Next Time You Want To Learn Something, Turn It Into a Project
It’s more fun, effective, and measurable
When was the last time you intently studied something beyond a class or work requirement that doesn’t involve an instructor?
Since the pandemic began and turned my focus inward — toward the intangible things that make life meaningful, I became more intentional about learning. I looked for a source of fulfillment other than work, one without pressure, allowing me to keep to my own pace. I kept that inclination ever since, by packaging my education into projects that have either an output goal or a repetition goal, which I’ll explain further below.
With projects, I can observe, measure, and grasp progress. The sense of fulfillment in completing each project is rewarding in itself, and it motivates me to take the next step. Here are three examples.
Teach a course.
My friend, an editor for an online magazine, encouraged me to write about saving and investing, a popular topic among its audience during the pandemic. I ended up writing a 3-part series on personal finance, which got thousands of views.
I broke down the articles into bite-sized content which I posted on social media, then I got the idea of spinning it off into a course.
