Too Many Interests? How to get REAL results in them!

Summary

The speaker challenges the notion that trying too many things at once prevents mastery, advocating for a focused approach to learning new skills. They discuss overcoming 'shiny object syndrome' by concentrating on one skill at a time, which they argue is more efficient. The speaker shares their personal journey, from attempting various skills like calisthenics and music to mastering them one by one. They introduce the 'domino effect,' where mastering one skill builds momentum for the next. The script also addresses the pain of the initial learning phase, the importance of setting milestones, and the wisdom in quitting when a skill doesn't align with one's passion, ultimately guiding viewers on how to effectively learn and decide when to move on to new challenges.

Takeaways

• 🚀 **Mastery Over Multitasking**: The speaker advocates for mastering one skill at a time rather than spreading focus across multiple skills.
• 🌟 **Shiny Object Syndrome**: It's identified as a pitfall where one jumps from skill to skill without achieving mastery, leading to being a jack of all trades but master of none.
• 🧠 **Single-Tasking Mindset**: The human brain is not designed for multitasking; focusing on one skill leads to faster learning and better retention.
• 🎯 **Prioritizing Skills**: To decide which skill to learn first, the speaker suggests asking which skill one would choose if they could acquire it instantly.
• 💡 **Laser-Sharp Focus**:比喻地将焦点比作激光束，强调集中精力在一个特定技能上的重要性，以实现快速学习。
• 💪 **Domino Effect**: Achieving one skill can create momentum, leading to a chain reaction of mastering subsequent skills more easily.
• 🎼 **Setting Milestones**: Before starting a skill, set specific milestones to know when it's time to move on to the next skill.
• 🏋️‍♂️ **Routine Integration**: When a skill becomes a non-negotiable part of one's daily routine, it's a sign that it's time to consider learning a new skill.
• 🚧 **Overcoming Initial Stagnation**: The speaker shares personal experiences of struggling through the initial phase of learning where progress seems minimal.
• 🏁 **Knowing When to Quit**: It's not always bad to quit; if a skill doesn't align with one's interests or values, it's wise to stop and redirect efforts elsewhere.

Q & A

What is the main idea the speaker is trying to convey about learning new skills?

The speaker is advocating for a focused approach to learning new skills, suggesting that mastering one skill at a time is more efficient than trying to multitask multiple skills simultaneously.

What is the 'shiny object syndrome' mentioned in the script?

The 'shiny object syndrome' refers to the tendency to get distracted by new, seemingly easier skills when faced with challenges in learning a new skill, which can lead to being a jack of all trades but master of none.

Why does the speaker believe focusing on one skill at a time is more effective?

The speaker believes that focusing on one skill at a time allows for a more intense and efficient learning process, likened to a laser beam, which is more effective than spreading attention thinly across multiple skills.

How does the speaker decide which skill to learn first?

The speaker decides which skill to learn first by asking which skill they would choose if they could acquire it instantly and which skill they think about most of the time.

What is the 'domino effect' as described by the speaker?

The 'domino effect' refers to the momentum gained after mastering one skill, which builds confidence and motivation to tackle the next skill, creating a chain reaction of learning.

How long did it take the speaker to learn the muscle up according to the script?

It took the speaker 4 months of consistent training to learn the muscle up.

What is the significance of setting milestones when learning a new skill?

Setting milestones provides a clear goal to work towards and a way to know when it's time to move on to the next skill after achieving those milestones.

How does the speaker know when to stop learning a particular skill and move on?

The speaker knows it's time to move on when the skill becomes a non-negotiable part of their daily routine or after achieving pre-set milestones.

What is the 'stagnant phase' the speaker talks about when learning a new skill?

The 'stagnant phase' is the initial phase of learning a new skill where progress seems slow or non-existent, which can lead to frustration and quitting.

Why did the speaker quit learning the guitar in 2022?

The speaker quit learning the guitar in 2022 because they thought their fingers were too short to physically grip the chords and they couldn't see immediate progress.

What is the speaker's stance on quitting a skill that one is learning?

The speaker believes quitting can be bad if it's due to difficulty and self-betrayal, but it can be sensible if the skill isn't enjoyable or worth the investment, as in the case with coding for the speaker.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Overcoming Shiny Object Syndrome

The speaker challenges the notion that trying too many things at once prevents mastery. They share their method for achieving results in various areas, emphasizing the importance of focus. Initially, they attempted to learn multiple skills simultaneously, such as Korean, piano, guitar, video editing, and investing. However, they discovered the concept of 'shiny object syndrome,' which describes the tendency to switch to a new, seemingly easier skill when faced with challenges. This habit can lead to being a jack of all trades but master of none. The speaker suggests focusing on one skill at a time for deeper learning and cites personal experiences with calisthenics, such as mastering the muscle-up, to illustrate the 'domino effect' of learning, where mastering one skill builds momentum for the next.

