Learning Nerd’s Diary #32
Welcome back Learning Nerds!
👀 Sneak Peak
Here is what I have in store for you this week -
💭 Learning About Learning: The Learning Trip
🥜 Learning Nugget: Learning Gym
💥 Coolest Thing I Learnt This Week: Cheerleaders & Reality Checks
🔦 Spotlight: A workshop on Learning Museums
Let's jump right in!
💭 The Learning Trip
Similar to vacations, every learning trip has 2 parts to it:
Destination ⛰
Journey 🚗
Often we confuse the two. Let’s understand them better so that every learning trip you take is memorable.
⛰ The Destination
The destination is the learning goal that you are working towards.
Picking your destination is not easy. Here are some things you can keep in mind to select your destination:
Start with the why
For each of your learning goals, articulate the difference it will make in your life - personal or professional.Relay > Marathon
Instead of picking a huge goal, break down your learning destination into smaller pitstops. This will help you stay focussed and motivated.Define success
Often we start learning something without knowing what does success really look like. Have a starting point for this & let the definition may evolve as you learn more!
If the learning destination focusses on the what and the why - the learning journey focusses on the how.
🚗 The Journey
The learning journey is the path you take to get there.
Figuring our the right path for you to learn takes time and effort. Here are some things you can keep in mind to select the right path for yourself:
Constraints first
Ask yourself what do you want to optimise for. Is it learning something as fast as possible? Or going as deep as you’d like? Design your learning path keeping that in mind.Find your partners in crime
One of the fastest way to learn something is by surrounding yourself with people in the space. These could be experts, facilitators, mentors or even peers. Figure out who can help you in your journey.You do you
There is no one right way to learn. Pick formats and methods that have worked for you in the past.
So the next time you’re learning something new, don’t forget to think through your destination ⛰ and journey 🚗!
The best trips are where both are memorable ✨
🥜 Learning Gym
On joining a gym we accept that the first few days we’re going to be sore.
Learning is like a gym for your mind.
💥 Coolest Thing I Learnt this Week
Cheerleaders & Reality Checks
We need 2 kinds of people in our lives - Cheerleaders & Reality Checks.
Cheerleaders are people who are always cheering you on - they are enamoured by you and always in awe of what you've done. Reality checks are people who keep you grounded - they push you to do better, be better everyday.
Without the Cheerleaders it's hard to stay motivated and without the Reality Checks we won't push ourselves and grow. Find who these are for you and keep 'em close!
Informational Mess
Imagine having a dirty cupboard. You can probably find things in it, but it’s probably inefficient and time consuming. Lack of documentation for information is exactly like that.
I came across this quote by Bill Gates in an HBR article this week that summarises this pretty well:
“The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd, is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose.”
Block time to organise your information - personally & professionally.
🔦 Spotlight
I’m doing an online workshop for the L&D Shakers next week on my latest obsession - Learning Museums 🎪
Traditional ways of measuring learning focus on the end result or what you know. But learning is so much more than that! Learning Museums are another way to measure learning by making it -
👁️ Visible 👋 Tangible ♥️ Shareable
Love & Learning
Until we meet next week! A reminder to find some time to -
You can get this directly in your inbox!