8.13.25 - Why I’m Learning in Public

Last summer was my 20-year college reunion. I hadn't been to a reunion since the first one at 5 years, so it was great to reconnect with old friends. One particular conversation I had with my old roommates stuck with me for months afterwards. We were catching up and talking about dreams and plans for the future. I shared a business concept, and my friend said something like, "Why aren't you doing that? You can start by writing about it and build from there". About six months later, I had a largely similar conversation with someone else and realized I was the problem.

I haven't done extensive research or writing on any topics since school, and being back on campus made me really miss that. I missed the hunger I had for new information, the joy I felt when I discovered a connection and shared it in class, or when I took theories, ideas, or insights from one place and applied them in another.

Everyone has concepts that interest them or connections they may want to explore, but few actually follow through and bring their thoughts to life. As a curious person, I have a lot of questions and areas of focus that I'd love to dive into more deeply.  This is evident in all the post-it notes on the walls of my office, late-night writings in my journals, and connections I make when not even paying attention (driving and showering being prime locations). But work or life or laziness always seems to get in the way. And what feels so compelling in the moment - the shiny idea I’ve uncovered that's nagging me to explore it further, eventually becomes a passing thought after some time.

Building this platform, which may eventually be a series of learning journals exploring several topics of deep interest to me, is my way to overcome the inertia related to completion. And positioning them as learning journals - around the concept of sharing publicly what I'm discovering and understanding - seems to be the only practical way I can get started. Making my perspective public creates a stronger commitment to stick with something long enough to get beyond surface level to something more substantial.

It drives clarity and provides guardrails. To describe the topic or concept, I have to define it. Additionally, it gives me direction and encourages structure. If I'm researching and writing to share with others, I’m forced to put my thoughts together better than when they're just running wild in my head. I notice gaps and assumptions, and can better reference past points and draw insights that I wouldn't have before. The connections I made when obsessively googling something three months ago at 2:15 am aren't easily referenced later. Finally, I hope that publicizing this work draws in others who are interested in the same area. Nobody reads my journals (thankfully!) or my scattered post-it notes. But this way, I'll be able to hopefully network with those exploring and sharing knowledge in the same space.

Have I done research or applied knowledge in the past 20+ years of my career? Of course! But that's always influenced by the whims of leadership or what can drive immediate profits. This project is my way of understanding and experimenting without the handicap of what is immediately commercially viable.

To be straightforward, I don't know where this is going. But I'm going anyway, and here is where I will share what I find out.