Key takeaways from Andrew Huberman's podcast on How to learn skills faster

Personal Guide to Mastering Skills (and Why It Works)

Hey there, future you! When you're working on picking up a new skill, especially something physical, remember these core ideas. They explain why the struggle is real sometimes, and why sticking with it is so powerful.

1. Think about skills like navigating the world, sometimes with GPS, sometimes without.

   • Some skills are like shooting an arrow or throwing a quick punch (Open Loop). You plan the shot, let it go, and once it's off, there's not much you can do to change its path. The movement is super fast, decided beforehand, and you rely on your initial plan being good. Kicking a football often has this element – you decide the power and direction, and then you just execute.
   • Other skills are more like driving a car or balancing on a wobbly surface (Closed Loop). Here, you're constantly getting feedback as you're doing it. Your eyes see where you're going, your body feels the balance shifting, and you make tiny, real-time adjustments to stay on track. It's a continuous loop of action → feedback → adjustment → action. This is where being aware and responsive during the movement is key.

2. Learning those "GPS-enabled" skills (Closed Loop) is all about tuning into feedback – and especially learning from your detours!

   • When you're learning a closed-loop skill, your brain is like a sophisticated control system. It's constantly comparing what's actually happening with what you intended to happen.
   • This is why repeating the action ('reps') is fundamental. Each attempt is a chance to gather more information.
   • But here's the magic: making errors ('error reps') is not just okay, it's essential. When you mess up, your brain gets a strong signal: "Whoa, that wasn't right!" This mismatch between your intention and the outcome is a powerful learning signal. Your brain processes this "error feedback" and uses it to figure out what went wrong and how to adjust the movement plan for next time. It's constantly trying to eliminate that "error signal" and get closer to the perfect execution.

3. Think of errors as sparking a little light switch in your brain for change.

   • This is where neuroplasticity comes in – the brain's incredible ability to rewire itself. Making an error isn't just a performance failure; it's a biological trigger for adaptation.
   • That "oops" moment tells your nervous system, "Hey, the current wiring or pattern isn't working for this goal." This prompts your brain to start tweaking connections, strengthening the useful ones, and weakening the less effective ones. It's like your brain saying, "Okay, that route didn't work, let's build a better road for next time." Errors highlight where the brain needs to focus its rewiring efforts.

4. This is precisely why just showing up and keeping at it is the secret sauce.

   • Knowing that errors are a natural and necessary part of the process takes the pressure off. Everyone makes mistakes when learning!
   • The "road to perfect the skill passes through errors" is spot on. You can't get better if you don't know how you're going wrong, and errors provide that crucial information.
   • If you make an error and then stop practicing, you're hitting pause right when your brain is getting ready to do some important learning and rewiring. You've essentially generated the signal for neuroplasticity (the error), but you're not giving your brain the follow-through practice it needs to make the corrections and build the new, improved pathways. It's like preparing the ground for planting but then not putting in the seed.

5. Give your brain some quiet time to "download and process" after a practice session.

   • Once you've finished practicing, especially after working through some errors and corrections, the learning isn't over. There's a crucial phase called consolidation.
   • During this time, even when you're not actively practicing, your brain continues to work on solidifying what you just learned. It's thought to replay the recent movements, reinforcing the successful attempts and processing the errors to refine the motor plan.
   • Giving yourself a few minutes of quiet rest – avoiding immediate distractions like jumping onto your phone – can really help this process. It allows your brain the mental space to consolidate the new information and physical patterns you've been working on. Think of it as letting the wet cement dry before you walk on it.

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So, next time you're practicing and feel frustrated by mistakes, remember that those errors are actually valuable signals guiding your brain's rewiring process. Embrace them, learn from them by continuing to practice, and give your brain the rest it needs afterward. You've got this!

Other interesting insights which Huberman mentioned - 

1) Rat experiment where two rats had to find a way out of the maze - The rat which won the first round, was kept in a new maze with a new rat. It was observed that the rat which had already won earlier, was more likely to win. Shows that winning is a habit. Or, its easier to win subsequently, if you have won previously. Or, the confidence carries out to subsequent competition. Shows how mindset impacts win. Shows that once you know you can win, you can carry over the momentum/confidence to succeed later on as well. Take away - Small wins helps create momentum. It helps you believe that the mountain is climbable. Thats why so many GenAI companies came after ChatGPT. Once you know that something is possible, you're much more likely to put efforts to achieve it. The 'reward' becomes seeable/The end is visible.

2) People work very hard to avoid losing something, than to gain something.