In this post I want to talk about learning. Learning to learn is fine – especially if you’re getting a degree or a new job or just cruising around on the web. However, there are times when you need to learn Just In Time. Most people, including me at one point, learn whenever. That might not be a great use of time. Especially when you’re trying to build a business.

I’ve been a proponent of Fizzle ever since I started with them in March of 2015.

Why?

The main reason is that the internet is full of content that you might or might not need. More often than not, it’s stuff you DON’T need. I really appreciate Fizzle because their Roadmap is so to the point. It might not be every single detail that you need at every level of building a business. But, it does give you a general method of getting you where you want to be in a to-the-point manner. Plus the Roadmap is constructed in way that you’re learning Just-In-Time.

I mean, don’t get me wrong – I love knowing things just for the heck of it. One of my favorite ways of killing time is on reddit – and many of the subs that I subscribe to are full of facts, strategies, and FYIs. Heck, I love podcasts that discuss important things in life. My mind just loves learning and wondering about things.

But, notice I say “killing time” there.

I take that phrase very literal.

For me, there’s a time when I want to be productive and then there’s a time for just goofing off. And really, I think you need to be aware of when you’re doing each and why you’re doing each.

I wasn’t aware of all the time I was killing until I had my wake up call.

A Wake Up Call

When you lose someone that is as close to you as my mom was with me, you start realizing that we only have so much time in this world.

Her passing was my wake up call to live life.

There are other types of wake up calls.

Many people experience theirs when their first child is born. Others might even have theirs when they’re saying “I do.” on an alter. And yet, others have their wake up call when they’re being shot at during their first engagement during a battle.

But, the truth is, I really think it takes one of these life changing events to truly wake up.

To wake up and realize that you’re an adult. That you’re now responsible for your own life.

What is Being an Adult?

Being an adult, I think, is more than just being “responsible”. It’s all about knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s knowing that you’re capable of being the best you you can be. And I think it’s also about realizing that you can’t really change the people that are around you unless they want to be changed.

In the Stages of Manhood post, the last stage is being a Sage. If you’re not familiar with the term, a sage is usually known as someone who has the respect of other powerful people. Those people typically seek the sage for his knowledge and wisdom.

A sage has mastered what it means to be an adult. (If you’re a guy and want to learn more about becoming a warrior, lover, king, and eventually a sage, then check out this post.)

Wisdom is Important

The sage is sought for his wisdom.

But what is wisdom?

The dictionary says it as:

“The soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.”

Which means that the sage knows when to do something, not just how to do something.

You know, I went to college to become an engineer. And part of being an engineer is learning about a particular problem and then coming up with a solution that not only satisfies a problem, but it also does it efficiently.

In a way, engineers have to act wisely. We have to take in as much info as we can about a given situation and then have a solution to implement.

The same can be said about many jobs. The more we know about a certain problem, the better we feel when we start on solving it.

But here’s the thing, you can’t ever build true wisdom until you actively learn about a given situation and then apply what you’ve learned. Listening and watching podcasts or videos, gives us information, true. But it doesn’t give us wisdom.

While college and most jobs are all about taking tests without screwing up, life and business aren’t like this. The more we screw up, the more opportunity we have to learn.

It might take us a few times of repeating the same mistake for us to learn from it. In school and on the job, we’re taught to not fail. That’s why we’re taught so much information up front before we ever take a test or get hired for a job.

But as humans, failing is how we learn. You learn as you go.

Learning for Life and Business

So here’s the gist of this post.

When it comes to learning to build your business and solving other problems in life, there’s really no point to go searching for this information until you’re ready for it. Find the solution when you can actually execute it.

It might be nice to listen to some of these big time podcasts like SPI, Entrepreneur on Fire, or even the Fizzle Show so you know what to look out for. But don’t take any classes or seek advice until you’re ready to implement the advice that is given. If you do this enough, you might suffer from what I did for so many years – Knowledge Constipation. The more knowledge and info you have without starting, the less likely you are to start because you don’t know where to start.

Personally, I don’t even bother listening to “Ask Pat” and other Q&A formatted podcasts on a regular basis unless they’re answering a specific question I have.

The truth is that the world is changing too quickly for us to keep track of all of this information and really, if it’s important enough issue, it will be updated in the future when we are ready for it.

Start practicing Right-On-Time Learning – not only will your Evernote account appreciate it, but you won’t be spending a fortune on education that might become obsolete, AND you’ll keep your sanity in check as well.

Thanks again for reading. If you have any stories about learning just-in-time for your business or in life, please share them in the comments!

Cheers!