Learn, Improve, Master: How to Develop Any Skill and Excel at It

by Nick Velasquez

Develop the power to learn and master any skill.Do you dream of excelling at a sport, music, art, cooking, writing, public speaking, or anything else? Learn, Improve, Master will help you make that dream a reality.Through a combination of learning science and strategies used by world-class performers, this guide will teach you what it really takes to master a skill (no, it isn’t talent or 10,000 hours). You will learn HOW Use your memory like top memory champions and remember anything you want Optimize practice like elite musicians, chess players, and athletesBuild training habits that stickOvercome obstacles, setbacks, and plateausChoose mentors and coaches that will help you develop your potentialAccelerate learning and become a master of your craftFeaturing examples and words of wisdom from Leonardo da Vinci, Usain Bolt, Ernest Hemingway, Michael Jordan, Garry Kasparov, Simone Biles, Stephen King, Michael Phelps, Martha Graham, Tiger Woods, Jiro Ono, Serena Williams, and many more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Productivity, Personal Development, Psychology, Education, Business

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2020

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to Nicolas Velasquez & Kodawari Press for the free eBook

3.5 Stars!

This is the first time I've received an eBook directly from a publisher...and I totally knew how to transfer a PDF to my Kindle(it took 20 minutes to figure it out..I'm an idiot!)

Learn, Improve, Master is about getting better at things. Through a combination several strategies, Nick Velasquez uses the words of people like Ernest Hemingway, Simone Biles and Stephen Curry to show how they not only learned their skill but how they perfected it.

I'm not good at anything!

Which in itself could be considered a talent.

I can't type fast

I was the only girl in my 4th grade class who couldn't do a cartwheel ( I'm not at all still bothered by that..not at all)

I can't drive

Electronics malfunction as soon as I touch them.

You all know I can't spell or use proper punctuation;

I have NO skills.

And if I learned anything from this book its that I never will. The author makes it seem easy master almost anything. But to me it seemed like a whole lot of work.

I mean come on at the beginning of this pandemic I was gonna learn to make candles and I was gonna lose 20 pounds.

Did either those things happen??

Absolutely not!

If anything I gained 20 pounds.

All kidding aside the basic points I took away from this book were:

1)Study someone who is great at what you want to be great at
2)Do it yourself
3)Practice, Practice, Practice
4) Study more people who are great at that thing
5) Repeat..

It an engaging and digestible read!

I recommend it!

[Nick Velasquez]

Learning has been my lifelong passion, but many times I’ve been frustrated by how long it took me to get better at anything. That frustration led to years researching cognitive science, skill acquisition, and peak performance in search of ways to optimize the process.

Learn, Improve, Master is the culmination of that research; a book that distills the principles and strategies to become a better learner and achieve mastery. I poured all my energy into this work for over half a decade, and I believe there are valuable lessons in it that can help you improve your life.

Thank you for reading!
Nick

[Cav · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In the case of everything perfect we are accustomed to abstain from asking how it became: We rejoice in the present fact as though it came out of the ground by magic..."
—Friedrich Nietzsche



I wasn't sure what to expect from Learn, Improve, Master. Many books on self-betterment and mastery can be hit-or-miss, in my experience. I am happy to report that I did really enjoy this one. The book has much practical, as well as actionable science-driven advice that's sure to resonate well with a large number of its readers.

Author Nick Velasquez is (according to his website) a passionate learner and devoted student of mastery. He's the founder of the popular blog UnlimitedMastery.com, where he writes about learning science, peak performance, creativity, and mastering skills. His writing has been featured in outlets such as TIME, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global.

Nick Velasquez:


Velasquez gets the book off on a good foot, with a well-written introduction. He talks about how mastery appears effortless to the onlooker. He drops this quote early on:

“Dancing appears glamorous, easy, delightful. But the path to paradise of the achievement is not easier than any other,” said renowned dancer Martha Graham. “There is fatigue so great that the body cries, even in its sleep. There are times of complete frustration, there are daily small deaths.” That’s what it takes to get where we want to go. We need to know that; we need to see behind the glamour of performance."

