Why You Should Learn in Public (Big L Notation)

This person learns, but also forgets what they learn easily.

As a result:

• Has to re-learn things often
• Commits the same mistakes repeatedly 

Why does this happen?

• Lack of curiosity
• No self-directed learning goals: Learning as a result of random events or because someone told them so

This person:

• Learns something new every year
• Remembers what they learn
• Does not repeat their mistakes are not repeated

How does this happen?

• Constantly pushing boundaries (i.e. outside comfort zone)
• Building systems (principles, habits, a second brain, etc.) to remember stuff

This person is an Infinite Learner who also:

• Automates their work to save future work
• Builds mental models that anticipate and meet future needs

Example: I want to cultivate gratitude.

1. I find journalling prompts that inspire gratitude in me
2. I made gratitude journalling a habit
3. Automation: I create a "Daily Note" template in my note-taking app, containing the 3 prompts that worked best for me

This person:

• Learns with a group of peers—people either just behind them, slightly ahead of them, or where they currently are
• Learns by answering questions they’ve never thought to ask
• Taps into their network when they get stuck
• Shares their notes as they go

Concurrent P matters more than Lifetime P.

If you do it right, your peers can keep you accountable.

This person is a Networked Learner who also:

• Actively grows a community around their learning

Example: Wikipedia beat the traditional Encyclopedias at a fraction of their budget because it was able to grow at L((PN)^2) vs L(N) or L(PN).

Your community should not be self-serving. People can always tell!

Instead, it should serve a bigger goal/mission—benefitting others first before it benefits you.

The TLDR:

1. Learn.
2. Make your learning visible to others

"Make your learning visible" by producing Learning Exhaust:

1. Picking a medium (written text, audio, video) that's most accessible to you
2. Producing valuable content in that medium
3. Promoting that content
4. Making friends along the way :D
5. START

Further reading:

• swyx's article on Learning in Public
• swyx's article is also summarized by Nicole van der Hoeven publicly here
• Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon