Learning is a personal journey, unique to every individual and subject. Looking back, a golden thread connects these experiences systematically. Let's call it the autodidact's compass.
This system has 8 components to it:
S0: Put down the obvious (beliefs, ideas, myths etc)
S1: Collect people and map them into a spectrum
S2: Collect content across the spectrum
S3: Develop a personal point of view and find flaws in arguments
S4: Design projects to test your point of view
S5: Find a teacher or mentor; share projects for review
S6: Identify gaps and figure out ways to close them
S7: Test value fitment (see if people pay for your work)
S8: Complete at-least 3 projects and reflect
Let's apply this to my learning journey of the human body and metabolism:
S0: Obvious ideas: Lose weight by Eat less, exercise more, calories in/out
S1: Spectrum of experts: Eric Berg, Mindy Pelz, Jason Fung, Robert Lustig, Alan Goldhammer, Pradip Jumnadas, Barbara O'Neill, Tim Ferriss, Ranjan Chatterjee, Sadhguru, etc.
S2: Content: Books like "Fast Like a Girl," "Metabolical," "Intermittent Fasting," podcasts, various diets (Keto, Vegan, Insulin Hypothesis, etc.)
S3: Personal POV: Try out every diet under the sun on self. Aha-Moment is 20% life sciences + 80% behavioral science is what we need. Need composite systems for sustainability, community support, and accountability.
S4: Project: Sensibowl to test the hypothesis
S5: Mentorship: Doctor friends for understanding the human body, choosing mentors for specific aspects.
S6: Gaps: Holistic understanding (microbiology, pathology, serology, endocrine systems) and educating knowledge workers
S7: Value test: Sensibowl generated 12 lakhs in 3 years. Folks regained periods after 2 years, fit into old jeans, lost 500+ pounds together, reversed diabetes, got rid of PCOS/PCOD and more.
S8: Reflection: Ready to consolidate learnings into a book. Key takeaway: for women, how to thrive in your post 40s better than previous decades combined.
This system can be applied to any learning journey. The depth depends on your curiosity and dedication. Not all projects take 8 years – each is unique. I have applied the same system for learning neuroscience, behavioural science, AI (WIP), Metabolism, Astrology and more.
