BOOK REVIEW: The Only Skill That Matters by Jonathan Levi @entreprenewer @TLCbooktours @superhumanacad #theonlyskillthatmatters #reading

I just finished the last section of Jonathan Levi’s book The Only Skill The Matters, and to be honest I am livid. LIVID!

Do you know why I’m upset right now? Because every single exercise in this book would have helped me IMMENSELY when I was studying for my doctoral degree and comprehensive exams, and instead I had to suffer through it with my less effective cognitive functioning!

Ok so all jokes about being mad aside, I can say with my whole heart that this book is a game-changer for me. As the opening section goes into, it can be hard to keep up with the knowledge and recall we are expected to have. Sure, when under pressure most of us can pull a metaphorical rabbit out of a hat and accomplish something incredible, but that is not sustainable in terms of a learning strategy. Not only does information learned in that manner have a short retention life (about until that third beer, amirite???), but being under that level of stress would not be healthy!

Jonathan Levi walks through his own challenges with learning growing up. He was not someone who was set to be a top student in class. In fact, he went through some times where he was made to feel like he wasn’t cut out for school at all. But after learning techniques to help him read faster, memorize information more efficiently, and overall unleash the power of his brain, he became a huge success.

It sounds too good to be true, right? I was a bit skeptical myself! But as I worked through the chapters, I have tried several of the exercises myself–including keeping a copy of a few of the tricks at my desk at work–and I’m not kidding when I say that I’ve been proud of what I’ve been able to do when following them!

I’m in the early stages of adoption right now, so they are still work for me. I have to make a conscious effort to use them and reframe how I’m learning information. But I’ve also been able to focus better, get through work more quickly, summon motivation when it feels like I have none, and memorize things (such as stats for a meeting at work) that I wouldn’t have thought I’d be able to.

The best part for me is that these are simple exercises. They are a bit of work to teach yourself to actively use, but they aren’t difficult to execute at all. In fact, they are almost deceptively simple! At times I seriously questioned whether it was possible that something so simple could work, but I have been so empowered through my efforts.

I wish I could tell you the tips and tricks here, but there is no way I can. First, because that would basically be intellectual plagiarism. Second, because I think it is important to read all of the science behind our brains and these tricks and why they work.

If you give this book a try, please leave me a comment or a message and let me know what you thought! Did they work for you? How has your progress been? I am looking forward to continuing to work on using these in my every day life!

About the Book

In the next ten years, every knowledge worker on earth will become one of two things: invaluable or obsolete. No matter the industry, the pace of progress and new information is faster today than ever before in human history—and it’s accelerating exponentially.

In this new reality, how can we possibly hope to keep up? How can we learn, unlearn, and relearn fast enough to stay relevant in the world to come?

In The Only Skill That Matters, Jonathan Levi unveils a powerful, neuroscience-based approach to reading faster, remembering more, and learning more effectively. You’ll master the ancient techniques being used by world record holders and competitive memory athletes to unlock the incredible capacity of the human brain. You’ll learn to double or triple your reading speed, enhance your focus, and optimize your cognitive performance. Most importantly, you’ll be empowered to confidently approach any subject—from technical skills, to names and faces, to foreign languages, and even speeches—and learn it with ease.

Superhuman Academy | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Author

JONATHAN LEVI is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker, podcaster, and bestselling author of the Become a SuperLearner book and online course series. After struggling for decades as a student and “slow learner,” Jonathan discovered a powerful methodology for learning faster and remembering more. Since 2014, Jonathan has taught this methodology to over 220,000 people in 205 countries and territories. His award-winning podcast, SuperHuman Academy, has been downloaded over 3 million times. Jonathan has been featured in such media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, Inc., BusinessInsider, and LifeHacker UK. He lives in Tel Aviv, Israel, with his wife, Limmor.

To learn more, visit superhumanacademy.com.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own.