How I’m Making My Learning Actually Useful

I’ve spent hundreds of hours reading books and taking courses, hoping they would help me grow. But most of the time, I finish and can’t remember a single thing that matters. There are no big ideas, no change, just a hollow, frustrating feeling that I wasted my time. I knew something had to change, so I started experimenting. What I’m trying now feels completely different.

Background

I’m curious. I always want to learn new things, and I dream about all the ways my life will change by reading this book or taking this course.

However, I’m a busy guy, and the piles of content keep growing.

I first noticed a problem back in 2020. I had all these audiobooks and podcasts I was excited to get through. I filled every moment of downtime with audio. Going for long walks, shopping at the grocery store, or in the car.

Brian Tracy notes that listening to audio programs during car rides can provide the equivalent of a university education each year, as it offers practical and condensed wisdom.

My audiobook and podcast queue kept growing, and I listened at 2x speed to crank through as much as possible. However, I noticed that my brain couldn’t always handle it.

There were some days I could listen to audiobooks with no problem. On days I found books hard to concentrate on, I’d downshift to podcasts and music if that was too hard. Only as a matter of last resort would I downshift to silence if my mind was too scattered to absorb anything.

The problem was that even on audiobook days, I wasn’t absorbing anything. At the end of the month, I couldn’t even remember what books I listened to, let alone any important takeaways.

This was a bit of an existential crisis for me.

I’ve always attached myself to the identity of a lifelong learner. My undiagnosed but likely autism lends itself to my ability to rattle off all sorts of weird trivia about subjects I’ve focused on through the years.

I was so busy trying to get through all this content, and then, on the other side, I realized it was all a waste of time, and I was no better off than if I had just sat and watched TV the entire time.

The Problem

Around this time, I discovered Tiego Forte and his Building a Second Brain live cohort course. This had to be the solution. If my first brain was failing me, maybe I just needed a second brain to pick up the slack.

It did help a bit in the short term. I really focused on it and took a lot of handwritten notes, and I can honestly say I’m still applying what I learned in that course today. However, it didn’t solve my problem.

Most of my content consumption was audio because I was so busy with work and my daughter that I never had the time or ability to sit down and focus on reading words on a page (or screen.)

This, of course, also meant I wasn’t taking notes to put in my second brain. The few courses where I was in front of a computer and took notes did make a minor impact on my life, and I still go back to reference notes from some of the Jesse Elder courses I took during that time.

But I’m still not satisfied with my results. What I get in terms of real-world impact from the hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars I spend on education is embarrassing. I actually feel humiliated when I look at how much debt I’ve accumulated “investing in myself,” while having nothing to show for it.

The Idea

When I signed up for Building a Second Brain, I did so through Timothy Kenny’s affiliate link. I figured if I was going to spend $2,500 on this course, I should maximize my value, and he offered bonuses if I signed up through him.

I purchased many of Timothy’s courses (on Udemy) and even hired him as a coach for a while. Much of his material is beyond me, but his ideas stick and eventually work their way into my daily practices.

Most importantly, Timothy doesn’t teach the same stuff as everyone else. Even if it’s the same subject, his approach is always unique.

One idea he put out there was creating a “One Pagerr” plan for each project. He has a whole structure to include in this plan, but I want to focus on one aspect today.

The Method

In a project one pagerr plan, it’s recommended to list a primary goal in the summary, then list goals, questions, and deliverables later in the plan.

I think this is a key part that I’m missing. I’m hoping to learn things by reading books and taking courses, but I never take the time to define a learning project.

My experiment is to define what I expect the outcome to be as precisely as possible before I take a course or read a book.

I’ll define each learning project’s goals, questions, and deliverables. This will help me determine whether the book or course is something I should be doing. If I can’t formulate a goal, maybe I shouldn’t waste time on it. Once I have a goal and questions, I can identify if the material answers them and helps me achieve the goal.

Then, what will I produce as a byproduct of completing this project? Am I just creating notes or a report so I can review them as needed in the future? Should I create spaced repetition cards to help me commit things to memory? Is there a skill I’m hoping to develop so I can do something that I can’t do yet? Maybe I need to create content for my newsletter?

Having a deliverable will help focus my studying. Everything I read or watch will filter through the lens of “Does this answer any of my questions? Will this help me ship my deliverable?”

The last thing I plan on bringing to this practice is an idea shared early in Building a Second Brain. It’s to have a list of 12 favorite problems. This was something Richard Feynman had. By having a list of 12 favorite problems or questions, you’ll always be on the lookout for things to support solving these problems.

I envision creating top-level projects around each question I come up with. That way, when I’m defining a learning project, I can ask, “Does this support one of my favorite problems?”

I haven’t come up with 12 favorite problems yet (only 5), but here’s what I have so far:

1. How do I focus on the work that matters most?

2. How can I uncover and influence the hidden systems shaping my life?

3. How can I build invisible bridges that multiply the value of what’s already there?

4. How do I maximize the applied value of what I learn?

5. How do I design a meaningful life with momentum and alignment?

Next Steps

Even if you don’t plan to create your own one pagerr, I think it will be very helpful to define ahead of time what you want to get out of something before you spend a bunch of time on it.

I haven’t created my first one pagerr yet. Perhaps next week, I’ll share a plan and explain the pieces more closely.

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