Shadowing Practice: How To Actually Get Good At Hard Things | Napoleon's Learning Strategy - Learn English Speaking with Video
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So over the last couple of months, I've been reading and rereading Andrew Roberts' biography on Napoleon,
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titled Napoleon the Great, which is hence why I've made maybe two or three videos on Napoleon already.
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But something which really stood out to me was Napoleon's ability to learn new skills.
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Napoleon had an innate ability to go from being a relative novice in something to becoming somewhat of an expert,
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if not a master in that field.
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He did this famously twice, once with war strategy and being a general, as he went from being a teenage novice into becoming,
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obviously, a master, who was beaten by another master, but he was a master in war nonetheless.
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And then once he became emperor, he had to learn how to write civil code.
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And he knew nothing about how you write a civil code for a functioning country,
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yet he went from being a novice there to writing the Napoleonic Code, in which some elements of that still stand today.
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And he was able to do this through a simple mental model that he had for learning new tasks,
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which I think is a brilliant mental model and something we can all adapt to our own lives and learn from,
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especially in this new era where
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so much of what we do is through our own self -learning experience
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or we have to adapt and learn new skills as technology rapidly increases.
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And so I think there's a lot we can take from Napoleon's mental model for learning new skills.
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And Aristotle said it best as he said
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that what separates a human from all other animals is our ability to contemplate on one specific task,
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one specific skill and become a master in it.
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And so by doing so, you feel more human, more fulfilled, and that everyone needs to have at least one skill,
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one element of life in which they have mastered and can continue to refine and master and create from,
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as that will make you feel the most fulfilled possible.
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And so I will break down
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Napoleon's mental model here into three steps, with step number one being slow contemplation equals faster progress.
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Now, something that
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Napoleon was very wary of was that when going in to learn a new skill,
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it's easy to get excited and think about how you're going to master the skill and be great.
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Let's say you're going in to learn piano.
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You get excited that you're going to be playing
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Bach and Beethoven and you're going to get to perform at a dinner party.
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You're going to get to perform in front of your family and friends and show off.
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But the simple fact of the matter is you're a novice at
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that point you need to calm down and you need to focus on taking it easy, being calm and slow progression.
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So what Napoleon says here is that many people think, oh, I'm going to take it slow.
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I'm going to learn over time, but they don't take it slow enough.
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If you think you're taking it slow, if you think you're contemplating on it, take it even slower.
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So what Napoleon did is when he started off learning a new skill, he wouldn't just read the introductory book and continue to read the books
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that he had to read in order to learn the skill, but he would go through line for line, underlining everything, writing a comment about it,
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breaking it down, taking notes.
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He would try and break everything down into slow steps.
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It wasn't about saying you've read 20 books on this one subject within a month.
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It was about saying you've extracted every bit of knowledge you can possibly extract.
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Okay, so I needed to add something last minute to this video, which puts a lot of context into this first principle about Napoleonic learning,
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which is that
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Warren Buffett said it doesn't matter how hard you row, it matters what boat you're rowing.
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And so the idea here is
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that it's just as hard to read five books in a month as it is to read one book in a month,
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but take it very seriously and be meticulous with everything you're reading
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and actually contemplate each idea and each piece of value that is in that book.
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You're going to read at a slower pace, but you're going to learn at a faster pace.
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And it's a faster road to mastery than the person who's just trying to churn through books.
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And an example of this would be if you were learning piano.
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It'd be easy to think, I want to learn to play a Beethoven song.
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And you can jump steps.
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You can go straight to learning how to play that one Beethoven song, not even by reading sheet music,
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but by looking at where your fingers go for each of the notes, memorising that over a few weeks time,
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and soon you'll be able to play an intermediate to an advanced level musical piece.
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But the fact of the matter is you still don't know any of the fundamentals of piano.
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And so within a month, you're playing an advanced level song, whereas someone else who's spending more time taking
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it step by step with each fundamental may appear.. appear to be progressing at a slower rate,
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if you expand that over six months to a year to two years time,
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they're not only going to have all the fundamentals be able to read sheet music
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and play music they've never even heard before by just being given the sheet and playing it off the paper,
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but they will also be able to create their own music
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and you will be stuck trying to learn one specific song by finger note,
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by finger note, instead of actually knowing how to read the sheet music so you can appear to progress faster early on,
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but by not slowing it down, you actually progress at a much slower rate.
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And so Napoleon made it a big thing in everything he did to drop the ego, to know that you have to spend time under tension,
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but not too much tension to where it overwhelms you and not a lack of tension to where you're not actually progressing.
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But if you're going up a staircase, you go up one step at a time.
