Are you looking for a way to elevate your personal and professional growth through an extreme, self-directed learning experience? As a fellow lifelong learner, I am embarking on a one-year challenge to push myself beyond my limits, and I’m excited to share my custom-made curriculum with you. This intense learning plan is designed to help me think critically, operate efficiently, and prepare for the high-stakes future world.
Curriculum and Learning Plan:
Part A
-
Time Management and Productivity
- Learn: Overview of different time management types
- Resources: “Getting Things Done” by David Allen, “Deep Work” by Cal Newport
- Goals: Implement a personal productivity system, track and improve daily productivity, set and achieve monthly goals, attend time management workshops, optimize daily routines, and eliminate distractions
-
Critical Thinking and Advanced Problem Solving
- Learn: Analyze principles, legal principles and arguments, high impact court cases, huge world problems, and how they were solved, how to improve as a problem solver
- Resources: “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, “The Art of Strategy” by Avinash Dixit and Barry Nalebuff
- Goals: Analyze high-impact court cases, solve complex real-world problems, participate in debates, attend workshops and conferences, develop a logical and systematic approach to problem-solving
-
Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Skills
- Learn: High Stress and Performance, Adaptability and Resilience, Mindfulness, Modelling, understanding this field deeply
- Resources: “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, “Daring Greatly” by Brené Brown
- Goals: Develop self-awareness, empathy, and adaptability, practice mindfulness, attend workshops and courses, apply skills in real-life situations, manage stress and perform under pressure
Future
-
Leadership and Management
- Learn: Motivation, how to lead, stories of leaders, vision, people’s motivation. How people learn and grow
- Resources: “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey
- Goals: Identify and develop a personal leadership style, study great leaders, participate in leadership workshops and training, apply leadership skills in real-life situations, inspire and motivate others
-
Networking and Relationship Building
- Learn: Macro, goals, and micro targets, who are the people I want to network and build relations with? Look and make a list, and then look at improving my interactions and skills in different situations
- Resources: “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
- Goals: Build a diverse network, attend networking events, develop a targeted list of contacts, improve interpersonal skills, create strong, long-lasting relationships
-
Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
- Learn: Studying all types of conflicts and breakdowns and negotiation strategies and real-world case studies
- Resources: “Getting to Yes” by Roger Fisher and William Ury, “Crucial Conversations” by Kerry Patterson
- Goals: Resolve real-life conflicts, negotiate successful deals, practice mock negotiations, attend workshops and training sessions, analyze case studies, develop advanced negotiation techniques
-
Ethics and Philosophy
- Learn: From history to now, and key ethical questions, and problems people make
- Resources: “The Republic” by Plato, “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius
- Goals: Understand key ethical theories and philosophical concepts, apply ethical principles to real-life situations, participate in philosophical discussions, read great works of philosophy, develop a personal ethical framework
-
Scientific Literacy
- Learn: Understand core scientific principles on a molecular level, including math
- Resources: “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking, “The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene, “Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning” by A.D. Aleksandrov
-
Technology and Digital Transformation, Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence
- Learn: Core concepts and trends in technology, biotechnology, and AI
- Resources: “The Singularity Is Near” by Ray Kurzweil, “Superintelligence” by Nick Bostrom, “The Second Machine Age” by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
- Goals: Understand the impact of technology on various industries, attend conferences and workshops, explore applications of AI and biotechnology, collaborate with experts, build a project or prototype
-
Data Analysis and Visualization in various fields
- Learn: Business and world data analysis, using Google Sheets and AI for analysis
- Resources: “Python for Data Analysis” by Wes McKinney, “Data Science for Business” by Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett, online courses on data visualization
- Goals: Analyze real-world datasets, create visualizations, attend workshops, master relevant tools (e.g., Excel, Tableau), apply data analysis skills to business or personal projects
-
Data Security and Network Security
- Learn: Field overview, core security principles, macro and micro issues, business applications
- Resources: “The Art of Invisibility” by Kevin Mitnick, “Applied Cryptography” by Bruce Schneier, online security courses and certifications
- Goals: Understand cybersecurity threats and countermeasures, implement security measures for personal and business use, attend conferences and workshops, earn relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP)
-
Health and Wellness Optimization
- Learn: Physical fitness, health, exercise, tracking and pushing yourself
- Resources: “The 4-Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss, “How Not to Die” by Michael Greger, online fitness and nutrition courses
- Goals: Develop a personalized fitness and nutrition plan, track and optimize health metrics, participate in physical challenges (e.g., marathons), maintain consistent exercise routines, learn about different diets
-
Global Affairs and Cultural Intelligence
- Learn: Language learning, multicultural competence, improving Chinese, Spanish, and Russian, understanding how countries think
- Resources: “The World in Six Glasses” by Tom Standage, “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari, language learning apps and courses (e.g., Duolingo, Pimsleur)
