Author(s): swyx | Source(s): https://www.swyx.io/learn-in-public
You already know that you will never be done learning. But most people “learn in private”, and lurk. They consume content without creating any themselves. Again, that’s fine, but we’re here to talk about being in the top quintile. What you do here is to have a habit of creating learning exhaust:
- Write blogs and tutorials and cheatsheets.
- Speak at meetups and conferences.
- Ask and answer things on Stackoverflow or Reddit. Avoid the walled gardens like Slack and Discord, they’re not public.
- Make Youtube videos or Twitch streams.
- Start a newsletter.
J: I like the term Learning exhaust
inbox people usually learn in private in sprints in preparation for an intellectual performance communication (speech, writing, meetings) then move on to the next thing. Accumulation doesn’t happen consistently over time. It is rushed, then it is needed, then forgotten.
J: “Open source your knowledge”, another way to say Learn in public
J: make things for past you, disregard reactions
The subheading under this rule would be: Try your best to be right, but don’t worry when you’re wrong. Repeatedly. If you feel uncomfortable, or like an impostor, good. You’re pushing yourself. Don’t assume you know everything, but try your best anyway, and let the internet correct you when you are inevitably wrong. Wear your noobyness on your sleeve.
People think you suck? Good. You agree. Ask them to explain, in detail, why you suck. You want to just feel good or you want to be good? No objections, no hurt feelings. Then go away and prove them wrong. Of course, if they get abusive block them.
Because you learn in public. By teaching you, they teach many. You amplify them. You have one thing they don’t: a beginner’s mind. You see how this works?