I have a rule I call the "Fridge Magnet Principle." I write down the single...
Martin Aya@ayamartin2333
20 days ago
I have a rule I call the "Fridge Magnet Principle." I write down the single most important thing I learned that day on a sticky note and put it on my fridge. Before I start anything new the next day, I have to look at that note and ask myself if I used it yet. If I haven't, I don't open a new book. I don't watch another video. I don't even take notes on a new idea. I just go back to what I already have and try to make it stick.
For example, I was trying to learn basic carpentry last year. I kept watching perfect dovetail joints and finish work on YouTube. It was satisfying but useless. So I stopped. I wrote "fix the loose leg on the dining table" on a sticky note. That was my learning. I spent three evenings with a hand plane, a chisel, and a lot of swear words before I got it right. Did I learn anything new in those three days? No. I just did the same thing over and over until my hands understood what my eyes had already seen. That one sticky note taught me more than ten hours of videos ever did.
The trick is to treat learning like catching a fish, not stocking a pond. If you don't cook and eat what you catch right away, it just rots on the stringer. So my rule is simple: for every new piece of information I want to add, I have to have used the previous piece at least once. Not read it again. Used it. Even if it's ugly and broken, just use it.
9 days ago
