D7 - The Curse of Learning
Thoughts on the learning gene, and breaking free...
The learning gene: Gift or curse?
The compulsion to keep learning
The power to learn is a gift, is it not? Yet sometimes I find myself like a rabbit caught in headlights, frozen by the thought that there's always something else to learn before I can properly begin. What if we could transform this power of learning into something that keeps us both grounded and productive simultaneously?
At the PKM summit recently, when asked why I was there, I admitted to being struck with the "lifelong learner gene." Most people nodded, a silent acknowledgement of membership in this curious club. I noticed it was predominantly people around my age, midway through life's journey, who seemed to possess this compulsive need to gather knowledge.
I've always enjoyed learning, regardless of my age, so is there actually a "learning gene"?1
Are some of us genuinely predisposed to this constant hunger for information? Looking around that room of knowledge management enthusiasts, I wondered if we were simply a self-selected group of like-minded individuals rather than carriers of some special cognitive trait.
The hamster wheel of learning
My personal challenge isn't acquiring knowledge, it's escaping what I've come to think of as the hamster wheel of perpetual learning without application. My need is to finally get off this wheel and start applying what I've gathered, to grow through practice rather than merely accumulation.
Recently, I watched Dee's2 two-hour video on setting up a daily roll-up journal system:
This was probably my fourth attempt at such a system, with previous efforts ending in a successful build and then abandonment rather than practice. However, a few things caught my attention:-
Logging as the day goes by, keeping track of the side adventures and roll ups
Discipline, and what would the pay off be - retrieval and the gift to my future self
I'm constantly trying to find things and need a better way!
Review process, built in
The concept of escape velocity, perhaps a concept explored by Nick Milo
This concept of escape velocity definitely caught my attention. I know, I've never reached it with my systems. Just as I establish a process, I learn something new that seems better, so I start again, creating a never-ending circle of building without using.
I've made multiple attempts in Notion, then several more in Obsidian. That in itself gives me knowledge. I can arrange a linked database at 20 paces, and create templates quicker than Clint Eastwood can draw his gun!
I'm thankful for finding Obsidian3, it's the one tool that stopped my search for that elusive "killer tool", which was half the battle and I've had great success in capture and creating notes. But the question remains: is this constant pursuit of better systems and more knowledge a curse or a gift?
Gift or curse?
The gift lies in the drive to keep learning, to push oneself to grow in knowledge and understanding. The curse is being trapped on that wheel, forever learning but never doing.
I think I'm finally breaking free, or I'm coming out the other side of my knowledge gather. That's the point of my "100 days" challenge, a [[tiny experiment]], to face outward and put the teachings into practice. It's a finite experiment with a defined endpoint, after which I can decide whether to continue or try something different. There's something quite liberating about making that decision. Stick to it, don't go searching, see if we can reach escape velocity. Keep track as we go.
Fear of fading away
I'm writing this as part of a 10-minute free writing challenge, today is extreme writing day using the tool [https://extremefreewriting.vercel.app/](https://extremefreewriting.vercel.app/)and every time I pause while writing this, the text starts to fade, reminiscent of that scene in "Back to the Future" when Marty's family begins to disappear from the photograph, and his only hope is to get his parents to kiss at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance.
I wonder if there's a parallel there to my fear that if I stop learning, my knowledge will somehow fade away. Is there an underlying anxiety driving this need to constantly absorb new information? Do other "carriers" of the learning gene feel this too?
Finding balance
Why does the brain crave learning? What motivates some people to dive straight in without instructions while others study manuals like sacred texts? And why do some of us do both depending on the context?
I'll easily start building something from IKEA, though I do follow the instructions page by page. Same with Lego. So perhaps there's a natural balance to be found.
I wonder if creativity plays a role. I used to be quite good at art, but now I'm afraid to pick up a paintbrush without first consulting a how-to book. What would my six-year-old self do? He wouldn't hesitate to draw, big heads, small bodies, no problem at all. When did that fearlessness fade? Is it in the power of needing to be right? The need to have perfect form.
Breaking the cycle
Can we put systems in place that encourage us to stop endless learning and start application? I believe we can, and that's what my current journey is about.
My "100 days" experiment is teaching me that time-boxing our learning and committing to application, even when we don't feel "ready", maybe the key to breaking free from the learning hamster wheel.
Perhaps the true gift isn't the ability to learn endlessly, but the wisdom to know when to stop consuming and start creating.
What about you? Do you recognise this "learning gene" in yourself? And if so, have you found ways to harness its power while avoiding its pitfalls?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
While there isn't a single "learning gene" research indicates that multiple genes and genetic variations play a crucial role in learning and cognitive abilities, influencing everything from language acquisition to intelligence.
Construct by Dee - https://www.constructbydee.com/ and YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@construct_by_dee
Obsidian - Obsidian is a popular, free, and flexible note-taking application that focuses on personal knowledge management, allowing users to create and organize notes using Markdown files, and connect them through a graph view, all while storing data locally and privately. https://obsidian.md/