Learning has always been exciting for me, especially in the beginning. When I start something new, it feels like opening a treasure chest full of possibilities. Everything is unexplored, and progress comes quickly. I absorb new knowledge, discover connections, and everything feels like a journey of discovery. But then something happens. Once I have learned enough to achieve what I needed, I lose interest. I have never felt the need to become an expert in one specific subject. I learn to solve problems, not to collect knowledge for knowledge’s sake.
How I Learn Best Through Experience and Curiosity
We all learn differently, and progress often happens faster when we understand how we learn. Perhaps you will recognize yourself in this, or perhaps it will give you a new perspective on both yourself and others.
Imagine that I, who hated English in school, would end up spending the last 15–20 years of my professional career in jobs where English was the primary language. Or that I, who dropped out of school, would truly begin my career in a center of knowledge, a library. At a teacher training college! The universe clearly has a sense of humor and irony.
For me, learning is not about specializing in one thing. It is about building a broad and diverse foundation of experience. Over time, this has become a personal toolbox filled with solutions, ideas, and methods that I can apply to new challenges.
This approach has led me to constantly connect knowledge from different fields. I do not need to be an expert in anything as long as I know enough to find the information I need, exactly when I need it.
What I like about this approach is that it allows you to keep almost everything you have learned while getting to practical application much faster. It also gives you a heading that includes keywords such as “learn,” “learning,” “experience,” and “curiosity,” which will probably perform better in Google than “My Learning Style – A Growing Toolbox.”
A complete toolbox may look impressive, but it is of little use if you do not know which tool is right for the job. Otherwise, you risk making the task more difficult than it needs to be.
The same applies to knowledge. What matters most is not the amount of knowledge you have, but your ability to use it when the situation requires it. Knowledge gains value where theory meets practice.
How I Learn Through Problem Solving and Practical Experience
I always keep my eyes and ears open, constantly picking up new things. Whenever I face a challenge, I dive into the topic, gather information, and figure out what it takes to reach a solution.
When my mother suddenly became ill, I needed to understand how different medications worked together. I researched everything from mechanisms of action and drug interactions to side effects and combined effects. Eventually, I became so familiar with the subject that a nurse did not ask if I had worked in healthcare, but where I had worked.
The same thing happens with technical challenges. A customer had a complex email issue that neither Microsoft, the domain provider, nor other support partners could solve. After an hour of troubleshooting, I found a temporary solution that allowed the customer to continue working, but the issue would not let go. I kept thinking about it, and a few days later the real solution clicked into place. I returned to the customer and resolved the issue permanently.
These experiences show how a broad and varied approach enables me to tackle challenges from multiple angles. I often find solutions where others may have reached a dead end. Not because I know more, but because I see connections and approach problems challenges differently.
This approach is also built on qualities that are important in sales and customer service. Taking ownership of an issue, caring about the outcome, and doing everything possible to find the best solution is often what separates great service from average service. But that is a story for another article.
Why Do I Lose Motivation Once I’ve Learned Enough?
Many people find learning easy in the beginning. Everything is new, exciting, and full of possibilities. Progress is visible, and the feeling of mastery comes quickly. But as the subject becomes more complex, progress begins to level off, and motivation is put to the test. For many, this is where true specialization begins. For me, it is often the point where I ask myself whether I have learned enough. Am I actually going to use this?
More often than not, the answer is no, either because I have learned enough to solve the problem I started with, or because a new challenge has captured my attention and pulled me into an entirely different learning process.
I have always known that I struggle to focus on something when I cannot see an immediate value in it. It is probably not a trait that is always practical, but at least I am aware of it. It reminds me of the confusion in my teacher’s eyes when I wanted to quit Mechanical Foundation Studies with only three months left before graduation.
He looked at me as if I had completely lost my mind: “But Raymond, you don’t even have to do anything for the rest of the year. You already have good grades. All you need to do is improve your attendance and show up for the last few months. Then you’ll get your diploma and pass.”
