Push and Pull Learning
Making learning effortless
I have recently encountered two different ways of learning.
Right now I’m trying to get into a new computer science subject. At first, my learning was shaped by a general feeling of having to do it, like running uphill. I had to push myself to learn.
Then something sparked my curiosity. The subject became interesting.
Immediately, learning became effortless – it felt like I “had to do it” not because something forced me to, but because I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Push learning became pull learning – wanting to learn as much as possible and pulling knowledge towards me.
From the outside, it’s quite obvious that intrinsic motivation is much more encouraging than extrinsic motivation.
But the question I’m now asking myself is, how can I replicate this pull learning experience with any other subject? How can we consistently move from “push learning” to “pull learning?”
I'm unsure about the answer, but it's probably rooted in curiosity and joy.
💡 Reflecting on Learning
(Like always, you can download the Notion template of this issue of Grow Your Mind to take structured notes.)
When was the last time you were truly curious about something?
How did this curiosity affect your learning process, and what did you discover about your preferred learning style?
What factors contribute to your learning success?
Think about a time when you felt a sense of accomplishment or mastery in your learning journey. How can you replicate these factors in the future?
What is the role of reflection itself in the learning process?
How does taking time to reflect on your learning experiences affect your motivation, goal setting, and overall growth?
🙏 Thanks!
Thank you for reading and being part of Mental Garden. As always, I sincerely hope you found this email useful.
I’d be extremely curious to hear what patterns you uncovered about your learning this time. Learning is a topic I’m quite obsessed with, so let me know by replying to this email if you like.
Have a great rest of December and see you at the end of the year!
With gratitude,
Marc
PS: As 2023 is slowly fading away, and 2024 is already curiously peeking around the corner, it’s time again for the Yearly Reflection. I’ve improved it quite a bit in the last few weeks, incorporating all the feedback I’ve received. Download it now – it’s available as a Notion or Google Docs template, and you can also print it out and fill it out with your friends 🤗