Checklists, step-by-step modules: these lead to high proficiency in minimal time. If, that is, everything goes according to plan—or fails in anticipated ways. The rote learning method is excellent for high volume and high immediate output, but when it comes to swerving off the lesson plan or reacting to unforeseen events, it leaves you less able to deal. You reach competency quickly, but mastery will prove elusive. It’s like the tests you cram for in school only to realize a few months later that you can’t remember a single thing—or, when you reach the next class, that you aren’t sure how to
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