Throughout my education through high school and university, I've been taught using a traditional learning approach. This approach involves following a structured learning path to build strong theoretical foundations. Afterwards, knowledge is applied and learning moves onto more complex ideas.
However, when attempting to self-learn, I’ve been disappointed by my results. During my first years of work after graduating university, I would wake up early to study Japanese. I had convinced myself the right way of learning Japanese was a solid grasp of Japanese grammar. I was more than happy to keep learning grammar, while neglecting listening, reading and speaking. Unbeknownst to me, I had built a very unstable structure, and used my time and energy very inefficiently. The primary issues, I had faced was not knowing which foundations to build and when to start applying my knowledge.
Essentially, outside of structured learning, I had no expertise in deciding a learning path and simply followed my curiosity and interests. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s very easy to learn some that is either totally irrelevant, such as linear algebra for machine learning, or get side tracked, like beginning an electronics hobby to understand how computers add numbers together. This is my current issue with my unfocused learning style, which is compounded with my general enjoyment of learning and feeling of progress. There is always more to learn, and I never really know when to stop learning and start applying.
I was rereading my favourite book Atomic Habits which talked about the idea of quantity over quantity, where producing more leads to better results. Essentially applying leads to outcomes, while learning does not and provides a false sense of progress. The book tells the story of a ceramics class divided into two groups – one graded on quantity and the other on quality. Surprisingly, the quantity group ended up producing the highest quality work. By continuously iterating, they naturally improved, while the quality-focused group got stuck in theory. I began researching the idea further and came across Jennifer Dewalt’s project where she learnt web development by building 180 websites in 180 days. I became inspired by the idea, and wanted to test the theory myself. This is why w180.dev was born - creating 180 websites in 180 weeks.
This learning is called project-based learning, which involves jumping into applying and then learn the theory required when it comes up. One of the key benefits is that you start by applying, so you never have to stop learning to begin applying compared to previously discussed approaches. Another is that you will efficiently build theory through constant iteration and consideration of what needs to be learnt. The main downside is that applying is hard and uncomfortable, you’re constantly working at the zone of proximal development – the space just beyond your current skill level.