His latest book, The Only Skill That Matters, was published by Lionscrest in 2019 and details his own journey and the techniques that anyone can use to learn faster. Jonathan holds a B.A. in sociology from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in business from INSEAD. He lives in Tel Aviv, Israel with his wife, Limmor.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-How the coronavirus has affected Jonathan's quality of life and productivity…10:30

• Jonathan's team is remote, so there were no drastic changes
• There's a fine line between sharing useful information and profiting off of a global pandemic

-The ideal quick learning model in Jonathan's view…14:18

• Don't underestimate the role of customization and tailoring to the individual's needs
• Needs of our brains:
  • We need to know that what we're learning is practical and applicable to our own life
  • We need it to be connected to our own experiences
• Best use of technology is “Learning journeys”: Allowing the individual to go off on their own, learn at their own pace
• Customization is very difficult in the best of circumstances with the traditional model of education (25-30 students)
• The 3 things people need when they learn: information, accountability, community
• Identify local resources (classes, meetups, etc.) for the community element

-Jonathan and Ben's daily routines, biohacks, and wearables…21:17

• Hal Elrod's Miracle Morning
• Meditation in the morning
• Gratitude journaling (20+ things)
  • Benjamin Hardy – Why Keeping a Daily Journal Could Change Your Life
• Wim Hof breathing during the journaling
  • The Wim Hof Method
  • Wim Hof app
• Two types of journaling:
  • Goals, dreams, etc.
  • Basic historian work (a record of your life)
• Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Sleep is sacred in the Levi household
• Blinds are connected via Alexa to allow max sunlight in the house
• Planning is essential
  • If you're reactive, you're at the mercy of that which makes the most noise
  • “A change in priorities without a change in resources is a fantasy” – Dan Sullivan
• Aquatic fitness pool Ben mentions
• Morozko Forge (code BENFORGE for $150 off)
• Dreem (code BEN to get 10% discount)
• Oura Ring
• Ebb device
• Chilipad (code BEN25 for 25% off the chiliPAD / BEN15 for 15% off the OOLER)

-Nootropics and smart drugs Jonathan uses for enhancing cognitive performance…39:53

• Prescribed Ritalin most of adolescence
• Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee (code BENGREENFIELD for 15% off)
• Yerba Mate
• Provigil
• Theobromine
• Theophylline
• Ben's morning brew while focusing on enhancing the immune system: Chaga and cacao
  • MiCacao
• Qualia (caffeine-free) Mind (code GREENFIELD2019 to save 15%)

-What “the only skill that matters” is…45:00

• The only skill that matters is being able to learn quickly and effectively
• Book: Future Shock by Alvin Toeffler
  • “The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”
• Jonathan overcame chronic pain to get into top shape by learning how to be his own physical therapist, nutritionist, etc.
• Five Hard Skills Everybody Should Learn from Naval Ravikant
  • Also people skills and writing
• Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Unlearning what you already know is just as important as learning
• Knowledge acquired today will likely be obsolete in 10 years in the best-case scenario

-How to become a “SuperLearner”…51:55

• A SuperLearner is: “Someone who is able to quickly and effortlessly learn any subject and implement what they're learning.”
• Understand how your brain works
• You can tell people what to do, or tell them why to do it
• We're all naturally wired to be visual learners
  • There's no such thing as memory without some sort of visual stimuli
• Similar to the Memory Palace Technique
• Mindvalley University

-How to use visualization in your learning…56:57

• Go grocery shopping without a list
• We all learn visualization; the key is knowing how to re-purpose it
• This will triple your memory at minimum and help you retain the info you learn

-What Jonathan is learning at the time of the recording, and how…1:01:15

• Learning piano pieces by Idan Raichel
• Studying copywriting
• Books Jonathan is reading:
  • The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham
  • Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

-How much time Jonathan spends learning each day…1:04:00

• 1 hour minimum
• 2 hour “date with myself” every Saturday
• Two Tuesdays per month as learning days

-Tips on using the Readwise app…1:07:00

-And much more

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– Books:

• The Only Skill that Matters by Jonathan Levi
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Future Shock by Alvin Toeffler
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham
• Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
• Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy
• Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

– BGF podcasts:

• Ben Hewitt, author of Home Grown
• Judy Arnall, author of Unschooling To University
• the Mind Pump guys
• Conquer The Cold And Get Quantum Leaps In Performance In This Exclusive Interview With The Amazing Iceman Wim Hof and The Iceman Returns

– Tools and Equipment:

• Aquatic fitness pool
• Morozko Forge (code BENFORGE to get $150 off of any Forge)
• Dreem (code BEN to get 10% discount)
• Oura Ring
• Ebb Sleep device
• Chilipad (BEN25 for 25% off the chiliPAD / BEN15 for 15% off the OOLER)

– Food and Supplements:

• Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee (code BENGREENFIELD for 15% off)
• Yerba Mate
• MiCacao
• Cacao
• Qualia (code GREENFIELD2019 for 15% off)

– All Jonathan Levi:

• SuperHuman Academy
• Udemy
• SuperHuman Enterprises
• SuperHuman Academy Podcast
• Become a SuperLearner
• The Branding You™ Academy

– Additional resources:

• Christian Gratitude Journal
• Benjamin Hardy – Why Keeping a Daily Journal Could Change Your Life
• The Wim Hof Method
• Wim Hof Method app
• Five Hard Skills Everybody Should Learn from Naval Ravikant
• Mindvalley University
• Idan Raichel – learning piano pieces
• The Memory Palace – Cooperative Story Telling Game for Kids by Peaceable Kingdom
• The Readwise.io app

Episode sponsors:

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Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback on quick learning methods for Jonathan or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!