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And so he was always looking to be under tension, but only enough to progress that little bit.
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And by focusing on one step at a time, by really slowing it down and writing notes ruthlessly in all the margins,
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he believed that led to faster progression.
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And so of course he was someone with an ego, but in learning a new task,
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he set that ego aside and really took it step by step.
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A quote here is to be impatient in the long term, but very patient in the short term.
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Which leads us into step number two in Napoleon's learning process, which is you have to have a pressure moment.
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You have to be learning under some kind of deadline, some kind of pressure.
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But this isn't about trying to perfect something before the deadline.
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It's about having that pressure where you know you're going to make mistakes, but that gives you the opportunity to learn from those mistakes.
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An example of this would be if you're learning piano again, you have a recital every six to eight weeks, let's say.
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That way, you know you're going to make a performance, you're going to do a performance, and you're going to make a mistake.
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But then you can learn from that mistake, and you also learn from that pressure.
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But what that pressure does is it forces you to have to lock in mentally at a different level.
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Because if you know you're only learning this skill but you're never going to perform it,
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then your brain will naturally not focus as much as you think.
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You may think you're 100 % focused on it, but if you're not actually going into the lines,
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then if you're not actually having to perform in front of people or perform in some kind of pressure environment, your brain will register that. And
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so Napoleon always wanted to be taking action upon what he
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learned in a controlled environment to where he would be able to make a simple mistake
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if he was to make a mistake and still be OK, but have to face some kind of repercussion from that
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because the idea here was that that would force you to act under pressure.
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As he believed that we weren't robots, we weren't able to just learn and progress on our own accord because we're programmed to do so,
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our brain inherently knows when there's going to be a performance date.
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Our brain inherently knows when there's going to be pressure that we are under.
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And so it will focus to a higher level and it will retain information to a higher level as well.
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An example of this for me would be these videos I make.
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If I set an end date, let's say one video a week or more than one video a week or one video a month,
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whatever it is, it forces me to bring my A game in the learning of this book, in my research into this book,
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in my note taking of this book.
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I've got to break it down at a more simple level to talk about it.
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I've got to actually understand what I'm reading.
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So often you can read a book, I think you're understanding so much of it.
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And then when I go to write out the notes for the video,
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I realize that I'm missing certain steps or it's not as coherent as what I thought it might be.
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I don't actually understand the process or the lessons from the book as much as I thought I did.
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And so by forcing myself to be in this pressure environment, I'm able to retain more of it and know
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and actually see the fruits of my own labor and see how much I've actually learned, I've actually retained.
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Because if I read a book and I make a video and it's not very coherent, I then know, hang on,
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I actually didn't learn as much as I thought I did.
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There's more work to be done.
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But that's okay.
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Napoleon would say that's okay.
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That's a part of the learning process.
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But that pressure environment is a must.
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You must have it.
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And it is a danger in this self -learning world
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that we are in today where so much of what we do is an online course, is through YouTube videos, our own self -education.
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It can be a danger to not have that pressure environment or to not have enough pressure environments.
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Once or twice a year is not enough.
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You need one on a semi -consistent basis in order to see the mistakes you're making, correct those mistakes, and more importantly,
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see if you're making the same mistake more than once.
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Because if you are, perhaps you need to go back a few steps, go back to a simple fundamental element and reread that,
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retake notes on that, see what perhaps you missed.
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But it's all about slowing down, yet still having that pressure on as well.
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Which leads us in to step number three, which is to simply be ruthless with your time.
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It can be easy to think that while this is a simple model for learning, that then it's an easy model for learning.
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But of course, if something was easy, everybody would be doing it.
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The fact of the matter is it does take time.
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Napoleon was very famous for reading a lot, even on the battlefield when they were out on war expeditions.
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He would still spend a lot of time in his tent reading, whether that's reading geography, whether that's reading war biographies,
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whether that's reading history, whatever it may be.
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He would spend a lot of time in contemplation reading.
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He would spend a lot of time studying.
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You have to be ruthless with your time.
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You have to make certain sacrifices to dedicate to something if you truly want to master it.
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There isn't an exact rule of, you know, if someone spends three hours a day versus someone who spends five hours a day,
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the person who spends five hours a day will progress at a faster rate.
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That's not exact.
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It depends on how much they're able to retain from that five hours, how much how much they're able to take in,
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what the speed of their learning is.
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But you still need to dedicate a certain amount of time.
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And so this is the hardest of all of it, which is the fact that you need to do it daily.
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Napoleon believed that in order to learn something, you need to immerse yourself in it to some kind of level,
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which means at some point every single day, you need to be spending a focused long amount of time on the specific subject
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that you were trying to learn and master.
