I Stopped Consuming Content When I Learnt This: A Journey to Personalized Learning

I Stopped Consuming Content When I Learnt This: A Journey to Personalized Learning

Prescriptions work for followers and not for innovators. How would a generic formula solve your equation if the variables are missing? What if you are looking for an answer or path that exists only for you? How do you expect them to solve your problem? The thing that these gurus and coaches miss out on is empathy. Empathy puts you in your audience's shoes and considers their problems like yours. That’s why content and personalized campaigns tell a story to perform better than the sales-pitchy ones — they have real people dealing with real issues.

“First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” This quote from Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" perfectly encapsulates the importance of empathy when it comes to content consumption. When we consume content, we should strive to understand the perspective of the creator and relate it to our own experiences.

However, the content that has helped me the most is technical and about a specific problem. But even then, I had to alter it according to my needs and convenience. Personalization is key when it comes to learning from content. We all have unique circumstances and challenges, and a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn't work. Instead, we should take the information we consume and adapt it to our own needs and preferences.

One method that has helped me in personalizing my learning journey is the concept of Zettelkasten. Derived from the German words "Zettel", meaning "note", and "Kasten", meaning "box", Zettelkasten is a system of note-taking and organization that allows researchers to store and retrieve information related to their research. The notes are numbered hierarchically, allowing for easy insertion of new notes, and contain metadata to facilitate the association of notes with each other.

What sets Zettelkasten apart is its ability to enhance creativity and facilitate the discovery of connections and relationships between individual pieces of information. By cross-referencing notes through tags, researchers can perceive connections that may not be apparent in isolation. This method, pioneered by Conrad Gessner and described in detail by Johann Jacob Moser, allows for a more personalized approach to knowledge acquisition and synthesis.

Incorporating the principles of Zettelkasten into our learning process can revolutionize the way we consume content. Instead of passively absorbing information, we actively engage with it, making connections and adapting it to our own needs. This personalized approach allows us to truly make the content our own and apply it in a way that is meaningful to us.

So, how can we apply these insights to our own learning journey? Here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Embrace empathy: When consuming content, put yourself in the shoes of the creator. Seek to understand their perspective and consider how their insights can be applied to your own life or work. By doing so, you can extract the most value from the content and make it relevant to your own situation.

2. Personalize your learning: Take the information you consume and adapt it to your own needs and preferences. Don't be afraid to modify or alter the content to make it more applicable to your unique circumstances. Remember that you are on your own journey, and what works for others may not work for you.

3. Implement a Zettelkasten approach: Incorporate the principles of Zettelkasten into your note-taking and organization system. Number your notes hierarchically, include metadata, and cross-reference them through tags. This will allow you to make connections and discover relationships between different pieces of information, enhancing your creativity and knowledge acquisition.

In conclusion, the journey to personalized learning requires us to go beyond simply consuming content. We must embrace empathy, personalize our learning experiences, and implement effective note-taking and organization systems like Zettelkasten. By doing so, we can truly make the content our own and apply it in a way that is meaningful to us. So, let us stop consuming content and start actively engaging with it, forging our own path towards knowledge and growth. As Natasha Bedingfield sang, "Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you. Only you can let it in, no one else, no one else can speak the words on your lips."