The writing in the book proper carries on, with talk about learning and neuroplasticity. Velasquez gives the reader a simple rundown of the brain's learning pathways, without getting too technical.

Velasquez has an effective writing style, and the book is very readable. His prose is both engaging, as well as informative. There are many excellent quotables here. The book also has decent formatting, too. It is broken into well-defined chapters, and each chapter; into segmented writing with relevant headers at the top. Good stuff!

As briefly touched on at the start of this review, the writing here is a mostly science-driven look into the topic (thankfully). Velasquez also brings some ancient (as well as newer) philosophy to bear here. He includes many scientific studies, as well quotes from prominent philosophers and writers; old and new.
Velasquez moves along in a straightforward, intuitive manner here; going from thinking, to doing, to excelling, to mastery. It was a format that worked very well in this presentation.

Velasquez drops this great quote about failure:

"...we make mistakes and fail more often when we are at the edge of our skill. They are proof that we are testing our limits, and that’s a good thing. If we are not making mistakes, it’s likely we are in our comfort zone and not pushing ourselves hard enough. As Nobel laureate in physics Frank Wilczek once put it, “If you don’t make mistakes, you are not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.”
...we must also adopt the attitude Michael Jordan lives by, “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something, but I can’t accept not trying.” We need to embrace setbacks as a requirement of pursuing mastery and consider the only “failure” not to try, not to put in the work, or to walk away at the first sign of difficulty."

And this one, about trusting in the process:

"Learning anything comes with its share of impatience, frustration, and sometimes boredom. It’s unavoidable. But so is progress if we are diligent in our practice. If we put in the time and effort, we will get better. We must trust the process and not get discouraged when we don’t see immediate results. As Jimi Hendrix once said, “Sometimes you are going to be so frustrated you’ll hate the guitar, but all of this is just a part of learning. If you stick with it you’re going to be rewarded.” No skill, regardless of how difficult, can resist a relentless attack of deliberate practice. And even though the day-to-day actions may not seem to have an impact, when compounded over months and years, they build into mastery."

Some more of what is covered here includes:
• Myths and Misconceptions.
• Memory; "chunking," association, emotions, repetition, domain specificity.
• Practice; massed vs distributed. Solo vs group.
• "Bridging"; the transition from practice to performance. Simulations, rehersals.
• Performance.
• Improvement. Feedback; mirrors, recordings, fresh perspectives.
• Failure; setbacks, breaking through plateaus.
• Mastery; experience, efficiency, refined intuition. Immersion in the craft.
• The importance of mentors.
• Process over outcomes. Progress, risk-taking.
• Kaizen (改善)

Velasquez ties the writing up with a great end quote:

"Whether your goal is to become a master like Michelangelo, take on a new craft as a hobby, or get better at a skill you already practice, you now know the path to get there. You won’t be held back by false beliefs about talent or the common challenges that prevent most people from pursuing a passion.
It’s time to become the artist, athlete, or professional you’ve always wanted to be, and now you have the tools to make that happen. You know the process, understand the principles, and possess the strategies to learn, improve, and master your craft.
You hold the method to create the “magic.”

******************************

Learn, Improve, Master was a great short read. Velasquez did an amazing job with the research, writing, and presentation of this book. Anyone interesting in self-betterment, and/or learning a new skill set or ability is sure to find much value here. I know I did.
I would definitely recommend this one. I liked it so much, that I'm adding it to my "favorites" shelf.
An easy 5-star rating here.

[Athena (OneReadingNurse) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Bookish First and Kodawari Press for the PDF copy of Learn, Improve, Master by Nick Velasquez.

I honestly wish I had this book back in nursing school when I was absolutely certain I could never learn the five thousand and twelve new skills I needed to. Just watching videos and practicing with no context never really did it for me and I ended up learning so much on-the-go once I started.

