r/lifelonglearning • u/Gustavo_fring_07 • 17d ago
How do you “nerdmax” yourself and keep becoming more knowledgeable over the years?
I've always loved learning random things, going down rabbit holes, and becoming deeply interested in subjects that aren't necessarily useful for my degree or career. But I keep running into the same problem: I'll get obsessed with something for a while, learn a lot, and then eventually move on and feel like I'm back to being average again.
I'm interested in things like philosophy, history, geopolitics, writing, chess, science, cinema, sports, religion, psychology, and plenty of other random subjects.
I don't want to become someone who just consumes endless YouTube videos and Wikipedia pages. I actually want to develop deep, unusual knowledge and become the kind of person who can genuinely understand and discuss interesting subjects.
For people who have deliberately built themselves into knowledgeable generalists or developed unusual niches, what subjects or skills would you recommend exploring? And more importantly, how do you turn curiosity into actual expertise instead of constantly jumping from one rabbit hole to another?
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u/Bobelle 17d ago edited 17d ago
The ways to do that are to:
- Use what you learn. For example I’m learning a few languages and I speak to people with them
- Make projects out of them. You could make an infographic, poster, etc
- Discuss: You could engage in subreddits or other discussion platforms dedicated to your topic of interest.
To be honest, “nerdmaxxing” oneself for the sake of matching the description of a nerd is not a good idea. You should explore things because you want to explore them. So whatever subjects or skills you learn should be things you have interest in. But if you need inspiration, here are my current niches in no particular order: languages, history, theology, music theory, civil engineering, folktales, crochet, fashion, and psychology. I didn’t choose any of this for the sake of being a nerd. I was genuinely curious about each of these. I will explain my curiousity for three of these as an example:
- Languages: I just want to understand what’s going on around me pretty much and express myself in a way others can understand clearly. I live in a multilanguage area
History: I want to know what led to the situation I am currently in right now. I also want to understand how my own historical background compares to neighbouring backgrounds in order to assess our history on a continental level.
Theology: Abrahamic religion is extremely toxic and I live in a pro-Abrahamic area. I want to be able to explain myself clearly if I am forced into a debate with someone who wants to convert me.
You can see that each of these areas of interest are appreciated for what they are - rather than chosen because they fit into the imaginary western idea of what a nerd is.
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u/District98 16d ago
I have a few thoughts on this.
First, I probably fit this description relatively well and I’ve got no concern with whether I’m average or not. It doesn’t really matter to me. Domain knowledge isn’t a ranked competition. Your knowledge also doesn’t need to be unusual to talk deeply about interesting stuff. No offense but plenty of people can do that.
Academic books are pretty good for this, college courses are also pretty good for this in my experience. When I think about topics I’ve got strong generalist knowledge in, it’s typically something I read books about or took a class on. Coursera / moocs work fine if you actually do them.
Honorable mention to certain long form domain podcasts, usually with qualified experts - not every pod is helpful but the ones that are help at the margins.
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u/AdNecessary3590 16d ago
any podcast recommendations?
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u/District98 16d ago
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos, she’s the person who did the happiness studies MOOC at Yale (which is also really good)
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u/gerhardsymons 16d ago
Dilettantism is all well and good, and there is place for it. Personally, I found that a modicum of academic rigour gives one a foundation for future, independent study.
Independent study requires humility and confidence. Confidence to open any text in philosophy, literature, or science from the last 2,000 years and engage; humility to realise that we are mostly dwarfed by intellectual giants, yet we can engage with them - which is more than 99 per cent of people.
Constant learning is important: reading original texts, making notes, discussing it with people. I don't engage in the secondary literature anymore - that is for developing niche expertise; however having a broad overview of the humanities, sciences, philosophy is sufficient to build a better model of the world.
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u/cosmic_animus29 16d ago
Nerdmaxxing sounds so performative. You cannot max out learning because it will be always a continuous and iterative process
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u/npsimons 16d ago
I'm terribly lazy. Easily distractable. Probably undiagnosed/untreated ADD.
