{"id":61198,"date":"2022-03-11T00:37:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T04:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=61198"},"modified":"2022-03-14T10:56:46","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T14:56:46","slug":"josh-waitzkins-the-art-of-learning-book-overview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/josh-waitzkins-the-art-of-learning-book-overview\/","title":{"rendered":"Josh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Josh Waitzkin’s The Art of Learning<\/em> about? What is the essence of effective learning<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book The Art of Learning<\/em>, Josh Waitzkin argues that effective learning comes from a resilient commitment to your growth process. His learning philosophy can be boiled down to three themes: 1) to always strive for “presence,” 2) to learn through trial and error<\/a>, and 3) to balance tensions as you grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s explore each theme in detail below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Theme #1: Presence Is Central to Life and Learning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Waitzkin says that presence\u2014which he defines as a deep, focused calm\u2014is essential for the mastery of any skill<\/strong>. In competition, presence takes on a sharp, knife\u2019s-edge quality\u2014like the swordsman standing relaxed, yet intensely focused, when facing his opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presence, Waitzkin argues, underpins everything<\/strong>. The more present you are every day in every circumstance, the richer your life will become. Since presence features throughout The Art of Learning<\/em>, we\u2019ll first explore what presence means to Waitzkin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Art of Learning<\/em>, Josh Waitzkin gives two key reasons presence is important<\/a><\/strong> in life and competition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason #1: Presence Equips You to Navigate the Turbulence of Life <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The world is unpredictable. Distractions and discomfort, Waitzkin says, often crop up without warning. If you want to be great at anything, you have to learn to navigate these obstacles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presence\u2014a calm, focused mind\u2014helps you handle tension, whether it\u2019s physical, mental, or emotional<\/strong>. Though Waitzkin doesn\u2019t explain specifically how, he suggests that presence is a key tool for focusing in distracting environments and overcoming emotional discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in soccer, a dishonest competitor might illegally trip you. It\u2019s reasonable to get angry at such behavior, but that doesn\u2019t help you perform. Instead, use presence to recenter and get back on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason #2: Presence Is the Key to Competitive Success <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being<\/strong> present helps you remain focused on the growth process and regain perspective when you lose<\/strong>. For example, Waitzkin recounts an early loss in his chess career that knocked him off balance. By separating himself from the game and being present within his life, he was able to return refreshed and reinspired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a high level, a competitor\u2019s level of presence greatly affects their success. The margins are so slim at the top that deeper presence is a significant advantage\u2014namely, because it helps you reach a flow state<\/a>, or \u201cthe zone.\u201d If you can reach the zone under competitive pressure and your opponent can\u2019t, Waitzkin says, you\u2019re going to win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competitive success at any level requires that you regulate your emotions and show up fully. Both of these depend on presence<\/strong>, which helps you calm emotional turbulence as well as reach and maintain focus<\/a>. Waitzkin says when he lost presence in competition, opponents took advantage of his turbulent emotions and lack of focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theme #2: Growth Comes From Trial and Error<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having discussed presence, we\u2019ll now look at Waitzkin\u2019s second key theme. Learning, he explains, happens through trial and error<\/strong>. You take one step at a time<\/a>, sometimes succeeding, but often slipping up. When you make a mistake, you have an opportunity to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, imagine you try to play a chord on a guitar. It doesn\u2019t sound quite right, so you adjust your fingers and try again. Each time you do it incorrectly, the feedback tells you how to correct your form. Eventually, you\u2019ll find the correct finger placement.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each time you perform this trial and error cycle\u2014act, err, adjust, repeat\u2014you make an incremental improvement<\/strong>. In Waitzkin’s view, to learn is to build increment on increment on increment. Each addition builds your knowledge\u2014in other words, the peak of success lies atop a mountain of mistakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach requires presence, which helps you grow through failure with patience, focus, and resilience. Presence helps you accept and act from the here and now. When you meet obstacles, a calm, focused state of being helps you face them head-on, accept internal and external turbulence, recover from falls, and stay oriented to your growth process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus On the Process<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To improve through trial and error, you need to have a growth mindset<\/a><\/strong>. Waitzkin explores Carol Dweck\u2019s research on \u201cincremental\u201d versus \u201centity\u201d theories of intelligence. In Mindset<\/em><\/a> (Dweck\u2019s book on the topic) she refers to these as \u201cgrowth\u201d and \u201cfixed\u201d mindsets. <\/em>Here, we\u2019ll examine Waitzkin\u2019s interpretation of the two mindsets<\/a> as they relate to skill building and competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a growth mindset, you believe that you can develop your abilities through patient practice<\/strong>, building increment upon increment, and you see challenges as opportunities<\/a> to stretch your current capacities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waitzkin argues that a growth mindset corresponds to focusing on the process<\/em>. It’s about the overarching experience of learning<\/strong>, not any single point throughout it. Short-term goals test your progress, but they aren\u2019t the ultimate point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, people with a fixed mindset<\/a> believe that ability is inherent and set in stone. <\/strong>Waitzkin warns that <\/strong>a fixed mindset is dangerous because it doesn\u2019t prepare you for obstacles. Instead, people with fixed mindsets tend to give up when confronted with challenges that surpass their current abilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a teenage football player with a fixed mindset will start to crack when he reaches the limits of his natural talent. When he can no longer win by talent alone, he\u2019ll fall behind those who learn from their weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fixed mindset focuses on outcomes over process, Waitzkin says. So competitors with a fixed mindset worry about whether or not they\u2019ll succeed, rather than focusing on what they can learn<\/strong>. When you inevitably face adversity, a fixed mindset gives