After he explains a bit of low-key brain science and talks about the physiology of learning, Velasquez goes on to describe types of learning, repetition, purposeful learning, and mastery. I think 5 years into my skill set now I can relate to many points made, including how purposeful learning and buddy-skills and critique are all so important. I also liked the 10,000 hours vs quality of practice and repetition chapters on how mastery is achieved.

Nonfiction is hard sometimes but Learn, Improve, Master is extremely readable with many quotes and examples from masters in various fields as well as his own personal examples. There isn't any scientific jargon that lay-people will struggle with.

I would totally recommend this to anyone interested in new learning techniques, as well as how our brains work in regard to these things!

[Sarah (thebphiles) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a nonfiction book, particularly one that helps me learn something new or expands my viewpoint, so getting this book was exciting. (I mean, nerds unite, right?!) This subject matter is very interesting - it is in essence a manual on how to hack your own brain!

There were good sections of this book, my favorite being the Myths and Misconceptions chapter, probably because I work in Learning and Development at a corporation and it is directly relevant to my field. However, this book is essentially a rehash of the book "Peak" by Anders Ericsson, but with less detail and interesting real-life anecdotes, and less of a specific point of focus. While Peak really concentrated on Deliberate Practice, Velasquez explores many different techniques. Overall, this was a very academic book and should be consumed with this in mind. You are not going to have a rollicking good time with a story and plot, but you might find out a lot about the way your own brain works!

[Isabella Fray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of books like this, but those typically focused on mindset and habit building so this was an refreshing change covering the process of learning. It was also a deal on Chirp so I thought why not. It was good, but the 3-star rating is because I immediately forgot almost the entire book. The might be in part because I listened to it and I don't focus as well if I'm not physically reading, but I didn't learn anything so new that it really stuck out to me. Still a good read though as the author has a straightforward but pleasant narrative style and good organization.

[Hannah Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was written and put together with so much thought, research, and well outlined focus points. I really loved the organization of the book, but also, this really was informative, and brought up so many things about mastery and learning that I never thought about before. This was great and should be a must for anyone entering into a sport/art/etc that they want to excel and master at!

[Matt Hutson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how straightforward Nick is about this book being just an introduction to learning how to learn, improve, and master anything. Because it's an introduction, if you want to go deeper you have to read more on this topic. I'd also say that the book is more geared towards physical actions like football or hockey, however, he does touch a little on the intellectual side.

[Omar Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be taught at the schools.
It is really easy to get into it, there are no technical terms.
Highly recommended for all of those who really want to achieve more about learning techniques.

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the opening chapter which explains the brain science behind how humans learn from birth until death, I enjoyed this conversational and easy to read and understand self improvement book.

I liked how the book was separated into three major sections, each progressing on the previous one. The author pulls personal examples to use but mostly uses famous masters who have been diligently working on their craft for most of their lives. The author presents the science of the brain throughout, making a solid foundation for the examples given.

My favorite parts of this book were how memories are formed and how we can improve our memory function, including how to build bridges to recall memories. From learning sports, music, languages, everyone who wants to learn how to improve their skills as well as how to deal with set backs AKA mistakes will benefit from reading this book.

[Octavio Trillos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended!

I love how Nick takes on the Herculean task of walking the reader through these three fundamental parts of life—regardless of which craft you choose to dedicate yourself to—and he does it in a way that’s easy to understand. There’s great value in this book for those of us who want to excel at the thing we love the most.

[Jenessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I’m not really into “self-help” type books. They usually don’t grab my attention, and I have a hard time applying the lessons learned to my real life. This book is really no exception.

For me, this book just didn’t grab and sustain my attention. I’m of the mind that if I’m not fully enjoying a book, I shouldn’t continue to read it. Unfortunately, I did not finish this book, for all these reasons.

That being said, there are several positives in this book. It appears to be well researched, and delves into how the brain works to learn and remember information. Then it applies that to mastering skills that we may want to master. I think it definitely has some nuggets of good advice. For the right person (a person looking to learn a language or acquire a skill) this book would be a fabulous start.

Right now, this book was just not for me. It may be better suited to my life in the future, but that remains to be seen.

