The Infinite Library Problem
Studying for school can be hard, but the process is pretty straightforward:
- Read all the material and attend all the lectures.
- Practice in ways that mirror what will be on the final exam.
- Use feedback to figure out what you need to fix.
Outside of school, though, this strategy breaks down. It’s impossible even to be aware of all the books that might be useful for any given subject, never mind actually reading them all.
In an infinite library, choosing what material to learn dwarfs even the largest difference in studying efficiency.
How to Choose What to Learn Next
Learning in an infinite library is a classic explore-exploit problem. You can choose to browse the library, read a few books, or study one intensively. Time spent on any option means less remains for the others.
Unfortunately, explore-exploit problems are intractable. There’s no method that will guarantee you’re spending your limited learning time wisely.
While there’s no surefire method to optimize the decision about what to learn next, I’ve found a few helpful heuristics.