you nothing to fall back on\u2014your whole identity is built around winning, so you\u2019ll collapse emotionally when you lose. This hampers growth, because growth comes from struggling at your limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commit to Long-Term Effort<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because fixating on results makes you fragile, Waitzkin argues, winning is ultimately a weak incentive<\/a>. It isn\u2019t a reliable motivation, because you\u2019ll inevitably lose at some point\u2014becoming excellent requires it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waitzkin gives the example of a young chess player who was the best at his school. But at a chess conference, this boy refused to play against Waitzkin or anyone that he knew was better than him. According to Dweck\u2019s mindset theory, this preserves the identity he\u2019d built around being the local best by avoiding failure\u2014and it exemplifies the fragility of fixating on results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than focusing on a desired outcome, Waitzkin recommends committing to the process of growth\u2014to daily practice, focused patience, and adaptation in the face of obstacles<\/strong>. According to Waitzkin, this approach keeps you resilient, because you embrace failure<\/a> as part of the journey instead of fearing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, he details how he lost repeatedly against the chess hustlers who set up in NYC parks, but took every loss as a learning experience. As the losses, thus lessons, accumulated, he improved his skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balance the Process and Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Results aren\u2019t everything, but Waitzkin argues that they\u2019re useful if you subordinate them to your growth process. In other words, set short-term goals<\/strong>, like medaling in an important competition, but think of them as tests\u2014not the ultimate measure of your worth. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing yourself<\/a> with short-term goals keeps you aware of your progress<\/strong>. Waitzkin explains that when you fail, that tells you that you need to work harder; and when you succeed, you can feel good about how far you\u2019ve come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, say you\u2019re learning to speak Cantonese, and your goal is to chat with the cart pushers at your favorite dim sum spot. If you fall short the first time, that tells you to train harder. If you succeed, celebrate that win\u2014then reorient to your process, and keep on training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to win often enough to develop competitive confidence and lose often enough to avoid becoming overconfident<\/strong>. Overconfidence, Waitzkin says, causes arrogance, and arrogance makes you prone to mistakes. You forget that you\u2019re fallible, and eventually someone will exploit that weakness and knock you down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waitzkin recommends that you regularly put yourself on the line in order to understand the stakes of competition and develop balanced confidence. At the same time, seek to learn whether you win or lose, treating each goal as a leg of your overarching journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theme #3: Growth Requires Balancing Tensions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Waitzkin holds that learning is a process of balancing tensions<\/strong>. There are no clean, sharp lines that indicate what to do, where to stop, and so on. Rather, growth is a gray area that requires you to navigate fuzzy, nebulous experiences. For example, your body gives no obvious indication of when you\u2019ve reached your mental limits, so you have to learn to sense when that edge is near. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tension #1: Exertion and Relaxation <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Properly managing how you stretch your limits, and how you recover, is one key to sustainable growth. Stretch far enough that you\u2019ll expand your limit, but not so far that you hurt yourself mentally or physically.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you have to learn your muscular limits when exercising. You can easily push too far, or not far enough\u2014the key is to find an \u201coptimal tension\u201d somewhere in the middle, and maintain it as best as you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the micro-level<\/strong>, effective cycling of effort and rest is key<\/strong> to building muscles and minds. Think of burnout\u2014if you work nonstop, you\u2019ll eventually crash, so it\u2019s essential to rest at intervals in your workflow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the macro-level<\/strong>, Waitzkin argues that all competitors go through periods of toughness and periods of softness<\/strong>. Being present to those periods helps you maintain self-compassion<\/a> and grow at a healthy pace. For example, athletes need both the off-season and a regular competitive schedule to stay fit and healthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tension #2: Process and Results <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As we explained in Theme #2: Growth Comes From Trial and Error, you need a long-term, process-oriented mindset to grow effectively. At the same time, Waitzkin says to use results to understand how you measure up, while remembering that where you stand isn\u2019t the whole point<\/strong>. Finding enjoyment in the process itself is a more sustainable focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, applying for your dream job<\/a> will tell you whether you\u2019re competitive. But what you do with the result\u2014whether you get it or not\u2014determines whether you\u2019ll grow or regress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tension #3: The Technical and the Creative <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Skills have two aspects, according to Waitzkin: the practical, technique-focused side, and the creative, emotional side.<\/strong> Becoming excellent requires that you develop both of these, attaining a solid technical foundation without letting technique override your passion for the skill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, many independent filmmakers commit to expensive projects fueled by their passion for the medium. But you can\u2019t just point a camera and yell \u201caction;\u201d you need to actually know what you\u2019re doing. At the same time, don\u2019t let prescriptive training methods\u2014which tend to mold everyone to a single style\u2014dampen your unique artistic spirit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is Josh Waitzkin’s The Art of Learning about? What is the essence of effective learning? In his book The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin argues that effective learning comes from a resilient commitment to your growth process. His learning philosophy can be boiled down to three themes: 1) to always strive for “presence,” 2) to learn through trial and error, and 3) to balance tensions as you grow. Let’s explore each theme in detail below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":50249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,42,43],"tags":[581],"class_list":["post-61198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-motivation","category-self-improvement","tag-the-art-of-learning","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nJosh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin argues that effective learning comes from a resilient commitment to your growth process. 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