- Goals: Achieve conversational fluency in target languages, attend cultural events, connect with native speakers, understand global political and economic trends, travel to target countries
-
Financial Literacy, Investments and Wealth Building, Economics
- Learn: Overview of economics, wealth system, investing, and wealth building
- Resources: “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki, “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith
- Goals: Develop a personal investment strategy, understand key economic theories and indicators, manage personal finances, invest in stocks, bonds, and other assets, attend financial workshops and seminars
-
Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Investment and Investors
- Learn: Investment and innovation ecosystem, raising investment, investor expectations, startup investing
- Resources: “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries, “Zero to One” by Peter Thiel, “Venture Deals” by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
- Goals: Develop and pitch a business idea, attend startup events and conferences, connect with investors and entrepreneurs, invest in startups, learn from successful founders and investors
-
Personal Branding, Digital Marketing, Content Creation (Videos, Articles)
- Learn: Analyzing and understanding what works and doesn’t, setting goals, reaching 1 million+ YouTube subscribers
- Resources: “Crushing It!” by Gary Vaynerchuk, “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller, “YouTube Secrets” by Sean Cannell and Benji Travis, online marketing courses
- Goals: Develop a personal brand strategy, create and publish high-quality content, grow social media following, collaborate with influencers, track and optimize content performance, hit 1 million+ YouTube subscribers
-
Memory and Learning Techniques, and Brain Performance
- Learn: Measuring and improving brain performance, exercises
- Resources: “Moonwalking with Einstein” by Joshua Foer, “The Art of Memory” by Frances Yates, “Make It Stick” by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel
- Goals: Master memory techniques (e.g., memory palace, chunking), participate in memory competitions, optimize learning strategies, apply techniques to other topics
-
Public Speaking and Persuasion
- Learn: Storytelling, writing and sharing personal stories
- Resources: “Talk Like TED” by Carmine Gallo, “Influence” by Robert Cialdini, “The Art of Storytelling” by John D. Walsh
- Goals: Join a public speaking group (e.g., Toastmasters), practice storytelling techniques, deliver speeches at events, refine and polish personal stories, attend workshops and conferences
-
Journalism and Media and Social Media
- Learn: Newspapers, stories, legalities, attention, different types, how it’s changing, future predictions
- Resources: “The News: A User’s Manual” by Alain de Botton, “The Influential Mind” by Tali Sharot, “Trust Me, I’m Lying” by Ryan Holiday
- Goals: Analyze and critique media sources, understand legal and ethical implications, predict future trends, create journalistic content, attend workshops and conferences
-
Close Relationships & Family
- Learn: Family unit, breakdowns, communication issues, pressures, resolutions
- Resources: “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman, “Hold Me Tight” by Dr. Sue Johnson, “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work” by Dr. John Gottman
- Goals: Improve communication skills, understand family dynamics, resolve conflicts, strengthen relationships, attend couples and family therapy workshops
-
Relationship with Yourself, Understanding Yourself, Meditation, Mindfulness, Goal Setting, Mindfulness
- Learn: Personal understanding, meditation, mindfulness, goal setting
- Resources: “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod, “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Singer, mindfulness apps (e.g., Headspace, Calm)
- Goals: Practice daily meditation, develop self-awareness, set and achieve personal goals, attend mindfulness workshops and retreats
-
Chess Mastery
- Learn: Understanding and playing chess, learning from greats, practicing
- Resources: “The Art of Learning” by Josh Waitzkin, “My Great Predecessors” by Garry Kasparov, online chess platforms (e.g., Chess.com, Lichess)
- Goals: Study and analyze famous games, practice daily, participate in chess tournaments, achieve a high Elo rating
-
Creativity and Artistic Expression and Music
- Learn: Overview, different types of expression, improving creativity, music, art, and food (cooking)
- Resources: “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron, “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon, online courses for music, art, and cooking
- Goals: Experiment with different artistic mediums, create a portfolio of work, collaborate with other artists, participate in exhibitions, develop a unique artistic style, attend workshops and masterclasses
-
Jokes and Comedy
- Learn: Studying funny people, learning great jokes, practicing, developing personal humor
- Resources: “Comedy Writing Secrets” by Mel Helitzer, “The Serious Guide to Joke Writing” by Sally Holloway, stand-up comedy specials, improv classes
- Goals: Memorize and tell jokes, attend and perform at open mic nights, develop a personal comedic style, collaborate with other comedians, attend workshops and conferences
-
Reading and Rewriting Greats
- Learn: Reading and writing amazing literature
- Resources: “Reading Like a Writer” by Francine Prose, “On Writing” by Stephen King, classic literature, creative writing workshops
- Goals: Read and analyze great works of literature, practice writing daily, submit work to literary magazines, attend workshops and conferences, develop a unique writing style
A list of interesting topics I want to learn about
-
International Admissions
- The Evolution of Universities
- How education is changing
- Chess
- Jokes & Comedy
- Youtube videos and building a Youtube channel
- Investment and Private Equity
- The greatest books of all time – plato, Bible and so on
- Piano
- Summarising Network Security Principles
- Summarise Key principles in Biology, Physics, and Maths and Chemistry