[Penny lurkykitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learn, Improve, Master is a quick read that provides a practical framework for learning and mastering a skill, profession or craft. There is some basic brain science about how we learn and effective strategies for embarking on the chosen skill. What I really liked is that the author emphasized exploring the subject first to make sure you know what you are getting into. I also liked that he provided no quick fix or magical solution. He repeatedly emphasized the hard work and hours of practice that are required for mastery. He dispelled myths like "You either have it or you don't." and "Learning should be fun.". There are interesting quotes throughout, and examples are given of athletes, artists and the author's own observations. The one aspect of this book I would improve would be to provide more experiences from science and medicine. Overall, Learn, Improve, Master is a really useful book for athletes, artists, students or anyone who wants to improve their learning strategy.

[Upen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loves this book. I have read all of the books referenced here and it was such a great refresher for me with great quotes and examples. This book is a really fast read and well written. The author really gives some great insights and references to what it takes to master any craft.

I have literally written so many quotes from the book down as inspiration. MUST READ

[Daniel He · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights on how to learn - you can see that the author has put in great effort to make it readable and digestible - good read start to finish. Excellent to gift for those wanting to learn, improve and master any skill!

[Chey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Helped me heaps with my memory!

[Srinivasan Nanduri · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've already read books on learning and a non-fiction reader, there a few myths that this book breaks about and then there are a few take aways to improve learning skills and master them. Key is deliberate practice and making associations.

Its not `Practice makes man perfect` but its `Deliberate Practice makes man perfect` - Me. After reading the book :-)

Here are my key take aways:
*“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt*

****Myths and Misconceptions****

**Myth #1 Left-brained vs Right-brained Learners**

- The widespread belief that the left brain handles logical thinking while the other side is in charge of creativity isn’t exactly the truth. Sure, one hemisphere may loom over the other in certain processes but we still use both sides for almost everything, including learning.

****Myth #2  Learning Styles****

- This is the idea that each of us has a primary learning style and that we learn best when material is presented in alignment with it. Yet these theories come from observation in classrooms, not from rigouts testing environments. What’s true is that we have presences in how we learn but this doesn’t mean how we learn makes the most difference in our learning.

****Myth #3 Old Dogs Can’t Learn New Tricks****

- If we believe we’re too old to learn, it summons a placebo effect and hurts our confidence as we believe it to be true.

****Myth #4  Learning Should Be Fun****

- Learning can be fun. But it’s not a requirement. Learning is challenging most of the times and it makes the mind work hard and that isn’t always a fun experience.

****Myth #5 You Either Have It or You Don’t****

- How far we go in our craft is mostly under the influence of our willingness to go for it.

****Myth #6 The 10,000 Hour Rule****

- There’s no reason not to follow your dream. Deliberate practice can open the door to a world of possibilities that you ay have been convinced were out of reach.

****How We Learn, Improve and Master: The 3 Building Blocks****

****Building Block #1 Association****

Association learning is about making connections. Neurons that fire together wire together. Cognitively, they happen when we associate ideas, concepts, patterns of thinking and behavior.

****Building Block #2 Chunking****

When associations grow complex, they lead to chunking. This is when our brain groups and processes several pieces of information as a unit, instead of individually.

****Building Block #3 Automatic processing****

When we reinforce connections between thinking patterns or behavior, they start becoming automatic.

[Rosalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read nonfiction- especially self-help books- but this one hooked me from the very beginning. It starts with Michelangelo's Pietà as an example of a masterpiece, often seen as pure talent. However, the author quickly challenges this belief, showing that mastery doesn't come from talent or magic, but from deliberate, sustained effort.

In my opinion, the book has a well-thought-out and well-structured format. After the introduction, we are presented with an anatomical and neurological explanation of learning- a section I found especially fascinating given my interest in the human body. The author writes about it in such a way that I almost wished the topic was explored more, but since it's not the main focus of the book, I appreciate why it was kept brief. Still, that background knowledge set a solid foundation.

