The traditional model: learn privately, emerge publicly polished.
The alternative: learn in public. Write about things you’re still figuring out. Share notes, not just finished pieces.
Why This Is Terrifying
- What if I’m wrong?
- What if someone more knowledgeable corrects me?
- What if I look stupid?
Why It Works Anyway
1. Teaching is learning.
The act of explaining forces clarity. You can’t write about something you don’t understand (well, you can, but it shows).
2. Feedback accelerates.
Private learning has no error correction. Public learning invites it.
3. It’s honest.
No one knows everything. Pretending otherwise is exhausting.
The Practice
This very note is an example. I don’t have a polished thesis on learning in public. I have scattered thoughts that I’m trying to organize by writing them down.
And now you’re reading them.
And maybe you have thoughts too.
That’s the whole thing.