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Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#661

Post by hanniabu »

kasey_junk wrote: post #542
harrisonjackson wrote: post #16

CPR/Choking/First Aid course is probably close to an hour. How to change your own oil - probably lots of other money-saving home and auto DIY things... Speed reading and memory tricks can be a multiplier on learning other skills. How to use automation tools like Zapier and IFTTT - again, a force multiplier. You might be interested in this book https://www.amazon.com/First-20-Hours-Learn-Anything/dp/1591... - the auth…

I’m always amazed when the “change your own oil” option comes up in these discussions as it’s a very classic example where having specialized tools s and doing it a lot really speeds you up. And it’s a dirty job without a lot of intellectual interest. Further you can get it done for you in 10 minutes for approaching minimum wage. Unless you work on your car for fun and have things like a lift sitting around it seems…

And then you need to find a place to take your oil.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#662

Post by solipsism »

heipei wrote: post #508
koliber wrote: post #338

Understanding compound interest thoroughly. Compound interest is probably the most powerful "force" governing out lives. It is crucial when borrowing money, especially for longer terms. It is crucial when saving and investing. It is crucial in self-development, where a tiny 5% improvement in some area of your life per year can mean that you are twice as good at something in 15 years. It is important when evaluating a…

Since really grasping compound interest I've noticed it apply across almost all aspects of life, which is what OP is saying. It shouldn't be reduced to the financial aspect which is probably the better-understood aspect of it. Think about things like your education, your professional skills, your interests and hobbies, your health, your friendship and (professional) social network, hell, even your kids. Whatever litt…

The underlying concept that applies to much of life is feedback loops. Compound interest is just one example of a feedback loop.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#663

Post by solipsism »

rfc wrote: post #474
learnstats2 wrote: post #410

On the contrary, it has taken me years to unlearn compound interest. When you start with relatively little, compound interest is relatively very unhelpful - it compounds wealth and benefits people who have started with something more than you. Twice as good at nothing is still nothing.

Alright, I'll bite. This is such a victimhood mentality and a ridiculous statement. I wasn't wealthy when I started investing. Hell, the first dollar I put into my long term portfolio was when I was living in my car! I started with ~$200 that I made from doing a collection of odd jobs (mowing lawns, computer repair, moving dirt, etc.). Every extra penny I made went into investing into a moderate portfolio focusing on…

> In an investing group that I'm part of, my story is the norm - not the exception

That is a hilarious example of selection bias.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#665

Post by saalweachter »

scandox wrote: post #209

Credibility of sources. I learned this in 40 minutes of a medieval history class. It is simply the constant habit of asking: Who is speaking? Why are they speaking? What have they to gain or lose from speaking? What have I to gain or lose from believing/disbelieving what is said? I actually by instinct tend to believe people are mostly speaking in good faith so this is a great corrective for me. Also I have a habit o…

My introduction to this were the excellent books 1421, 1434, and of course, the author's third book, The Lost Empire of Atlantis, which I found every bit as convincing as the first two and really drove home how credulous I'd been when reading them.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#666

Post by MS90 »

greyhair wrote: post #455
galfarragem wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I learnt this while working in trades. Working with trades people or handymans will teach you a lot of practical skills that are useful in daily life.

Thirded. I worked as a farm hand on a nearby dairy farm through high school, then six years as a mechanic before going to college. As a farm hand, you learn early how to arc weld, or cut steel with an acetylene torch, along simple carpentry and plumbing, as well as mechanical maintenance on equipment. It isn't all just feeding and milking cows. You also learn to deal with shit. Literally tons of it.

I'm willing to bet that cattle ranchers and dairy farmers deal with more bullshit per capita than any other profession.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#668

Post by Jeff_Brown »

georgewsinger wrote: post #583

Reading a syntax overview to the Wolfram Programming Language: https://reference.wolfram.com/language/guide/Syntax.html This will allow you to program in the (in my opinion: extremely underrated) language that WolframAlpha is built over. WPL is more concise than any other LISP, and has extremely powerful visualization capabilities built in. In fact everything is built in. You almost never need to import a library to…

And it recently became free software! And it lets you play graphs as sound!

Re: Ask HN: What's the most valuable thing you can learn in an hour?

#670

Post by pjmorris »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #188

If you've been married for a while, learn who your spouse is now . (I mean in a good way, by taking an hour to rediscover what his/her hopes and dreams are, what interests they've gained / lost, etc.) He/she is probably a pretty different person than the one you married. It's easy to overlook that.

This is huge. I'm lucky in that my spouse and I talk regularly about everything from daily logistics to existential meaning. I view learning her (and updating her about me) as more of a habit than an event.

I'd say this is also valuable advice for yourself; what are your current dreams? Do you really still want all of the books on your bookshelf? Where do you want to go? Who of your friends haven't you seen, but need to? I find I don't spend enough time on that for myself.

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