Becoming a Superhuman with Emerson Spartz

Emerson Spartz reads the equivalent of two books a day. He tracks his attention with a clicker, logging 15,000 to 20,000 clicks daily to catch every moment his mind wanders. He listens to some podcasts at 3x speed. He has a stated goal of becoming "the world's fastest learner" as a stepping stone toward becoming "the world's wisest man" and eventually an "impact billionaire." This is not a productivity routine. It is a systematic attempt to treat learning itself as the skill to optimize, rather than any particular domain of knowledge.

Spartz's framework has three levels. Level one is speed—increasing how fast you consume information. He recommends progressive overload, the same principle used in weightlifting: increment your listening speed by 0.25x until 3x feels normal, and your brain will upregulate to handle it. Level two is comprehension. Spartz discovered that the average person processes only about 10% of the sentences in a podcast or book. To fix this, he carries a small clicker and clicks it every time he notices his attention wavering—15,000 to 20,000 times per day. This forces him to process every sentence rather than guessing at the gaps. Level three is retention, which he handles through voice notes, flashcards, and spaced repetition systems.