Then, we move on to discrediting popular myths and misconceptions about learning, which I can understand why is the most liked by readers. The author breaks down all the common beliefs, backs them up with well-researched evidence, and explains why these ideas are misleading. I think this approach clarifies misunderstandings and makes readers rethink popular assumptions about how learning works. Also, I have to admit, I was surprised to see a mention of the Bolshoi Theater; definitely didn't expect the author to have an interest in Russian theater ;)

My favorite parts(in random order) were "principles of learning", "memorize", "practice", and "bridge". In these chapters, I found information I've never come across before- like 'bridging,' which to me sounded like absolutely nothing. Thankfully, all the presented information is clearly explained, and- most importantly for me- supported by research. (PS. Now I understand what bridging is.) These are also chapters that I reread and remembered almost entirely.

The book follows a logical, step-by-step path for approaching any new skill. The chapters are named after the steps, so I'm not gonna repeat them, but I will say that having this book by your side would be incredibly helpful when learning something new. It doesn’t just guide you through the process; like a good therapist, it presents you with proven options while leaving the choice of path up to you.

Overall, if I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be hopeful. It shows that we all have the same capabilities to learn; it's simply a matter of strategy.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sort of a rollercoaster in my level of interest and understood of its larger applications. I initially picked up the book after reading an excerpt which discussed the psychology of learning. That was one of my areas of study in undergrad, and it was nice to return to familiar territory. Then the author went on to discuss learning techniques, and made the memory palace and person-action-object memorization seem so strange that i couldn’t really believe either strategy would be functional for anyone. But once the author moved into discussing ways to improve and master skills, i saw a lot of useful information and even encouragement in the ways he discussed the facts that no one immediately masters something and everyone falls down or hits plateaus at some point.

I’m still not entirely sure who would pick up a book like this; if you want to learn a skill, you’d be more likely to pick up a book about that skill, i would think. So this may just be for psychology nerds who don’t want to read all the habit change books but instead want a quick overview of the points made in those books. It was a fairly quick read, so it’s worth picking up if you’re interested in how we learn and develop skills and knowledge.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Nick Velasquez for an ARC of Learn, Improve, Master.
I am always interested in any book that will help improve my life. Although I am retired, not into sports, and basically a homebody, I was inspired by Nick's book.
I found his book easy reading with easy to understand explanations of the psychology of mastering a skill. It doesn't matter if that skill is business, athletic, a hobby such as knitting or just communicating.
I especially liked the section on a "reality check". A reality check is necessary for any skill. For instance, I would like to be a better Tenant Representative. I have a good understanding of what is required but also see how I need to have the right attitude and picture myself in that role to succeed.
Nick discusses many topics but I also related to "precise vs flexible skills". For myself to succeed, I will need both. I will need to precisely understand the role and have the flexibility to make it a rewarding one for myself as well as the tenants I represent.
I very much enjoyed Nick's writing. I found it easy to read, easy to understand and worthwhile for anyone's life.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking to get better at something and improve yourself, then you are probably reading self-help books like Learn, Improve, Master. While I'm not sure that any of the ideas that are presented here are unique, they are presented in a very readable way that is easy to understand. And for me, that's really what I look for in a self-help book. I need something that I want to read and makes what I want to learn sound easy.

In the case of Learn, Improve, Master, I appreciate that we are told that being good at something really doesn't happen overnight. It takes work and always looking for more and different ways to improve and stay great. You can't rest on your laurels and need to be a life-long learner. This takes a willingness and dedication to whatever it is that you want to do. This is my biggest take-away from the book. Again, not really a unique idea, but it is presented very well.

Thank you to Bookish First for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Camden Hoeffner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hard to summarize because it isn't a story, it is a how-to. This book is geared to helping a person become a master of their chosen interest or talent. It is designed to encourage people to learn about the thing that interests them, how to improve their skills in that area, and then ultimately work toward mastery in their chosen skill or interest. It uses research and anecdotes from individuals considered experts in their respective fields.

