Learn Like an Athlete
LeBron James didn’t always have thick calves, a raging six-pack, and arms like the Incredible Hulk. When he entered the NBA, LeBron wasn’t a strong shooter. He built his off-season training regimen around his weak jump shot and disappointing 42% field goal percentage during his rookie season
What Does a Learning Plan Look Like?
Knowledge workers should train to build skills, complete projects, and increase their productive power
- Nick Maggiulli is a case study in building a learning plan
- He decided to learn a programming language called R
- Two years later, he was a data science expert
- Then, he started writing a blog post every Tuesday
- Despite his success, his pursuit of knowledge is relentless
- Even among the most ambitious individuals, learning plans are rare. Most people are reactive
- They surrender to their environment
What Should You Do?
Learn in three-month sprints and commit to a new learning project every quarter
- The learning project needs to be challenging enough to demand focus, but easy enough to make consistent progress
- If you get stuck, the “video game” is too hard, work on a smaller step or retreat to a manageable challenge otherwise, you will lose your motivation to continue learning
Learn Like an Athlete
The more you learn, the easier it is to learn. Pick the right projects, and you’ll develop a personal network effect.
- You’ll improve your process every time you complete a learning challenge. By pushing through the cycle of start to finish, you’ll discover quirks about yourself, accelerate your learning process, and ultimately, learn like an athlete.