Save Yourself Time And Stress By Asking This Simple Question Before Learning Something New

Understanding why you are learning something is critical to becoming successful with it.

With so much to learn and an endless supply of resources, it can be tempting to think you must know everything.

This is a distraction.

The simplest way I have found to avoid this is to ask myself a simple question:

Just-in-case learning is learning to solve a potential future problem

This state of learning is more wasteful than helpful.

Learning already uses a lot of brainpower. You don't need to waste more of it preparing for future scenarios that may never happen.

Use more of your mental capacity to learn things that help solve your current problems.

Just-in-time learning is learning to solve a current and real problem

This is the sweet spot between learning and applying.

Learning in this state provides a goal. This means there are constraints. With constraints comes clarity and with clarity comes action.

Spend your learning efforts on solving existing problems. Or find something you can apply your learnings to well before you start.