Learn In Public

Life’s a constant readjustment. From basic communication, math, and job skills to navigating relationships and loss, we’re always learning something.

But there’s a difference between learning and learning.

Today at a Glance:

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Lurkers vs Learners

Most people learn in private, and lurk — making them Lurkers. They consume content without creating any themselves. Nothing wrong with that, unless they aim for the 99th percentile.

Learners, however, actively create at least a small fraction of the content they consume. They don’t just absorb; they share back by:

• Answering threads on Quora and StackOverflow

• Writing blogs or newsletters

• Creating onboarding docs no one else bothered to make

• Produce video-content

• Or basically creating in any form, when other person would put his pen down..

It’s about making the resource you wish existed when you were learning. The primary aspiration isn’t likes or views — it’s helping your younger self solve problems.

Document your process — try to be right, but don't fear being wrong.

Suck at the craft

When you first start creating, it’s rough.

Is what you made any good? Probably not. The imposter syndrome hits hard, and you feel lost, unsure how to improve. But that’s the point—you’re stepping into uncharted territory.

This is where the charm of grind comes in. The initial learning curve is logarithmic.

You can become very decent — very quick. All you have to do is to put the hours in. Don’t worry I’m not talking 10,000 — the first 100 will be sufficient.

Take me as an example, when I posted why generalists prosper in the current age it was sent to 136 people, most of whom I knew personally. Fast forward 123 days, and this email is sent to over 1,000 subscribers.

This stage is considered as a hyper growth. You learn fast, you grow fast at the craft of your choosing, not hitting a plateau yet.

Side perks

Eventually, people start to notice — often the ones you couldn’t have reached just a few months ago.

They spot a genuine learner, someone who’s pushing through the tough parts and leaving things better than they found them. Maybe they see a version of their younger self in you, or maybe they just admire your drive. Either way, these people naturally become your mentors.

Pick up what they put down. Be that eager student who never misses a chance to learn, like the kid in class who always reminded the teacher about forgotten homework. These mentors are some of the busiest, most in-demand people around.

Here’s the beauty of it: when you help them, they help you. It’s a win-win (cue the Jerry Maguire voice).

The good part? Busy people always need an extra pair of hands. And they know that when you learn in public, the lessons they pass to you are shared with countless others. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this ripple effect?

Soon, you’ll absorb everything they have to teach. And when that happens, guess what?

It’s your turn…

✈️ How I Can Help

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