Micromastery

Fixing and making things, what tools to get and what skills to learn, ...
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wolf
Posts: 1102
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:09 pm
Location: Germany

Micromastery

Post by wolf »

In regards to Robert Twigger's book "Micromastery: Learn Small, Learn Fast and Find the Hidden Path to Happiness" I'd like to start a topic, which covers micromastery-skills.

It has already been mentioned here Conversations that Changed Everything by ego and talked about in the following posts by jacob, 7wannabe5 and jennypenny. I'm personally interested in such micromastery-skills, because they cover what I strive for in regards to the Renaissance Man / Polymath.

Add any micromastery-skill you find useful, enjoyable. important, beneficial, productive, ... I intend only to brainstorm and not to judge.

I start by posting the originally mentioned micromastery-skills from Robert Twigger's book Micromastery:
• Do a Line Sketh that lookds creditable
• Do an Eskimo Roll
• Find the Depht of a Wall or a Deep Hole
• Chop Through a Log (or Even a Tree)
• Learn how to climb a rope
• Surf Standing Up
• Talk for Fifteen Minutes about any subject
• Lay a brick wall
• Write dialoge
• Make a Clay Skull
• Bake excellent artisan bread
• Make a sword hum through the air
• make string from nettles
• Sind solo, even if you are tone deaf
• master the bench press
• learn „La Marseillaise“
• Do a football Elastico
• Build a Superstack of wood
• Develop a film using coffee and salt
• do a high-speed-getaway J-Turn
• Make Sushi … that acutally looks and tastes like sushi
• Tell a story that will enthral any child
• Immobilize someone with an aikido hold
• Juggle four balls
• Master the three-card trick
• grow a bonsai tree
• make a perfect soufflé every time
• Make a perfect cube of wood
• mix a delightful daiquiriy
• walk the tango walk
• make fire by rubbing two sticks together
• make your handwriting beautiful
• micromaster bargaining
• hone a kitchen knife so that it is razor sharp
• lead a small group in the wilderness
• learn to read Japanese in three hours
• become a street photophrapher
• brew delicious craft beer
• make your own shirt

wolf
Posts: 1102
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:09 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Micromastery

Post by wolf »

I brainstormed some micromastery-skills:

learn to make proper decisions by using decision tools, methods, etc.
install and use a linux distribution system on your computer
run a (half) marathon
fast for one week
grow at least one vegetable by yourself in your garden, on your balcony, etc.
plan and design a permaculture project
try to recycle everything of the garbage of your food and daily-use consumption
learn to handwrite with your other hand
comment articles in a (online) newspaper each day for one month
look for a permaculture project within reaching distance
learn first aid
teach yourself acupressure
learn a second foreign language
research the ERE-Wheaton-Scale in depths
learn to draw a 3D-model of the architecture of your house/apartment/van/etc.
write a paper with at least 5 pages about a random topic
find the best route by bicycle to work
brainstorm each day at least 20 ideas about a specific topic for 4 weeks
learn to waste as little plastic garbage as possible
update your CV and write a proper application letter
travel with your bike
learn to meditate
Learn to play chess and/or Go properly
make diagram with skills on the y-axis and imagination on the x-axis and brainstorm
learn to code a application which would be useful to you
do mental calculation whenever possible, without using your smartphone or computer
plant and grow one plant in every quarter of the year
learn the history of your home country
go hiking (>3h) in winter, starting and ending at your home
talk to your neighbours daily/weekly/bi-weekly
learn to draw a portrait of yourself or somebody else
learn at least 5 different (psychological) models to describe your personality (type)
learn to buy a neglectable amout of Bitcoin (0.xxx) and store it in a paper-wallet

2Birds1Stone
Posts: 1596
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:20 am
Location: Earth

Re: Micromastery

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Hey, Wolf.

Really enjoy Micromastery, and think this is a good exercise. My opinion is that many of the masteries you listed in post #2 are too broad in scope. In the book he emphasizes how the micro mastery should be extremely well defined and fairly narrow in scope.

A good example of narrow and well defined - run a half marathon, find best route to work by bicycle (in terms of distance? safety? time?)
Too broad and not well defined - learn first aid, learn a second foreign language.

Just some food for thought.

7Wannabe5
Posts: 9370
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

Re: Micromastery

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@wolf:

I like your list. It happenstance (??) has a good deal of overlap with the list I have been constructing. I am using a time tracking app to "store" my micromastery ideas as they pop into mind or being. I don't think it is absolutely necessary to limit the scope initially, if you stay observant. For instance, you could first choose to allot 100 hours of your remaining store of life-energy hours to Gardening, and then realize that it would be more accurate to edit this to read Grow a 4 X 4 Annual Vegetable Patch and then expand sideways or upwards within the same general category of Gardening, allotting more of your remaining life-energy hour supply as you go.

Another way in which I am approaching micromasteries is through consideration of realms in which I already have more than 100 hours invested, but no "trophy" awarded. For instance, I included "Reading 19th Century British Lit" on my list, because I have already read more than half the books and authors to be found on any notable, recommended or undergraduate list. So, the primary challenge is the presentation "trick." My thought is that this "trick" might be best achieved in realms of internal micro-mastery through combination with realms of external micro-mastery. For instance, one of my other potential micro-masteries is Produce a Work of Claymation. So, through combination I could come up with "Produce a Work of Claymation Based on Lesser Known Master Work of 19th Century British Literature" =100 hours to follow "Master Fundamentals of Claymation" =100 hours and I would then erase my first note of "Produce a Work of Claymation" from the list, because made redundant, but assign whatever hours I had already spent on this category towards "Master Fundamentals of Claymation."

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