My current conundrum: around working full time, chillaxing
and doing normal housey errands (like searching for the ultimate oil diffuser),
I also wanna learn things full time.
If it’s alright with the world, I’d like to opt out of
modern life. I think what would be perfect right now would be to be a daughter
of someone wealthy in the 1800’s and I can just loll around the country house
getting through the mahusive library.
Just imagine all that free time to peruse whatever takes your fancy.
Though I’d have to mighty careful not to marry someone who thinks that women
shouldn’t read because it makes blood go to the head and away from their
uterus – that old chestnut!
I want to learn how to code, I want to learn how to draw and
paint, I want try learning a language and I’d love to try piano again. I want
to write a book.
I’m trying to write up non-fiction books after I read them so
I can always go back to what I’ve learnt.
I’m 3% through an online course I bought in Nutrition. I’m 0% through an
online photography course I bought.
I love reading other people’s blogs and I
want to read every single link I come across on Twitter. I also want to read
every article and thought piece I come across, and don’t even mention TED with
their infinite amount of stupid incredibly interesting 20 minute videos.
I want
to go the gym more, maybe start a bit of lifting and I would love to finally
take up a martial art class.
I DID want to learn how to sew and mock up my own
clothes, and I did want to spend more gaming, but a gals gotta prioritise and
these things don’t quite make the cut!
This sounds like way too much, but it’s just because I want
to do it all NOW. I think it’s all attainable. When you tell a 4 year old that
they’re going to school to learn how to write, learn how to read, learn how to
add, learn how to treat others, learn more about the world and instead of
shouting I’M GOING BACK IN THE WOMB, they willingly accept it and toddle off
happy as you like. They have no expectations and take it as it comes. I think
it has to be a case of thinking that spending a couple of hours a day learning
something as an adult is the norm, and then the norm it will become.
But even putting time aside and finding discipline isn’t simple.
Like wanting to write a book. Now, every
time I pick up a book for fun, it’s no longer just for fun. They’re usually so
good that I stick hundreds of sticky notes in them and I have to keep a
notebook there whenever I read in case an idea is just too good to let slip.
I’m yet to get around to writing up those notes! And then there’s all the research on actually
writing the book: characters, plots, themes, pacing etc. I read a book I loved
and tried to note down what I liked and how the chronology works and how it all
ties in with the plot…and I basically just rewrote the book by accident. It took ages, and I don’t think I’ve taken anything away from it!
When I was doing my dissertation and had to get through
mountains of reading, I realised that the more I found out, the more I learnt
just how much I didn’t know. You think you’ve got a handle on something, then
you get a litttttle bit deeper and realise there’s loads more under the surface
and you’ve barely scratched it. And when you’re trying to teach yourself,
you’re also facing the challenge of not being sure on what you don’t know. How
do I know what I don’t know? With school there’s a curriculum and a syllabus
and recommended reading. And even at university, with all the pointers, you can
still be an incredibly inefficient student. The student that spends hours
copying from a text book word for word would learn far less than a student who
spends a half hour writing down the bullet points and practising an exam
question.
So, it’s not the amount of time you spend doing something,
it’s about doing it efficiently. And that’s where I think I’m going waaaaaaay
wrong. I’m spending way too much time doing tiny bits of everything and not
really getting anywhere. I think rather than spreading myself thin trying to
learn everything at once, it’s better to devote myself to one or two things at
a time. But a week at a time, or a month, or a year? Maybe every two weeks I’ll
switch it up! It’s better to rotate them rather than focusing on one sole thing
until I’ve mastered it, because how long is a piece of string with mastering
something?
SO, here’s the plan. I’m going to prioritise and choose the
skill that I want to learn most and would be the most motivated for, coding.
I’m going to add in learning a little bit of piano for variety, and also
reading and making notes on the reading because I always gotta have a book on
the go.
Hardcore researching for writing a book, learning how to
draw and paint, and online courses can all go on pause. I’m going to take the
books that I’ve taken out from the library back, as I’ve had them for a year
and they’re STILL unread, and the librarians are getting a litttttttle bit
judgey. I’m going to exercise lightly for now (she says as if it’s effortless).
I’m still going to put a little bit of time aside weekly for Twittering and
catching up on all the links I’ve saved, because it’s a millennial nightmare
that something useful slips away without being read!
I’ll learn the syllabus as it comes to me and show what
I’ve learnt on here – for future reference and in case anybody else feels like
direction could be useful. Or to add anything if they see I’m missing out on
anything. AND it means I have to keep it up – so you can tell me off if I say I
have no time when really I’m not managing it efficiently or dossing around on
t’internet. Hither goes!
