Accomplish your learning goals faster.

A Quick Recap

In the past week, we’ve been learning about the Growth Cycle, otherwise known as LAF. You can read a full overview of LAF HERE.

Learn, Act, Feedback. Each step is important, and each step has its own characteristics. By moving from one step to the next, and then back to the beginning, we grow.

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Learning A Different Perspective

The Learn step has always been a favorite of mine. I’m a very curious person, and I love the feeling of exploration. And if you’re like me, this love of learning has a major unintended side-effect. I spend too much time in this step.

I’m already imagining the phantom cries of, “what about being a life-long learner?!” Before it starts to sound like I’m ragging on the Learn step, I’m going to clarify some key points about where Learn fits in the Growth Cycle and why we aren’t meant to stay there.

Learn characteristics

1. Has a goal – The Growth Cycle is about achieving an outcome.
2. Active – Learning is the focus. It’s time blocked and treated as work.
3. Timebound – There’s a deadline. You are gathering enough information to Act.

Can you see the difference between the mindset of life-long learning and Learn in the Growth Cycle?

Both mindsets are important, and both should be fun. Where life-long learning is more free-form, the Growth Cycle has a specific outcome.

Outcomes demand work, specificity, and focus.

Learn: A Miniature Growth Cycle on Its Own

The cool thing about the Growth Cycle is that it can be scaled up and down. Because of this, we can apply it to Learn.

Here’s how:

• Learn – The cycle always starts here, and there are things to consider to make this effective.
  • How do you learn best? A lot of people know about different learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic. After learning this, many people assume they’re visual learners. Reading is visual right? Visual is engaging as well. All I want you to consider is if this is true for you. Odds are you’re probably a mix.
    • Some questions to ask:
      1. What information mediums engage me most?
      2. Which mediums do I retain best? i.e. Do you remember what you hear, read, or do better?
      3. If you had to teach someone the information, which medium feels most natural to you?
  • Schedule time – When are you going to learn? Where? What medium? How will you cut out distractions?
  • Environment – What time of day are you focused? Will you listen to music? Drink tea? Make learning enjoyable.

• Act – In this step you are checking to see if you are retaining the new information.
  • Document – Find some form of memory storage. It could be online, a journal, or somewhere else. Make sure you are capturing the important information that you are dedicating energy towards.
  • Quiz – Try telling someone else the information or another form of checking if the information is sticking.

• Feedback – Reflect on your discoveries. This step is VITAL!
  • Reflect – It’s during reflection that we gain wisdom. What did you learn? How was it different than you thought? Did you have trouble recalling information? What would help you in the future?

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Learning When (and How) to Move to the Next Step

You now have some tips and tricks to enhance your learning.

Here are some ways to move from Learn to Act (or signs you should be moving).

• Join a learning community

When you surround yourself with other learners, action feels more natural because everyone else is doing it.

• Make a public announcement

Want to take action by a certain time? Tell people you are! This isn’t a new strategy, but it is potent.

• Are you surprised?

If you aren’t surprised anymore, this is a sign you should be moving on. You have enough information to Act. This is why it’s important to have specific goals. There’s only so much information you need before you take action. Specific goals keep your scope smaller and more focused.

Okay, this was a lot of information. I’m discovering that many more posts can be made about Learn, but I hope you’ve found this valuable.

What’s the next step on your Learning journey?

You’ve got this.

Questions for You

Are you struggling to move from Learn to Act?

What can make the transition easier?

Is your Learn goal specific?

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I’d love to hear from you! Comment Below!

Disclaimer: Any links or mentions of companies/brands included in this newsletter are for educational use only. I’m not currently endorsing or affiliated with any products/companies/brands shared in this newsletter. Posts are inspired by my own experiences and research in various topics. I’m a student of the progress process.