Mid-Career Learning: Strategies for Busy people
exploring how to learn when you have almost no time to
I love learning. It keeps me moving forward even when overwhelmed by the subject matter or life’s demands. As I progress in my tech career, I find it helpful to delve into complex subjects. Data and business strategies are now at the top of my mind.
Recently, I’ve been teaching myself how to create and use Wardley maps (a way of strategic thinking). A director of engineering at my last company introduced me to this method. It was exciting. It helped me find gaps and missed chances. It helped me see when designing data systems and planning future data projects.
Before we dive deep, let's review how I learn when time is limited.
Balancing Learning with Life
I have a young family with two kids under three. I also have house renovations, a startup/consulting life, and many other obligations. I've had to use my time as best as possible. Continual learning while mid-career with a family has been the most challenging yet rewarding learning curve. So, most of what I write will be through this lens. This is due to the demanding constraints of time available.
Learning Strategies
I love to learn in several ways, depending on the outcomes I need or desire. Sometimes, you need to know something specific for your career (e.g., Wardley maps) or your family (e.g., cooking for infants and toddlers). I like learning experiences that help both personal and professional sides. It's a dual win.
I understand and retain knowledge best when it is applied practically. Most of my mentors and classes emphasize practical use. For example, if you read a book on managing money but never practice it, why did you read it?
A Learning Approach
Here’s my template for breaking down learning, especially if I’m trying to retain it:
1. Define Your Goal 🎯
- Why are you choosing to use your time to learn this? Ensure it’s worth your time, and consider the "why" before you dive in.
2. Create a Timeline or Target 📆
- This will likely move around, but you should try to force yourself to finish within a set timeframe.
3. Define Done ✅
- Is it a presentation, public speaking, or learning a new instrument? For example, I started competing within months of training when learning Olympic lifting and powerlifting and got a job programming months after learning some PHP (WordPress days).
4. Gather Resources
- Collect several resources depending on how deep you want to go. I usually open a Notion page or a .txt file for notes.
5. Leverage Technology and Community
Use tools like Perplexity AI to source information and YouTube for tutorials the most these days. I also love finding and talking to friends and experts in the field, leveraging platforms like LinkedIn. Intelligent people love sharing knowledge, often costing nothing more than a coffee ☕️.
Example: Learning Wardley Maps
A Wardley Map, developed by Simon Wardle, visually represents a company's environment. It illustrates how various activities evolve in response to supply-and-demand competition. The map highlights the value chain stages, which consist of the tasks needed to meet a user's needs. Each map can reflect different user perspectives, providing a comprehensive view of how activities interact and progress within the business context.
Goal: Understand how to use Wardley maps to create a mental model representing the basics of a strategic situation to make sense of it and act with purpose.
Timeline: One month to produce several Wardley maps, given my limited weekly time.
Done: Complete at least one Wardley map and have the ability to explain what a Wardley map is and its use in an article.
Applying What You've Learned
Once you have your goals, timeline, and resources, start by reading and taking detailed notes. Your first attempts at creating Wardley maps may be disorganized, but that’s okay. Experience shows that learning often comes best from struggles and failures rather than immediate success.
Share your work and get feedback as you learn. This iterative process of creating, sharing, and refining is key to mastering new concepts and skills.
I can’t say I’m 100% convinced that Wardley maps will solve everything or even many things, but they are a tool for thinking and forming new mental models of the world.
Resources:
- Introduction to Wardley Mapping
- IT Revolution Article on Wardley Mapping
- Wardley Maps Community GitHub
- YouTube tutorials → The Easiest Way to Do Wardley Mapping in 10 minutes