When I read the first look of this book, I was intrigued because it described the way individuals learn and store memories in a very interesting and accessible way. Having been through courses on this, I thought some of the descriptions and explanations were very well done and would be accessible to almost all readers. However, I was really expecting the writing style to grow and mature from there. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The writing style was choppy and read very much like someone learning how to write. The flow of each chapter was: here is what I will tell you, tell you the stuff, and this is what I told you. The problem for me is that this structure was painfully obvious and elementary. I think the topic was excellent and some of the suggestions made were valid and good, but the writing itself left something to be desired for me.

[Heather]

Learn, Improve, Master is a simple yet thorough guide in teaching the reader how to Learn, Improve and Master - whether you want to learn for a new hobby or to really truly become a master in an area.

I found this a very helpful read that i might otherwise not have picked up. Playing on a team sport (roller derby) i was really able to relate and imagine situations as i read through the book.

I found the Learn section the most interesting and most relatable/helpful. The writing style is very smooth and easy to read which helps when a book has a slightly "heavy" topic such as learning. On initial reaction learning isn't, as the author notes in his book, "fun".

I also loved the quotes throughout and that basically the author is a master at mastering :)

[Honey Milk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am absolute garbage at memorizing things. Naturally, this is extremely hard for me especially at school. I always seem to memorize the most useless things and forget the most basic of concepts. That's why I picked up this book. I don't read self help books very often because I am a firm believer in getting help in person but I took a leap of faith. I was surprised at how helpful this book was. Memorization techniques that were provided were extremely helpful in an informative yet not condescending way. I enjoyed the way the author framed things. The explanations were thorough and said in a simple manner that I could easily understand and implement. I would definitely read another book from this author.

[Gabriela Zago · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is short but very helpful at understanding how we learn. By understanding how we learn something, we can make better choices on how to learn and what to focus on. It's not a self help book, or something that will promise that you will memorize everything in 30 minutes. It's more like an understand how it works approach. The author uses quotes from professional athletes and artists, as well as theoretical concepts and explanations. Each chapter breaks down one step in the learning / mastering process. It is a down to Earth approach that assumes that no genius is born overnight - creativity or athleisure is a skill that needs practice, repetition, and even more practice in order to get it right.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you BookishFirst for the chance to receive and read this book. This book was written well and seemed to have good research but something about it made it difficult for me to focus. It was short but I had a hard time getting to the end. I think this was in part because nothing in this book seemed like a surprise and I did not feel like I grew or gained new skills to help with learning. I guess I would say it was a good basic start to learning and developing skills and could be helpful to those who know little about the subject. This book wasn’t really for me, but self-help books are not my favorite so if they appeal to you, you may enjoy this one more than I did. This book wasn’t bad I think it just wasn’t for me.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Bookish for the opportunity to read this book. I won this book at the right time. I wish I had it while I was in college. But, as someone who is constantly learning and trying to evolve into their best self (and who just started a new job)? This was a great way to do better. It's not a book that sets unattainable goals or standards. It's also not one that talks down or, at you. It's a book that gives you tips and steps to doing better at anything that you would like to excel at. It's engaging and not at all what I thought it would be. Self help books used to be kind of boring and actually not helpful. This book is something that will get you ready to succeed at whatever it is you'd like to be better at. It's well written and easy to digest as you read.

[M.W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found that I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.
Each chapter was about a different complex topic that was broken down into more understandable parts. It was very informative and it is a great read for those looking to learn more about different principles. There are many great lessons and it is told in a very thats easy to understand.
The cover was one of the things that also drew me in. I definitely think you should read this book. It kept me drawn into it. It was a very interesting read. I definitely recommend it to those wishing to excel in learning. I would read more by this author.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many helpful steps to grow and train your brain in this book of skill with so many techniques to try to do step by step to train your brain and excel in everything you do if you just follow the helpful steps in this book and you can accomplish everything you set your mind to do and do better than you ever imagine

[Corey L Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great beginning, Trailed off toward the end

At the beginning it seemed like a fresh new read and I was really engaged. Most of the theories discussed were new concepts or I heard them briefly before. After the first couple of chapters it went away from what I was looking for. Overall a middle of the road book for me.