Ferriss Rapid Learning Formula.

Design for extremes, the middle will take care of itself.

Career specialists cant always externalise what theyve internalised. Second
nature is hard to teach.
You can learn more from the anomalies who are in the top 5% despite the odds,
than the specialist in the top 0.1% who have always been on the path to mastery.
The method
Is the method eective?
Have you narrowed down your material to the highest frequency?
Is the method sustainable?
Have you chosen a schedule and subject matter that you can stick with until
reaching fluency?
Is the method ecient?
Will you learn fast enough to be useful.

DiSSS Formula (BE METHODICAL TO LEARN)

Primary principles
DECONSTRUCTION
What are the minimal learnable units, the lego blocks, I should be starting out
with?
Tools: Reducing, Interviewing, Reversal, Translating.
Interview questions

where / how do most people fail when learning your skill?

who is good at your skill who shouldnt be?
who are the most controversial or unorthodox practitioners in your field? Why?
What do you think of them?
who are the most impressive, lesser known teachers in your field?
what makes you dierent? who trained or influenced you?
have you trained others to do this? have they replicated your results?
what are the biggest mistakes and myths you see in this field? what are the
biggest wastes of time?
what are your favourite instruction books or resources in your field? if people
had to teach themselves, what would you suggest they use?
if you had to train me for 4 weeks to compete in this field and you had a million
dollars on the line, what would the training look like? what if you had 8 weeks?
If you could only take 10 Xs to a desert island, what would they be?
What have you learned to focus on later in your career that you didnt do early
on?
What do you DO, especially when youre at your best under pressure, that isnt
normally taught or talked about?
What is common amongst the best competitors?
Which of these traits isnt being taught in most classes?
Which of these skills could I get good at quickly (fits into personal strengths)?
(He sends just 4 questions to start with)
Translation questions - how do you say

The apple is red.

It is Johns apple.
I give John the apple.
We give him the apple.
He gives it to John.
She gives it to him.
Is the apple red?
The apples are red.
I must give it to him.
I want to give it to her.
Im going to know tomorrow.
I have eaten the apple.
I cant eat the apple.
SELECTION
Which 20% of the blocks should I focus on for 80% or more of the outcomes I
want? What is the Minimum Eective Dose?
Marketing MED is Kevin Kellys 1000 true fans.
Language MED is top 100 words cover 50% of everyday speaking.
Cooking MED is technique over recipes.
Interviewing MED is (possibly, getting them STARTED, rather than feeling
overwhelmed, need to test.)

How can I use half the ingredients and half the steps?
The best method, is the one you will use more than once.
Where do most people fail? Make sure those steps are covered.
SEQUENCING
In what order should I learn the blocks?
Whats the system, whats the logical sequence that leads to clear progression?
What order do the parts have to move in?
(This relates to the interview agreement / avoidance / overwhelm issue)
Use margin of safety to minimise failure and create early wins which build
confidence.
Start with WINS. Ensure them, do not allow failures.
Layer lessons win on win.
It is the burden on working memory that makes new things hard to do. Thats
what makes people give up.
Through the micro positions of reduced complexity you can learn the macro
principles.
High level concepts, big moves are what make masters.
Always relying on recipes is a lot like stealing the test from your teachers desk.
Instead, learn the techniques and you can develop your own recipes.
What do Pros focus on later in their career? Try starting with that?
Do an inventory. Separate the implicit (what they did under pressure, but didnt
teach) from the explicit (what they tell you to do).

What do masters have in common? What do they rely on when the stakes are
highest?
STAKES
How do I set up stakes, create real consequences, and guarantee I follow the
program?
Humans are horrible at self discipline. Good plans and intentions fail all the
time. You must failure proof your decision to act.
People will work harder to avoid losing, than to benefit from winning.
You have to put your money, or your reputation, where your mouth is.
Follow through doesnt rely on the right intentions, it depends on the right
incentives.
Make a commitment to doing something thats doable and make not doing it,
painful.
Secondary principles
CaFE Formula
COMPRESSION
Can I encapsulate the most important 20% into an easily graspable one-pager?
Simplify.
Perfect conditions are impossible. Making DECISIONS means making
INCISIONS, that is, cutting o the unnecessary until a small number of options
can be tested.
Eective and action learning means massive elimination and the removal of
options.

The easiest way to avoid being overwhelmed is to create positive constraints.

Restrict whatever it is you are trying to do.
A gas will expand to fill the size of its container.
Create a tiny container - a one page formula.
The One Pager
Side 1) The Rules
Side 2) Examples that you can practice to learn the rules. (A recipe that is clear
and achievable and quickly brings all the rules and principles into play for a
quick and easy win, rebooting confidence).
Remember: Always be simplifying.
FREQUENCY
How frequently should I practice? Can I cram, and what should my schedule
look like? What growing pains can I predict? What is the minimum eective
dose for volume?
Tell me and Ill forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and Ill
understand.
You need to give yourself a calendar within which to practice and learn your
new skills. This is vital to get past the initial slump where everyone else gives
up.
(And I have in the past) A 30 day schedule makes it a real skill learning, not a
whimsy or passing motivation.
Over 30 days Expect
4 days of high motivation.
3 days of depression.

4 days of rising to a plateau.

Stick with it for 10 more days to the inflection point.
9 more days of progress to fluency!
When you are cramming - LOTS of small breaks with movement work best.
Sitting still for hours staring at a screen does NOT lead to success.
ENCODING
How do I anchor the new material to what I already know for rapid recall? So I
can remember it all and dont need my cheap sheets? Mnemonics etc.
(Dont worry about this step yet, work on the actual elements first, they are
finite and small compared to a learning a whole language. I can make them
easier to learn later.)
end