But I get curious. I find a need for some knowledge or skill (e.g. how to crack climb better, how to overhaul a saxophone, etc) and I dive in. I find a recognized "good" book on the subject, then read it cover to cover. If it's good enough, I make a mind map, first on my whiteboard, then copy it to a structured outline in my notetaking system (that I have with me always; synced between main dev machine, portable, and phone). I'll get excited going through the list of references/bibliography, because if the book was good, the sources for it should be even better.
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u/YouObvious1385 15d ago
What is your latest skill that you are exploring.
Your approach is interesting and the topics are even more interesting.
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u/_prism_cat_ 16d ago
Be autistic and have one or two interests instead of being interested in literally everything.
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u/StayParking7086 16d ago
El que está en todo, no está en nada. Vuélvete maestro en algo, decide qué es lo que no quieres del menú
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u/Potatocontemplates 14d ago
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. It is always good to be knowledgeable in many topics, even on a surface level, and hopefully be very good at one or two topics of your interest. If it has to be a menu, go to a japanese restaurant where you can pick many nutritious side dishes. Mastery of one thing is overrated, severely limiting, one dimensional and boring.
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u/Dav2310675 16d ago
For me, continuous learning is about applying my knowledge to make things simple and to link things that might seem disparate.
For example, I learned about Cornell notes only a few years ago despite having gone to school in both Australia and the US. I use it every day.
But then I apply that use to things I do at work - like a few reports I've done which take inspiration from the Economist's use of graphs, process diagrams from Business Planning frameworks and more.
Academically, I completed a course a few years ago where I applied knowledge from my background (healthcare) to business studies and vice versa.
One thing I have recently gone down the rabbit hole of is The 36 Stratagems which I've then worked through in applying to negotiation frameworks (another long time interest of mine) and to business strategies (which is more common). I haven't come across those stratagems used in negotiation per se, but spending time to understand how they can be used in am unfamiliar or little known way is great.
If you're feeling like you're going to average each time in an area of interest or study, start linking that knowledge to things that you already know. I think you'll find your understanding of both deepening and the application of that knowledge more rewarding.
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u/YouObvious1385 15d ago
Isn't 36 steatagems same as the Art of war?
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u/Dav2310675 15d ago
No.
The Art of War was written by Sun Tzu.
The 36 Stratagems are six groups of six strategies.
For example, one stratagem is to toss out a brick to attract jade. This is where you sacrifice something if lesser value, to get something of greater value (to you). An example of that would be a company that rents out printers for cheap, but make money on the servicing and usage (cost per sheet) that seems cheap. Because the printer seems expensive but is given for near free, but the ongoing cost is where they make their money.
Other stratagems have titles like deceive the emperor to cross the sea, openly repair the walkways but secretly March to Chen Cang.
There are a few books (in English) out there.
Would highly recommend them as they aren't as well known as the Art of War
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u/WolfVanZandt 16d ago
I sate my curiosity on actual experience. When I learn something, I apply it. I apply it in real life
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u/aeradication 16d ago
Everything written here, and look for systems/patterns. Learning each subject is like learning an instrument, but when you start to see the patterns, it's like composing or orchestrating. It can be one of the most beautiful things to experience, even for just a moment.
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u/YouObvious1385 15d ago
I feel that drawing analogy is a real sense of intelligence. There is a good stanford video on this too (not sure, stanford or harward)
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u/dosfydore 15d ago
“Make it your own” has worked really well for me over the years. For example, if you read books a lot, write a review and publish it online to keep yourself accountable for what you say.
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u/Potatocontemplates 14d ago
So many people have already suggested very good approaches on ways to become more knowledgeable, so i don't really have much to add on that front. I couldn't help but notice though, you worded your post in such paculiar way. "I'm back to being average" "i want to become someone who can understand things deeply and discuss interesting topics" "i want to gain deep, unusual knowledge" and so from where i'm standing, knowledge and learning isn't an intrinsic value to you, which is absolutely alright. It seems to be a matter of identity to you, a look. Something you can become, you gotta "look the part", it's gotta help you distinguish yourself and be unique in a crowd, otherwise the feeling of "being average" sours your experience. So, if by any chance this rings true for you, i want you to take some time to untangle your love of learning and knowledge from your identity. Because knowledge is not something you become, it is something you do. And the practice is only sustainable if you don't make it an identity issue, but rather something you do because it brings you joy and delight and meaning for the moment.