What he did not understand was that this was exactly the sentence that made up my mind. For me, it was never about the piece of paper. It was about knowing that I could do it if I wanted to. And if that was the case, I would rather spend my time doing something that actually gave me energy. I spent the rest of that school year producing weekly magazines for local television.
“Ain’t about how fast I get there, ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side – it’s the climb.”
– Miley Cyrus
I have never chased titles or careers for their own sake. One of the most rewarding decisions I ever made was stepping back from CEO to Product Manager, and later into the role of Sales Engineer. Not because I wanted to move downward, but because it gave me the opportunity to apply my knowledge where it truly made a difference. I could excel within a focused area without constantly shifting my attention from one responsibility to another.
I know that time and practice are what it takes to become truly good at something. But the question I always ask myself is: “Is it worth it?”
I do not need to know everything. I only need to know enough to get where I want to go and achieve the goals that truly matter, whether they are my own or the company’s.
How I Organize Knowledge to Learn and Remember More Easily
What makes this way of learning work for me is that I see my knowledge as a network of mental hooks. When I learn something new, I do not try to remember everything. Instead, I try to figure out where it belongs, so I can later connect new knowledge to what I already know.
For example, I know a little about electronics. Not enough to call myself an expert, but enough to understand the basic principles. Because of that, I also know which questions to ask, which terms to search for, and how to build on that knowledge when I get stuck.
I do not need to remember every detail. I simply need to know where the knowledge belongs and how it connects to everything else.
I believe this is something that happens to most of us throughout life. As children and young adults, we are constantly building new hooks. We learn languages, mathematics, social skills, motor skills, and thousands of other things for the first time. As we get older, learning becomes less about creating new hooks and more about attaching new knowledge to the ones we already have.
Take movement as an example. As children, we learn to crawl, walk, run, ride a bike, and jump. As adults, we rarely learn entirely new ways of moving. Instead, we build on the experiences we already have. The same applies to much of our learning. The more hooks we have, the easier it becomes to find a place for something new.
The Strength of Broad Knowledge
I have realized that having a little knowledge about many different things is a strength. It gives me the ability to approach challenges from multiple angles and provides a flexibility that is invaluable when facing new situations. I do not need to be an expert in one specific field. What matters most is having a broad foundation of experience that makes it easier to recognize patterns and find solutions.
A good example is parenting. I do not have children of my own, yet I have watched countless documentaries and programs on the subject over the years. On paper, it should be far outside my area of interest. Even so, much of that knowledge has proven useful in completely different contexts. The mechanisms behind learning, motivation, communication, boundaries, and relationships appear whether you are talking about children, customers, colleagues, or leadership.
Perhaps that is the greatest advantage of learning broadly. You rarely know in advance which knowledge will become useful later. Often, it is the connection between different fields that creates the most interesting insights.
So if you feel like you never become an expert in anything, do not worry. The most important thing is not necessarily knowing everything about one subject. The most important thing is having enough knowledge to understand connections, knowing where to find more information, and being able to use it when the need arises.
Another important skill is connecting knowledge and making it easy to understand. Otherwise, you risk sitting on a wealth of information without being able to use it when it truly matters. That is also part of the idea behind this blog—to explore connections between different topics and make them easier to see.
How I Find Patterns Across Different Fields
I may be repeating myself a little here, but concrete examples are often easier to remember than theory. That is why I want to show how the same way of thinking appears in three areas that, at first glance, seem completely unrelated.
The product life cycle, the story arc used in films, and concentration cycles in education appear to have very little in common. Yet when we take a closer look, we discover that they follow many of the same patterns.
Example 1: The Product Life Cycle
This graph shows how a product develops from idea to launch, growth, maturity, and eventually decline. The curve illustrates how a product moves through different phases—from introduction and growth to stagnation and possible decline.
Example 2: The Story Arc
This graph, often used in film and storytelling, shows how a story develops from introduction through conflict to climax and resolution. The classic story arc provides a structure that audiences intuitively understand.
Example 3: Concentration During a School Lesson
A school lesson can also be described as a cycle, where a student’s concentration varies over time. The graph shows how attention rises and falls throughout a lesson and how teaching can be adapted to maintain engagement during different phases.