05:00

🎼 Becoming a Master by Starting Small

The speaker discusses the process of deciding which skills to learn first, recommending self-reflection to identify the most desired skill. They advocate for setting specific milestones before starting a new skill, which can help determine when to move on to the next. The speaker also addresses the common challenge of the initial stagnant phase in learning a new skill, where progress seems minimal. They share their personal experience with learning the guitar, highlighting the importance of perseverance through this phase. The speaker concludes by questioning the universal advice against quitting, suggesting that it can be reasonable to quit if a skill does not align with one's interests or if it negatively impacts other aspects of life. They encourage viewers to reflect on their reasons for learning a skill and whether they genuinely enjoy the process.

Keywords

💡Shiny Object Syndrome

Shiny Object Syndrome refers to the tendency to get easily distracted by new, exciting things, often abandoning the initial task or skill one was working on. In the video, this concept is used to illustrate why trying to learn too many skills at once can be counterproductive. The speaker shares their personal experience of initially being drawn to multiple skills like Korean, piano, guitar, and video editing, but later realizing the importance of focusing on one skill at a time to achieve mastery.

💡Mastery

Mastery, in the context of the video, is the state of having complete understanding or skill in a particular area. The speaker emphasizes the importance of achieving mastery in one skill before moving on to the next, suggesting that this focused approach is more efficient than spreading oneself thin across multiple skills. Mastery is exemplified by the speaker's journey with calisthenics, where they focused on mastering the muscle-up before moving on to other exercises.

💡Focus

Focus is the concentration of one's attention on a particular object or activity. The video argues that focus is a limited resource and should be directed towards one skill at a time to maximize learning efficiency. The speaker likens focus to a 'bar of energy' that depletes throughout the day, and by concentrating this energy on a single skill, one can make rapid progress, as opposed to dividing it across multiple skills.

💡Domino Effect

The Domino Effect, as used in the video, is a metaphor for the chain reaction that occurs when one success leads to another. The speaker describes how mastering one skill can create momentum that facilitates the learning of subsequent skills. This concept is illustrated by the speaker's progression from mastering the muscle-up to learning other calisthenics skills, such as the handstand and back lever.

💡Milestones

Milestones are significant stages or achievements in a process. In the video, the speaker suggests setting specific milestones for each skill to determine when it's time to move on to the next. For example, the speaker decided to learn 20 piano songs and read music sheets comfortably before transitioning to learning the guitar, indicating that these milestones were clear indicators of readiness to advance.

💡Non-negotiable

Non-negotiable refers to something that is essential and cannot be omitted or compromised. In the context of the video, the speaker describes certain skills becoming non-negotiable parts of their daily routine, indicating that they have become integral to their lifestyle. For instance, the gym became a non-negotiable part of the speaker's routine, signifying that it had become a core aspect of their identity.

💡Stagnant Phase

The Stagnant Phase is a period at the beginning of learning a new skill where progress seems minimal or non-existent. The video discusses how this phase can lead to frustration and quitting. The speaker shares their experience with learning the guitar, where they initially struggled with forming chords and considered quitting due to the perceived lack of progress.

💡Momentum

Momentum, in the video, refers to the impetus or drive gained from achieving a goal or overcoming a challenge. The speaker describes how achieving a skill creates momentum that can be harnessed to tackle the next skill. This is exemplified by the speaker's journey from mastering the muscle-up to learning the handstand, where the success in one area fueled progress in another.

💡Quitting

Quitting, as discussed in the video, is the act of discontinuing an effort or giving up on a task. The speaker explores the concept that quitting is not always negative; it can be a strategic decision if the skill being learned does not align with one's interests or if the effort is not yielding enjoyment or progress. The speaker's experience with coding illustrates this point, where they quit after realizing it did not bring them satisfaction despite initial progress.

💡Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation is the internal drive or desire to do something for its own sake, rather than for external rewards. The video suggests that intrinsic motivation is crucial for sustaining the effort to learn a skill. The speaker reflects on their coding experience, noting that they lacked intrinsic motivation as they were driven by potential financial gain rather than a passion for coding, which ultimately led to quitting.

Highlights

The speaker challenges the notion that trying too many things at once prevents mastery.

They introduce their method for achieving success in various areas.

Mistakes made at the beginning of the speaker's journey are shared to save viewers time.

The concept of 'shiny object syndrome' is introduced as a barrier to efficiency.

The idea that multitasking is not effective for skill development is presented.

Focusing on one skill at a time is recommended for faster long-term progress.

A method for deciding which skill to pick first is suggested: identifying the skill one desires most.