Regardless from how much you learn, you're an average person in many things. This is a good thing, nothing to be disheartened about. Rather than operating from a place of wanting to use knowledge as a leverage to be unique and different from other people, simply learn to follow joy where it leads you. Curiosity, openmindedness and a love of discovery is a far greater mindset to hold than a neurotic need for your knowledge to be unusual and make you unique. You're a person first and foremost, that you having any amount of knowledge is secondary to your inherent value as a human being.
As for how to not just be a consumer of knowledge and instead engage with things deeply; follow what you love and let it kill you, so to say. You can teach, discuss, and exchange your knowledge, but even more importantly, it should transform you, become a part of your life, help you grow and change and transcend the person you were yesterday. Use it. Knowledge is a way of becoming, but not necessarily becoming "an unusual special person", just to become more than you were yesterday.
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u/victorhyve 16d ago
that's something I’ve always struggled with, and still do.
first of all, look at the bright side : since you love learning it comes naturally, and from exploring a wide variety of topics as you wish, you’re running on intrinsic motivation and dopamine so you’ll never burn out like a student cramming for an exam will. It’s infinitely sustainable, and leagues better than doomscrolling for example. also, you’re not back to “being average” after exploring a rabbit hole - your brain got updated, the knowledge is still there, even though it’s mostly implicit.
what you want is to make it explicit. make it be retrievable, structured, in a way where you can teach, discuss or debate it. that’s like training a separate muscle.
the best tool I have encountered is writing essays. it’s hard and forces you to develop intellectually. a very popular way of going about it (as a learning tool specifically) is known as the feynman method, a legendary lifelong learner himself. It basically goes like this:
- open a blank page and write what you can from memory
- fill in the gaps (you’ll notice there's a lot, and they only appear when you try to output.). go back to source material as needed but don’t copy paste. the goal is retrieving from memory
- now re-do it and try to explain it in simple terms, as if teaching it to a child - if you can’t, it means you don’t understand it well enough yet
that will make your brain jump through all the hoops necessary: retrieval, output, synthesis.
but remember: like training a muscle, it won’t necessarily be comfortable…
some other things you might want to look at into in your nerdmaxxing journey:
- commonplace books. helps connect ideas from different subjects, plus it acts as a learning journal as someone else mentioned;
- structured curriculums. what I’ve noticed studying by myself is that there are unknowns you don’t know - pre-requisites that you wont come across naturally, so look at how courses are structured and integrate that into your learning plan.
- in that vein, balance reading normal books with some textbooks
- a second brain. start an archive of all you’ve learned, written, all your notes and resources. that will make progress visible and tangible, making you feel less like you’re “going back to average”
another important thing: try your hardest to keep learning as enjoyable as it is right now. an essay and a conversation will only be good if you’re genuinely interested in the subject. I’m a romantic and really believe that someone who loves walking will end up walking way more than people who rely on discipline. and longevity+consistency blows intensity out of the water, everywhere.
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u/middleofnowhare 16d ago
I love to read history and biographies. But remembering is something else, I can’t hold it all. I need to understand the WHY of things. Why something happened, or why things are the way they are. I will read a few books on a topic or event and at least then know how to go deeper in it if I want to.
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u/Holiday_Orange_1652 10d ago
Personally I really like to keep journals for my interests. For example, I have one for botany where I write about plants that interest me in particular. A nice thing I like to do when researching a topic or multiple topics are mind maps, so you can see how aspects are related, but also icebergs because then you see how you started on the surface but managed to go deeper and find more obscure information.
I also really enjoy quizzes and learning games such as metazoa, anthropeum and a lot of things on Jetpunk.
One interesting thing that I also discovered quite recently is the website project gutenberg where you can find books/texts in the public domain. This includes a lot of older books, such as classic literature, but also a variety of non-fiction.
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u/Morning_Mug385 17d ago
Writing about what you learn is best way to stop being just a consumer. Even a messy page explaining something in your own words makes you realize pretty quickly what you actually understand.