Who Assigns Themselves Homework?
This is an important question that we are going to explore this week.
Freelance learners, entrepreneurs, self-starters, independent researchers, and my favorite, those determined to create a plan of attack for their self-education. These are the people who assign themselves homework.
The hypothesis of this piece is simple: in order to have a successful self-education you need to assign yourself homework by creating Due Dates for your projects, in pursuit of your Moonshot goals.
The Importance of Due Dates and Moonshots
To introduce the concepts of Due Dates and Moonshots, let's reference back to a previous statement I had made in The only way out is to publish.
“To introduce this newsletter, I will start by publicly committing to publishing an article once a week. These weekly articles will be released on Thursday mornings @10:00AM EST. Stating this publicly will help me hold myself accountable, feel free to shame me publicly @bartadamley (I am serious) if I don’t stick to this.”
In essence, what I was doing with the above statement is assigning myself homework. In other words, you could say I was establishing a constraint.
Here is a quote from Tiago Forte's “The Throughput of Learning” where he does a brilliant job articulating what constraints, or as we will interpret in this post as Due Dates and Moonshots, can do for our learning.
“The interesting thing about constraints is that they are never on you. They are constraints on your context, shaping the space of possibilities you allow yourself to consider.”
- Tiago Forte
Constraints alter our context, plain and simple.
If my assigned homework is to make a monthly mix, which I have before, it requires me to take certain monthly actions, weekly actions, daily habits in building out a successful method of how to accomplish the many tasks involved overtime.
With the present goal of creating one newsletter a week.. this rightfully puts a constraint on me. So if it comes to be a Tuesday afternoon and I have nothing written yet for a post that is due Thursday morning... I have to adjust my plans, and this is a very helpful thing... especially when tackling a self-education. As it creates a self-imposed accountability mechanism.
Next, let’s explore the vital concepts for staying on track with your self-education:
Due Dates & Moonshots.
Why Due Dates?
To keep you grounded, in a sense of not allowing yourself to slack off. That “Oh snap! I actually have work I need to get done” feeling.
Examples of Due Dates you can set for yourself
Releasing a daily vlog at Noon everyday on YouTube chronicling life's silly adventures.
Creating a monthly mix and releasing it on SoundCloud the third Friday of every month.
Creating a weekly Twitter thread on things you have learned on Tuesday mornings.
The most important part of establishing Due Dates, is the fact that this is something that you take care of on a regular basis. Giving yourself Due Dates, may even be the most vital part to start putting your creative work out into the world.
Setting Due Dates cultivates what was once a nerve-wracking thing you would like to do, into a consistent practice. Building up confidence all along the way.
Setting Due Dates builds habits.
Why Moonshots?
To keep you looking to the sky, and to realize that your goal is a long-term commitment. To recognize that it is going to take a ton of work and that the pursuit is what makes it worthwhile.
Examples of Moonshots
Training and running in a marathon.
Starting a successful business, inspired by your learning.
Writing a book, or two, or three.
I have previously declared in Mona Lisa Framing my Moonshot goal of reading 1,000 books before 2032.
Adjusting Moonshot Goals
I have been fixated on this reading goal for three years now. Despite making immense progress (227 books along), I am starting to recognize the importance of creating something while undertaking this intellectual journey and how this is actually more important.
Creating artifacts by set Due Dates in the pursuit of your Moonshot goal, is more important than your Moonshot goal.
Publishing something. Putting something out into the world. Making yourself vulnerable. This is where the true learning comes from.
My goal emerging from this latest thought process, is that the time spent reading 1,000 books should no longer be set with a concrete due date. And that this is okay.
Why is This Okay?
When it comes to the pursuit of a Moonshot goal, it is important to recognize that the real beauty of a Moonshot goal... is the related goals we create in our pursuit of this goal.
That is why, from here on out, my Moonshot Goal is to publish a newsletter every Thursday until I read a total of 1,000 books.
A New Outlook on Moonshots
The thrill of a long-term goal comes from the novel routes that it can lead us down. A Moonshot goal can help mold our thinking, altering our interests to topics we never had considered to be interesting before.
As long as we have Due Dates towards goals that facilitate our pursuit of our Moonshot goals there is no need for a Due Date for our Moonshot.
Let me explain this line further by explaining how writing a newsletter enables me to get closer to my goal of reading 1,000 books.
Your Due Dates Should Feed Into Your Moonshots
Reading is an activity that feeds into the writing process. However, too much of it, can actually harm your ability to create. Finding a delicate balance between reading and writing is critical.
Finding the appropriate balance between the Due Dates you set while creating incremental goals in pursuit of your Moonshot, is not a science, it is an art.
If we work a ton towards our Moonshot goals and aren't sharing our progress about what we are learning, is there really a point?
No. There is not a point. These hidden findings of yours could help many people attacking the same problem space. Quit being selfish and share your learning!
In the pursuit of a Moonshot goal, sharing incremental progress of our process is not only necessary, it is imperative. You can treat the pursuit of your Moonshot as essentially building up your portfolio.
Building up your portfolio with what? The artifacts that you have set Due Dates for yourself to create.
And let’s be honest, setting long-term goals and sticking to it is a really admirable trait to potential employers, lovers, friends and family.
Moonshot goals like reading 1,000 books, should be more-so about finding joy in the process.
This weekly newsletter is my best attempt towards inching closer to my goal of reading 1,000 books.
Enough about me. Now it’s time to turn to you.
Questions To Explore On Your Own
What is your Moonshot goal?
What steps can you take today to work towards your Moonshot goal?
What are some Due Dates you can set for yourself in the pursuit of your Moonshot goal?
Set some Due Dates!
Let's hold one another accountable.
Cheers to Lifelong Learning,
Adam Bartley
Parting Note
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