The importance of focus as a limited resource is emphasized.

The 'domino effect' is described as a momentum builder after mastering a skill.

The speaker shares their personal experience with calisthenics and the muscle-up.

Setting milestones before starting a skill can help determine when to move on.

Making a skill a non-negotiable part of one's routine can signal readiness to move on.

The initial stagnant phase of learning a new skill is acknowledged as a common challenge.

The speaker's personal struggle with learning the guitar and overcoming initial difficulties is shared.

Quitting a skill can be justified if it's not enjoyable or aligned with one's values.

The speaker reflects on their experience with coding and the decision to quit.

The video concludes with advice on reflecting on the reasons for learning a skill and enjoying the process.

Transcripts

you probably heard of the saying that if

you try out too many things at the same

time you won't Master any of them but I

don't think that's true I'm going to

show you my method what worked for me to

achieve astonishing results in various

areas hopefully this video saves you a

bunch of time because I made a lot of

mistakes when I started off at the

beginning of my journey I was so pumped

to try out all these different skill

sets kenics teaching myself Korean the

piano the guitar video editing and

investing money it wasn't until I

learned the concept of the shiny object

syndrome that I realized that my old

approach was not the most efficient way

the shiny object syndrome basically says

that as soon as we start with a new

skill and we Face some challenges we

tend to look for another shiny object

another skill that seems to be easier to

achieve than the one we're trying to

work on right now as we continuously do

this we become a jack of all traits but

the master of none our brains are not

designed to multitask I don't care what

any Guru out there is saying at least

for myself I found that focusing on one

skill at a time really digging theep

mastering in and then moving on to the

next SK is way faster in the long run

than splitting your attention into

several different skills at the same

time so how do we decide which skills

should we pick first everyone has a

different approach for that but for

myself I just asked myself one simple

question if I could get one skill in an

instant without having to work for it

which one would I choose which skill am

I thinking about most of the time these

questions really help me at least to see

which skill I should focus on first

because subconsciously if I'm thinking

about one skill all the time that shows

me that I'm really interested in that

skill and that's a skill you most likely

should start off with remember what we

said in the beginning that you should

only focus on one skill at a time and

the reason for that is because if you

focus on one skill at a time your focus

is not shattered into many different

places your focus is like a laser be

centered on one specific thing that you

want to master I think of this as in

terms of like a video game you know

where you have like this bar of energy

or life above your hat and the same

thing goes for Focus we all have a

limited amount of focus every single day

when you wake up your tank of focus is

basically full but over the course of

the day the more activities you do this

tank will lower will decrease so if you

use your focus bar basically and focus

100% of your focused energy on one skill

your learning curve for that skill will

Skyrock so for example when I start with

calisthenics in case you don't know what

calisthenics is is basically body weight

exercises all the cool things you see

people online doing like the muscle ups

the pl whatever at the beginning of my

journey I focused solely on the muscle

up because for me doing the muscle up

was like the coolest skill you could

have to impress girls and to be above

your friends yes I wanted to be superior

to my friends I know it's kind of toxic

but that was just my mindset back then

and it took me 4 months of consistent

training to unlock my first kind of

chicken wing muscle up if you try to

learn a muscle up yourself you know what

I'm talking about but here's the

interesting part once you unlock a new

skill you will build insane momentum I

call this the domino effect in my mind I

have this image of domino stacked up on

a line I'm not talking talking about

Domino's Pizza by the way guys I mean

the Domino kind of stones that you flip

these dominoes are stacked in a line

imagine that every Domino represents a

skill that you're trying to learn you

can flip all the dominoes at once if you

play Domino at kids you know how it

works you have to flip the first Domino

and that Domino flips the second Domino

the second Domino flips the third Domino

and so forth so that first Domino

activates a chain reaction that flips

all of the other dominoes that's the

same with learning your skills once

you've Master One skill that gives you

confidence to attack the next skill that

you're trying to learn so when I first

unlocked my muscle up I was like Oh I

thought the muscle up was the hardest

exercise I could ever do then I found

out about the hands then the back level

front level the pl there so there was

such a wide spectrum of things that I

could learn and soon after I unlocked my

first muscle up it took me another 4

months to learn the handstand the next

skill that I attacked I used this

momentum of energy that I got from

learning the muscle up and dive right

into learning the handstand after

unlocking your first skill you will feel

a lot of momentum and motivation to

tackle the next skill because you have

just proven to yourself that you are

capable of learning hard skills your

mind is taking mental screenshots of

your success so whenever you're tackling

the next challenge your mind reminds you

oh in the past you've tackled this

challenge so this should be a piece of

cake it wasn't long after I unlocked my

