Why I'm 'Learning in Public' for personal development & growth
After years of quietly tinkering away on personal projects, I've decided to start documenting my learning journey publicly through an online platform - my digital garden.
I've always loved exploring eclectic passions like gaming, coding, cooking, and entrepreneurship. But up until now, I've mostly pursued these interests in private. As rewarding as the self-discovery has been, I felt I was missing out on connecting with others who share my curiosity.
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Learning can be a lonely road at times. We all face challenges in developing new skills or tackling unfamiliar concepts. Without community, it's easy to lose motivation when going tough. And when we finally achieve milestones, we have no one to celebrate our wins with!
Done well, it can enhance accountability, bring access to community support, and let you pay your lessons forward. But putting your unfinished work out there requires vulnerability! It's a personal development approach that spoke to me once I understood its methodology.
That's why I decided to start cultivating my digital garden - to build a little home for my ideas where fellow explorers are welcome. Each blog post is a seed I plant, nurturing my perspectives so others can engage. Over time, I hope my garden becomes a vibrant ecosystem for the exchange of insight!
Putting my thoughts out there publicly has worked wonders to keep me accountable. Knowing I have an audience relying on my regular updates creates productive pressure. It forces me to turn fleeting inspiration into concrete projects I can proudly share. I also love interacting with readers who share expertise to deepen my knowledge or offer encouragement.
As my digital garden continues evolving, I expect connections made here will lead to exciting opportunities. Collaborations, mentorships, new learning communities - I'm primed for growth by learning out loud!
Of course, transparency comes with some nerves. Putting your in-progress learning on display feels vulnerable. But I appreciate that exercise in authenticity. I know the ups and downs I share in my digital garden will resonate with others on their development journeys.
Learning in public rests on a few key practices:
Setting clear goals to share with your audience - this grounds your work in intention and gives you milestones to hit. I'm still shaping my roadmap, but so far I plan to showcase quarterly coding projects, monthly book reviews, and weekly gaming insights.
Engaging in two-way interactions - the knowledge exchange is richest when discussion flows both ways! I always respond to reader comments with gratitude and reflect on their feedback in future posts.
Curating content thoughtfully - no one consumes everything you produce. Organizing content into key themes like "Entrepreneurship" or "Game Development," you help visitors instantly find your most valuable perspectives.
Starting small to overcome initial fears - bite-sized insights shared consistently can lead to bigger things down the road! I'm still nervous about putting half-baked ideas out, but focusing on my weekly gaming roundups helps me build confidence.
As my digital garden grows through this methodology, I'm excited to see where public learning takes me! The connections and accountability this practice fosters renew my motivation. And being transparent about my stumbles and wins makes the experience a shared one.
I'm so glad to have you join me in exploring what it means to learn out loud. Let's see what we can propagate together! What are your thoughts on learning in public?