How you can be a conscious learner even if you aren't a university student - 3 ways to get started
Unless you're pursuing a professional course continuing to learn after university seems like a 'waste of time'.
With money flowing in, a family to look after and finally be able to 'chill' after years of education one can ask the question Why?!
Well here are a few reasons:
There are a lot of things school never taught us
Innovation and Knowledge don't pause once you graduate
Your curiosity needs to be satisfied
Build Specific Knowledge
As Naval Ravikant talks about quite often, building specific knowledge builds leverage but it's important to realise that, while we're out of university, the knowledge we choose to acquire can be as complex if not more complex. Learning a language, programming, advancing your mathematics / science knowledge all require conscious time, dedication and consistent effort.
This means you can't just treat it like a casual novel that you can read two pages of and not bother about. You need to sharpen your learning skills or acquire them. Which skills? Here's are some worth acquiring.
1. Deep Work
Essentially a mode of focus where you focus on one single task for a fixed duration. No distractions whatsoever; that includes saying hello to someone walking by. It sounds extreme but helps avoid the harm of context switching. This is a task that takes time to get better at.
2. Deliberate Practice
Think of this as 'Deep Work + Practice'. This includes accepting that you will make mistakes. By moving out of your comfort zone and practicing every time with the highest focus you can muster,
(1) you get better at focusing
(2) you apply your concepts better as a result of quality repetition (like at the gym).
3. Learn in Public
This doesn't mean you become a show-off telling people everyday that you know things. You actually share things by teaching those new to the concepts, participate in forums (Like Twitter Spaces) and discussions of the same topics so you get clarity. By sharing what you've learned you're validating whether you've understood things or not.
“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.” ― Richard Feynmann