first muscle up that I that I mastered

the hand inand then the back lever and

now I'm currently working on my front

lever that brings us to the next logical

question how do I know if I should move

on to the next scale ultimately I'm

going to give you the answer every

lawyer is going to give you it depends

but here's how I approach this before I

even start learning a skill I have

certain Milestones planned before that I

want to achieve and if you have specific

Milestones up front and you achieve them

then you know okay it's time to move on

to the next skill so for example when I

started practicing the piano by myself I

told myself in the beginning once I can

read the music sheets comfortably very

fast once I can play 20 piano songs

that's enough for me to move on to learn

the guitar because in my mind back then

I was like okay if I can play 20 songs

and can read music sheets that's enough

to look like a great pianist out of the

perspective of an average person another

good indicator for you to know when you

should move on is once the skill you're

currently learning is becoming a

non-negotiable part of your daily

routine so for me for example going to

the gym in the beginning consistently

was really really hard I was a really

skinny nerdy Asian dude and I really

felt embarrassed and shy to lift my like

tiny little weights next to these huge

Jack dudes in the gym over time as I got

more jacked myself the gym actually

became a funny place to be at I really

enjoyed going to the gym I really

enjoyed seeing the progress of her

muscles growing the fitness I felt the

energy I felt throughout the day and now

it's just a non-negotiable part of my

daily Journey if I don't go to the gym

for one day it feels weird unless

obviously it's my rest day but during

vacation for example if I have no access

to a gym my body feels like it needs to

move so I just do push-ups at home on

the floor for example so if you feel

weird about not doing a specific skill

on a daily basis that's a good indicator

for you that it became part of your

identity and maybe it's a good sign for

you to move on to the next skill now I

want to talk about the pain that every

beginner has to face when learning a new

skill this is the reason why most people

quit in the first place this beginning

stage of learning a new skill because

they can't overcome the initial phase

whenever you start learning a new hard

skill there will be this stagnant phase

in the beginning where you feel like you

make no progress I certainly know how

this feels you're putting in so many

hours and a lot of effort but you see

little to really no progress at all and

these questions of excuses pop up in

your head you're like oh maybe I'm not

born to do this maybe I don't have the

genetics to do this when I first started

to learn a guitar my fingers couldn't

like form the shapes to grip the Accord

and I thought maybe my fingers are too

short maybe I can't even physically like

form my hands to do the Accords so

actually I started learning the guitar

in 20122 already during Co but after the

first 6 weeks I quit because I thought

oh okay I think my hands can like

physically not grip the chords I think I

can just physically not play the guitar

but this year with this new mindset I

started to tackle learning the guitar

again and this time I really stuck to it

it took me 6 months to play my first

like easy song on the guitar until then

on a daily basis my Accord suck I

couldn't really grip it but step by step

day by day weeks over weeks I could see

very minimum slight progress one% maybe

just 0.5% Improvement one Accord got

easier to grip and the next one got

easier to grip once once I've Master One

Accord I had this momentum of okay I can

rip this Accord so maybe I can learn the

next Accord and the next one and the

next one and now I can play really

simple Accords like 10 songs where I can

sing along and that for me is a huge

achievement so if I would have quit

after 6 weeks like I did in 2022 I would

have never gotten to this point where I

can now play up to 10 songs and that

brings us to the last question is

quitting always bad and the answer to

that is with all the s up content out

there we got sold this idea that

quitting is always bad I think I

partially agree if you really want to

learn something and deep down you know

okay I really want this but because it's

hard I'm going to quit I think that is

bad because you know deep down that you

just betrayed yourself but if on the

other hand you show up and try a

different skill you want to learn and

you realize oh I actually don't really

enjoy this I actually don't like how it

affects other parts of my life I don't

think it's worth investing more of it

then I think quitting actually makes

sense I had this experience with coding

for example last year I signed up for a

course to Learn Python which is like a

coding language and I really showed up

every single day for 4 months and I

could see slide progress and so forth I

kind of understood the basic concepts

and all of those things but I realized

for myself that I really didn't enjoy

coding I realized that the reason why I

started coding was because I know it's a

highly paid skill I enrolled in this

course main of the purpose of making

more money I didn't do it because I

intrinsically really like coding numbers

I hate math I hate numbers I hate

everything that has to do with numbers

besides investing money so after I hit

the monster that I set up before for the

coding I decided okay it's time to quit

this I don't think I want to really do

this anymore I really don't enjoy it and

if it's only for the money there are the

skills that I can learn to make the same

amount of money and at the same time

enjoy the process so really reflect for

yourself what are your reasons to learn

this skill during the process do you

really enjoy it do you think it's worth

pursuing this so I hope this video gave

you a little insight and saved you a lot

of time on how you should approach

learning new skills