hoarding information via a self-study syllabus is not the inspiration cure you think it is

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I've seen no fewer than 17 different examples of people creating self-learning syllabi for themselves, whether it's "these are all the movies and books and podcasts I'm gonna consume in September" or "these are the things I'm going to read and think about in Q4."

And I love that impulse! The impulse is correct, it shows a sense of intrinsic curiosity and — dare I say — whimsy which we DESPERATELY need more of in this world. Personally, I’m an absolutely sloot for learning. I would identify as a lifelong learner — it's arguably one of my most deeply held values.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuut I think when you just give yourself a list of things to read or consume without a little digestif moment at the end of it all, you're kind of knowledge hoarding without real transformation. It’s a touch of capitalism-inspired scarcity mindset — just endlessly accruing and consuming stuff without stopping to breathe and check in and decide what to do with everything you’ve acquired.

This will win me no friends, but to me this rabid consumption of information without taking time to metabolize and process what you’ve ingested is almost equivalent to just endlessly doom scrolling on TikTok.

That doesn’t mean I think you should light your self-learning syllabus on fire and commit to a life of smooth brainery. Instead I have a small suggested amendment to your study plan — an artifact.

In this episode we talk about...

The confidence-competence flywheel. Why sharing your half-baked thoughts actually makes you smarter (and how this loop can take over your entire life in the way that holistically improves your experience of being).

Knowledge wants to be used, not hoarded. What happens when information sits unused in your brain like books gathering dust on a shelf, and why that miiiiiiiight be contributing to our collective de-evolution.

The artifact approach that changes everything. How creating something — anything! — that helps you process what you learn transforms you from consumer to creator (and why your weird interests are exactly what the world needs, not to go all cheesy on ya).

The stuck-in-student-mode solution. If you've been collecting ideas but never sharing them, waiting until you're "expert enough" to have opinions, or convinced your thoughts aren't valuable enough yet, this approach helps you transition from consumer to creator while building confidence and credibility simultaneously.

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