A to-learn list is like a curriculum. It presupposes foreknowledge of what we need to know. The faster our world changes, the more often we will face with novel situations. We don’t know what we’ll need to know. Hence, we’d better get good at meta-learning: learning to learn. Beyond that, the democratization of work requires that we be not only our own teachers, but our own instructional designers.
I have dozens of to-learn lists. Most of them are tucked away in journals and will never again see the light of day. File ‘em and forget ‘em. Lists are handy for recording one’s reflections at a point in time, but they constrain dealing with life as it comes.
Serendipity is my greatest teacher. My calling is to help people in organizations perform more effectively and lead more fulfilling lives. What guides me is not so much ticking off items on a to-learn list as becoming more proficient at what I do. Sticking to a list might keep me from delving into vital areas I am not currently aware of.
As a knowledge worker, learning is my work. I applaud any effort to improve the process of learning. Listing learning objective is not my style but perhaps it works for you. If you maintain a list, I suggest you keep it open-ended.
Unlearning is another matter. To make room for new concepts, I watch out for vestiges of outmoded industrial-age thinking. My unlearn-list features organizational secrecy, control of people, hoarding, specialization, “hard numbers,” and similar fare.
Incidentally, I always learn from reading the multiple perspectives of people answering The Big Question. Thanks for being the catalyst on this one, Tony.
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