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Now, in the modern day, perhaps we don't have the ability as Napoleon did, as it was literally his job to master civil code, master warfare.
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For us, we may have other jobs, but we have to dedicate at least an hour,
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90 minutes every day, and you can't take a day off.
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It needs to be a certain amount of time every day.
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And so if that means you have to cut out some TV time, cut out some phone time, cut out whatever time it may be,
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you've got to find that time each day.
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But also don't get down on yourself if you think I don't have 90 minutes.
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If you only have 45 minutes, that's the time you have.
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But make sure you're very focused on it.
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It doesn't even matter if you only have 30 minutes.
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But as long as it's a certain amount of time every day, wake up 30 minutes earlier, go to bed 30 minutes later,
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whichever it is, spend that time each day.
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If you happen to have two hours, even better.
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But this is the most ruthless element
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and principle of Napoleon's learning principle where you just have to be ruthless with your time.
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There's no tricks.
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There's no tricks of the trade.
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There's no ways around it.
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That's just the simple fact of the matter.
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But with that said, that does wrap up the Napoleon learning model, how Napoleon approached learning new tasks.
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It's quite simple, but it is very hard because you've got to think about slowing your brain down,
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being calm in the moment and taking everything step by step, taking notes in the margins of every page.
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I mean, think about it.
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How often do we read a page and get through the page in a minute or two,
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move on to the next one and think we've done a really good job
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because we've read a book which happens to be 830 pages and we've read it in a month.
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And we may think, oh, gee, that's really good.
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Or I read it in two weeks.
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That's really good.
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But how much did you retain?
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Is it worth reading 20 books and retaining two bits of information from all those books?
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Or is it worth retaining 30 to 40 bits of information from one book and then moving on?
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That's what Napoleon says is the better way to do it because he believed once you mastered the fundamentals, you were then able to get creative.
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You were then able to master advanced levels or even create advanced levels.
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When Napoleon wanted to create a civil code, he couldn't just do that out of thin air.
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He had to master the fundamentals, but he also had to think outside of the box
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and you're only able to think outside of the box in a safe, masterful way and execute on it if you have the fundamentals down pat.
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It's like a great writer.
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They know when to break the rules of storytelling
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because they know the rules and the best writers know the rules to a higher level than anyone else.
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But that wraps up the Napoleon mental model for learning.
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But with that said, hope you guys enjoyed this episode.
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Hope you guys are enjoying this series.
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Once again, thank you all so much for the growth here.
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Going up 300, 400 subscribers a day at this point.
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It's mind -blowing.
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Thank you all so much.
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And until next time, take care.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How To Actually Get Good At Hard Things”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: learning, Napoleon, learn, step, master. This video has 194 sentences and 2790 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:16. The speaker talks fast, about 183 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| fundamental adjective | /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ | Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation. |
| retain verb | /ɹəˈteɪn/ | Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop. |
| sheet noun | /ʃit/ | A thin bed cloth used as a covering for a mattress or as a layer over the sleeper. |
| piano noun | /piˈænɪː/ | A percussive keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers… |
| tension noun | /ˈtɛnʃən/ | The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other. |
| ruthless adjective | /ˈɹuːθləs/ | Without pity or compassion; cruel, pitiless. |
| finger noun | /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/ | A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other… |
| element noun | /ˈɛləmənt/ | One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based. |
| principle noun | /ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/ | A fundamental assumption, fundamental law or guiding belief. |
| dedicate verb | /ˈdɛdɪˌkeɪt/ | To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| pace noun | /peɪs/ | A step taken with the foot. |
| margin noun | /ˈmɑɹ.d͡ʒɪn/ | The edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc. |
| wrap verb | /ɹæp/ | To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cut out verb | To refrain from (doing something, using something etc.), to stop or cease (doing something). | |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| wrap up verb | To cover or enclose (something) by folding and securing a covering entirely around it. | |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. | |
| get down on verb | To come to be down (hostile to) regarding something. | |
| get through verb | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | To overcome; to endure. |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've made · have mastered · you've read |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Great, which is · process, which is · three, which is |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was beaten · being given · will be stuck |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 72 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: ruthless /ˈɹuːθləs/, thin /ˈθɪn/, nonetheless /ˌnʌnðəˈlɛs/, ruthlessly /ˈɹuːθ.ləs.li/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: sheet /ʃit/, tension /ˈtɛnʃən/, progression /pɹəˈɡɹɛʃən/, expedition /ɛkspəˈdɪʃən/, impatient /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/
- Long words — get the stress right: fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, biography /baɪˈɑɡɹəfi/, inherently /ɪnˈhɛɹəntli/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like skill, fundamental, retain.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.