These three graphs show that even though the content is different, they follow many of the same patterns. For me, they all belong on the same mental hook. I do not primarily see three different disciplines, but rather three examples of the same underlying structure.
This is exactly how I organize knowledge. I do not try to remember every detail. Instead, I try to understand the principles behind it. That makes it easier to retrieve relevant knowledge when I need it, whether I am working with technology, sales, product development, or something entirely different.
How to Learn Better, Remember More, and Solve More Problems
My approach to learning may not work for everyone, but it has definitely worked for me. Perhaps you can take something useful from it. Here are a few thoughts and tips:
- Start Broad
Do not be afraid to explore many different subjects. Having a broad knowledge base gives you perspective and a diverse set of tools for handling different situations. The more experiences and insights you gather, the easier it becomes to find solutions to unexpected challenges.
Think of it as a toolbox: If all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. But if you have more tools, you can solve many more types of problems—often in smarter and more effective ways.
- See Knowledge as a Network
Learning is not a straight line from A to B—it is a network of ideas and concepts that connect together. When you get stuck, the solution is often not learning something completely new, but using what you already know in a different way. Think of it like a puzzle: even if you do not have all the pieces, you can still see the outline of the picture.
- Be Patient
It is completely normal for progress to slow down after a while. This does not mean you have stagnated. It means you are on your way to understanding something at a deeper level. Do not lose heart. Sometimes the brain simply needs time to process information before it finally clicks into place.
- Fight the Forgetting Curve
Our memory works against us through something known as the “forgetting curve”—a natural process in which we gradually forget information if we do not revisit it. The solution is repetition and practical application. The more you use your knowledge in new situations, the better you will remember it, and the easier it becomes to build upon it.
Or do what I do: write about what you learn. Start a blog, share your knowledge, or simply make notes for yourself. We often remember things better when we put our thoughts into writing because it forces the brain to organize information. For me, this is especially useful because I often do additional research while writing—not only to organize my thoughts, but also to see whether something has changed or if new insights have emerged on the topic. In that way, writing becomes not only a method for remembering, but also an opportunity to stay updated and continue developing.
- Use Your Experience
You have already learned a great deal, even if you do not have all the answers. Your experiences provide a solid foundation for continued learning and growth. Many challenges share common characteristics, even when they arise in completely different fields.
A problem is a problem, regardless of the industry. Think about a salesperson and a healthcare worker—both are trying to find the best solution for the people they help. It is about identifying the challenge and finding the right tools to solve it, whether the issue involves healthcare, technology, or something entirely different. With this perspective, we can exchange experiences across roles and industries, creating valuable insights regardless of who we are talking to or what we do for a living.
Sometimes a challenge in one sector, such as stress caused by outdated technology in the workplace, can have consequences that extend far beyond the immediate issue and may even affect employees’ health. Medication might provide temporary relief, but the real solution may be addressing the underlying problem, whether that is poor workflows, inefficient systems, or inadequate training.
When a Restart Is Enough
Learning is a continuous process, but not necessarily a linear one. For me, it is about building an arsenal of knowledge that I can draw upon whenever I need it. I do not need to know everything. I simply need to know enough to get where I want to go and achieve the goals that truly matter, whether they are my own or the company’s.
Sometimes, when we get stuck, the solution is not more knowledge. Often, the best ideas appear when we stop actively thinking about the problem and allow the brain to work in the background. That reminds me of something I have seen many times in the technology world.
Most of us have experienced a computer, phone, or other electronic device starting to behave strangely. In those situations, there is usually one solution that keeps coming up: a good old-fashioned restart. Surprisingly often, that is all it takes to get things working normally again.
Perhaps the same is true for people. Sometimes we do not need more information, more analysis, or more hours of overthinking. Sometimes we simply need a break that allows our thoughts to settle into place.
When it comes to technology in the workplace, the advice is just as simple. A preventive restart from time to time can save a great deal of frustration. And anything that does not start up properly afterward has probably just given you a warning that it is time for some maintenance before it develops into a bigger problem.
