Introduction
What does it mean to have a method in your learning journey?
I’m still exploring this, so this is only a collection of thoughts that can turn out to be completely wrong in the future.
Efficiency and Effectiveness
Let’s start by clarifying the difference between efficiency and effectiveness in the context of learning methods.
- Effectiveness, in practical terms, is about the results you achieve. It’s a straightforward measure of the output you produce. If two people produce the same result, they are equally effective, regardless of the time or technique they use.
- Efficiency is about how you produce a result. How much time do you need to complete a specific task?
Let’s explore a silly example. If two students both pass an exam, they are equally effective. However, if one studied for 10 hours and the other for 5 hours, the latter is more efficient.
Disclaimer: I know there are many people who really need to work to sustain their education. What I am going to write does reflect my personal experience, and I definitely don’t pretend to generalize it.
Second disclaimer: I am not a fan of the increasing-efficiency-to-fill-all-24-hours-of-your-day-side. There are times you don’t work, and this is fine. But even if you want to study only thirty minutes per day, I’d invest some time in trying to get the maximum from it (I will probably write something about this).
If I think about my pre-full-time job training, I was very effective. I obtained my degree and also worked on additional projects. These are measurable results of my effectiveness.
I could have done more or less (this is not the point). The matter is that I wasn’t really looking at my efficiency.
My goal was not to optimize the number of exams I could take in a month or the number of exercises I did each day. As I already said, I had plenty of time back then, and optimization was not at the top of my agenda.
Now, with way less time than I used to have, I am motivated to invest in discovering a suitable method of studying, one that is tailored to my unique needs and preferences.
My intention is to be more focused on efficiency, but that doesn’t mean I will eliminate efficacy completely. As with everything in life, there is a sweet spot between the two.
Keeping Track
Another crucial aspect of finding a successful method is the necessity of keeping track of your progress and adjusting your approach as needed.
What if you’re studying something and later realize it’s a waste of time? What if you discover that you need prerequisites you weren’t aware of? Or what if you simply find out that you’re not enjoying this new subject?
Well, how can you possibly know what’s going on if you don’t spend some time reflecting on what you are doing? You will probably realize anyway that something is not for you. When you do, it isn’t easy, but be honest with yourself about the time you could have saved if you had removed your blinker earlier.