This is the DSSS framework on Meta-Learning as described by Tim Ferriss in ‘The 4-Hour Chef’.

This process can be used to learn any skill in a condensed timeframe.

One key example is of Tim finding the Joyo Kanji (all the characters of basic literacy on one page) when learning Japanese, and then combining it with Judo books to learn the universal grammar (cooking method) that transferred to everything else.

The framework is as follows:

  1. Deconstruction - What are the minimal learnable units, the LEGO blocks, I should be starting with?
  2. Selection - Which 20% of the blocks should I focus on for 80% or more of the outcome I want?
  3. Sequencing - What order should I learn the blocks?
  4. Stakes - How do I set up stakes to create real consequences and guarantee I follow the program

Deconstruction

There are 4 tools in deconstruction:

  1. Reducing - E.g - Japanese characters reduced from 1,945 characters, to 214 radicals
  2. Interviewing - E.g - Finding a basketball expert and asking questions like: “What are the biggest mistakes / biggest misuse of time when novices shoot or practise shooting?”, “Even at pro level, what mistakes are most common?”, “What are your key principles for better, more consistent shooting?”, “What does the progression of exercises look like?” (this could also be online research from credible sources)
  3. Reversal - E.g challenging conventional thinking by building a fire backwards (opposite of the teepee method). Could also be backward, flipped etc
  4. Translating - E.g finding ‘helpers’. In the world of language this would be auxiliary verbs.

Selection

This focuses on 80/20, and MED (Minimum Effective Dose)

Once we’ve completed our deconstruction, we then move on to selecting the minimum amount of work to great the greatest impact.

Examples include: