The art of lifelong learning
“Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the man who can’t read. He will be the man who has not learned how to learn” — Herbert Hervoy
Let’s start with the fundamentals.
Every era in humanity has its key skill:
1800: It didn’t take much to be exceptional. You needed just one skill: the ability to read and write. If you had it, you were in the top 10%.
1950: Specialized technical knowledge. Being skilled in engineering, mechanics, or science made you valuable during the industrial and technological boom.
1990: Knowing how to code. If you understood computers, you had access to opportunities few others did.
2020s: Information is abundant and technology is everywhere. The key skill now isn’t knowing a specific piece of information, but knowing how to learn quickly, effectively, and continuously.
- Future: The most successful individuals won’t rely solely on fixed skills—they will master adaptability, continuously reinventing themselves, staying relevant, and embracing lifelong learning.
A few decades ago, access to knowledge was restricted. Those who controlled information held the power.
Today, everything is different.
The rules of the game have changed—forever.
A new era
We’re in the golden age.
Now knowledge isn’t just a privilege of a minority. Thanks to the internet, knowledge is democratized. People have access to many of the skills taught at the world’s top universities.
In most cases, it’s completely free and works like magic: unlocking that vast universe of knowledge with just the tiny effort of clicking a button.
You can learn ANYTHING.
Programming, design, marketing, psychology, copywriting, architecture, biology, mathematics, languages, finance, astrophysics, philosophy, filmmaking, artificial intelligence, robotics, music production, entrepreneurship, public speaking, neuroscience, photography, history, economics, animation, cybersecurity, blockchain technology, and even quantum computing (I think you get my point).
These are all skills, and skills are teachable and learnable—no matter how difficult they seem.
But the problem isn’t the difficulty.
The real problem, and the one you should be scared of, is that we’re trying to overcome this 21st-century information overload with learning behaviors that are thousands of years old.
We went from having almost no access to information to suddenly having too much of it.
Enough to saturate us.
And it all happened in the blink of an eye.
The most important skill
"The most important skill for getting rich is becoming a perpetual learner. You have to know how to learn anything you want to learn." — Naval Ravikant
Extraordinary results cannot come from ordinary knowledge. Today, we’re overwhelmed by information, and most of it is simply noise.
In a world filled with noise, the key isn’t learning everything—it’s knowing precisely what to ignore.
Start by ignoring dopamine-driven distractions: news, TikTok trends, superficial content.
If you learn the same things as everyone else, you’ll achieve the same average results. This is why schools tend to create replaceable workers—they teach standardized information that everyone else learns too.
If you’re still wondering what specific skill to learn, here’s your answer:
It’s not about any single skill, but rather your ability to quickly acquire new skills. The skills valued today may become irrelevant tomorrow.
If you can rapidly adapt, you become irreplaceable. If you’re irreplaceable, you’re valuable to society. And if you’re valuable, society will reward you generously.
The real skill you need is learning how to learn effectively.
And the first step to mastering this is eliminating the common obstacles to effective learning.
3 obstacles for learning that you need to overcome
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I’m not going to waste your time. These are the three obstacles:
- Inefficient learning
- No learning discipline
- Unused knowledge
Inefficient learning
We’re learning without a method, just by instinct.
And without a method we’re not gonna get that far.
Here you have some that can help:
80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle): Identify the 20% of key concepts that will give you 80% of your results. Focus first on mastering these fundamentals. As Naval well said “it’s much better to be at 9/10 or 10/10 on foundations than to try and get super deep into things”
Feynman Technique: Explain complex ideas using simple words, as if teaching a beginner. This highlights exactly what you do and don’t understand.
Harness Your Unconscious Mind: (See image below)
No learning discipline
Most people lack discipline in learning. And discipline alone isn’t even enough—you need to be obsessed.
Dedicate at least 30 minutes every day to actively learning or exploring new ideas.
Here’s how to do it (don’t just read these, actually apply them):
Set Clear Goals: Specific and achievable objectives provide clear direction.
Create a Focused Environment: A distraction-free, tidy space dramatically improves concentration. Keep your phone in airplane mode and away from you.
Pomodoro Technique: Work in focused intervals (e.g., 25 minutes studying, 5 minutes rest). This prevents burnout and maximizes productivity.
Reward Yourself: After learning sessions, reward yourself. This builds positive habits and keeps your motivation high.
Unused knowledge
You’ve been misled—knowledge itself isn’t power.
Knowledge only becomes powerful when you apply it practically. If you don’t use your knowledge in real-life projects, it’s just entertainment disguised as progress.
Most people focus too heavily on input (reading, watching, listening), but the real magic happens in output (doing, practicing, teaching). Learning without practice is like trying to swim by reading a book about swimming.
Learning is a contact sport: you must engage directly.
Build something. Create something. Put your knowledge into action.
Thank me later.
Become a life long learner
"It’s much more important today to be able to become an expert in a brand-new field in nine to twelve months than to have studied the “right” thing a long time ago." — Naval
You’re human—you were built to adapt, evolve, and grow. Not to repeat the same mechanical tasks endlessly.
Humans have always thrived thanks to their extraordinary ability to learn and adjust. You can use tools (not be the tool), create solutions, build skills, and find the information you lack. You have the power to create, innovate, and imagine. Your potential is virtually limitless.
But somewhere along the way, you might have gotten used to simply following orders—going where you’re told, doing what’s expected, and thinking within boundaries set by others.
The good news? You can change this.
You can unlearn your limitations and rediscover your curiosity. Go deeper. Notice the details. Awaken the lifelong learner within you.
Life becomes richer when you treat it as an endless journey of discovery.
Becoming a lifelong learner is like acquiring powerful new abilities in a video game: every skill unlocks new possibilities, hidden paths, and adventures.
Who will your character be in this game?
Look for the answers.
It’s entirely up to you.
“Humans are natural generalists. Humans invented mental tools like language, culture, concepts, religion, and stories so they could adapt, build, and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in any situation. This is the ability that makes us unique. This is the ability that most people have lost.” —Koe Letters
