There's no speed limit | Derek Sivers

Appreciation

Importance

Date Added

8.16.25

TLDR

There is no rule in terms of how fast you can learn something or do something. The standard/norm can be astoundingly bad.

2 Cents

Good reminder to always ask yourself "why can't I learn/do this faster?" Why can't you learn a semester's course in a weekend? And then sometimes there are actual "laws-of-physics" limits, but it's better to question it and find the real limit than assume the norm.

Tags

Reminds me directly of when Trenton Bricken said : “It's amazing how quickly you can become world-class in something just because most people aren't trying that hard.”:

Kimo’s high expectations set a new pace for me. He taught me that “the standard pace is for chumps” — that the system is designed so anyone can keep up. If you’re more driven than most people, you can do way more than anyone expects. And this principle applies to all of life, not just school.

(Recently I heard him tell the story from his perspective. He said, “My doorbell rang at 8:59 one morning and I had no idea why. I run across kids all the time who say they want to be a great musician. I tell them I can help, and tell them to show up at my studio at 9:00 if they’re serious. Nobody ever does. It’s how I weed out the really serious ones from the kids who just talk. But there was Derek, ready to go.”)

(Featured in Ben Kuhn's favorite essays of life advice .)