New Series: Study Habits for Life
There is no wealth like knowledge, and no poverty like ignorance. (Buddha)
Now that I'm back to blogging, I have been thinking up ideas for posts and new series. I will keep sharing my monthly goals, and I'm planning to check-in quarterly on the progress of my thirty before thirty list. I might also breathe new life into my creative weekend to-do lists, and of course I'll post playlists from time to time.
One idea that has surfaced through my brainstorming is the concept of studying... even though my school days are well behind me. In my latest post, I mentioned that Todd Henry's interview with Ryan Holiday resonated with me. During that conversation, the two discussed Ryan's approach to reading and his study habits. Digging through his archives got me thinking about how I could cultivate study habits for life.
I was a good student growing up, but my "all or nothing" mentality could make school challenging. I did great when I was confident in a subject, but skated by when I was less sure of my abilities. I remember falling asleep in Precalculus because it never made sense, but I would stay up all night doing extra work on English projects I liked. College was better since I had some choice in the classes I took, but there were still entire semesters where I did the bare minimum and others when I poured my heart into everything.
I have not given "studying" much thought since graduating from college. I pursued a career in sales, and eventually fell into HR and recruiting. I did not study much, but I practiced a lot. My approach to improving my sales pitch and recruiting were all about repetition. The more practice I had, the better I got. Now, I am building a new business and working to find happiness in my every day. There are many opportunities for practice, but I want to start studying again. Without it, I am missing opportunities to think and learn. I am not effectively building on what I understand or expanding what I know.
So, every so often I plan to write about this exploration of my study habits. I will share how I'm applying my grown-up study habits to everything from yoga and cooking, to travel, wedding planning, and blogging. I hope this exercise will help me let go of that "all or nothing" attitude, and give me the chance to focus on the process of learning.
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