how I'm self-educating post college
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that nothing has boosted my confidence the way building my intellectual competence has.
Education and learning was never something I tied exclusively to school, but many do.
I’ve found that the more I learn, the more I want to learn, and as I’ve graduated, my education and intellectual curiosity has become deeply personal to me and frankly, makes me feel smart as f***.
Although I do consider myself to be somewhat of a natural genius, there are some habits I’ve injected into my routine that keep me sharp:
1. If you can’t read 10 pages, read one.
If it’s 11:30 and I just worked a 12 hour day, not that interested in reading, okay.
So I read a page. A win is a win alright.
This reinforces the habit that you are a reader, even if you’re a really slow one. Once you consistently reinforce the habit of just showing up, reading nightly becomes automatic.
I like fiction, I like non fiction although I find it much easier to get non fiction reccomendations with all of the self help/educational reads out there now. That or the exact same fiction recs that every. single. person. on tiktok reccomends.
I’ve been using Book Of The Month to have consistent new fiction books on hand without having to pick through thousands of books myself because frankly I just don’t have the time.
This month I picked my first “Legal Thriller” (how cool is that) called Dissection of a Murder and “The Burning Side” who’s intro was:
“When April and Leo’s house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family.”
How enticing.
I’ve been using this for a few months now and really like it. If you’re interested: join and get your first book and a mini tote for $5 with code FLORAL!
2. Treating curiosity like a religion
This has honestly done more for me than anything.
Actually, I don’t need to be on my phone waiting for my coffee. I can sit here and ask: “what is this chair made out of?”
“how do I think they made that fixture over there?”
“If I had to guess, how much is it to air condition this place?”
“what kind of bird is that?”
“what are those signs made out of?”
Just like, idk using my brain to understand the world around me.
It’s interesting too, how much stronger a communicator this has made me.
The way you do anything, is the way you do everything.
If I’m always intentionally curious, I’m a more curious conversationalist.
Being a great communicator isn’t about how well spoken you are, it’s about asking better questions.
So start asking better questions but like… all the time
3. Pick a yearly topic and learn it
As much as I admire the personal curriculum trend, I know how frustrating it can be to not remember what you’re learning focusing on too many different topics.
You’ll retain what you learn, and truly learn it when you focus on one thing at a time.
This year I focused on neuroscience and completely fell in love with it. Although of course I consumed plenty of other media, neuroscience focused media was what I prioritized.
Pick something that you’re interested in, psychology, politics, communication, physics and make that your focus.
Type in “psychology podcast” “science backed interesting psychology articles” “psychology documentaries”
Happy learning !
I don't know why this never occurred to me. Pick a Yearly Topic. What a great idea. There are several things I would like to know really well. Now to narrow that down to one. Thanks. I'm excited for a new adventure.
One yearly topic, monthly sub-themes inside it. Keeps the depth without killing the novelty.