“Range” by David Epstein

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Diversity tends to teach nuance that focused study cannot
Where patterns do not clearly repeat, experience does not bring insight
“Chunking” lets us group things into known patterns that can more easily be recalled and acted on
Do not reward people for a singular solution as it will reduce exploration
Modernity changes how we make sense of the world
Improvising turns off the self-critique part of the brain
Showing shortcuts bypasses learning and only teaches the rules
Retrieval is all about the journey
Repetition is less important than struggle
Look to other disciplines to solve tough problems
Use analogies to other projects before estimating a current project
Instead of trying to predict “what you like”, try to predict “who you are like”
“A problem well-put is half-solved.”
Sometimes people drop out simply because they realize they are not good fits (rather than lacking grit)
Before starting, we should determine when we should quit
The question is not “whether” we are gritty but “when” we are gritty
We tend to use “local search” to find solutions in “known pools”
We need both birds for their vision and frogs for their depth
Hedgehogs tend to get worse over time
Ask for the missing data!
Focus on “making sense” not “making decisions”
- This lets you change direction later if the facts change
Send “mixed messages” to help stir up a stale mate
We have a really hard time letting go of familiar tools

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