Teach Yourself Anything with the Sandbox Method

“It is better to know how to learn than to know.”

Despite having easy access to information, few people take full advantage of the opportunity we have for self-directed learning.

We still believe that in order to learn something, we need to be formally educated on it, when in fact we're able to educate ourselves.

Self-education is the core skill for the 21st century.

Our ability to respond to changes in the landscape of work and technology will be dictated by how skilled self-educators we are, how well we can take full advantage of the information available to us to grow our skillset.

For 12 years, you’re been trained to apply information that’s pre-packaged for you.

But if you want to do anything independent (entrepreneurship, creative work, etc.) then you have to be able to figure things out without being handed the knowledge beforehand.

This is an ongoing process of self-development and learning, that recognizes that we don’t need to memorize facts, formulas, instead, we need to develop an intuitive understanding of our skills, expose ourselves to different information about the skill, and constantly push ourselves to improve.

1. Build an area where you can freely play around with the skill you’re trying to learn - Your Sandbox. It should be: low-cost or free, low stakes and public.
2. Research: Resources exist, you just have to figure out what’s worth reading, watching, or listening to (books, blogs, MOOCs etc).
3. Implement and practice purposefully.
4. Get feedback.

• Honestly assessing your limits to figure out where you need to improve.
• Setting a goal just beyond your current ability to motivate yourself to stretch beyond your comfort zone.
• Practicing with intense focus.
• Getting feedback, in whatever way you can, and incorporate that feedback into your practice.