Why It's Harder Than Ever to Learn Something New in 2024

Every day, a kind of paradox is perceived by people trying to learn something on the internet: the variety and availability of content have increased, yet we can hardly choose what content to consume.

I'm sure you have a huge list of courses you want to take, several books to read, and an even longer list of videos to "watch later". You have practically an entire library at your disposal, but you can't start anything.

This happens to me more often than I'd like. I always spend too much time analyzing what to study, and when I finally choose something, it takes only a few minutes to start thinking that I'm wasting time and could be doing something more productive.

In this article, I try to explain a bit about what happens in this difficulty of decision-making and show the way I try to avoid this choice paralysis.

There's So Much to Choose From, But There's Also a Lot of Noise

This phenomenon of choice overload, although discussed here in the context of technical content, is not limited to this sphere. It extends to many other aspects of modern life, including how we consume entertainment. A recent study reveals that Netflix users spend, on average, 17.8 minutes browsing possible series and movie options before selecting something.

This pattern of hesitation and uncertainty in the face of multiple options reflects a broader challenge we face: the difficulty of making decisions in a world full of possibilities.

Peter Drucker, a visionary in the field of management, perfectly captured this condition of modern society when he stated:

"For the first time, a substantial and growing number of people have a choice. And society is totally unprepared to deal with it."

Drucker's observation deeply portrays the current context, where an abundance of choices, whether in education, entertainment, or any other area, often results in paralysis instead of freedom.

Back to the realm of technical content, there are two possible explanations for why this paralysis happens:

1. Producing content has become cheaper
2. The content reaches more and more people.

Producing content, especially technical ones, has become cheaper compared to the past. Until not long ago, to create something, you had to contact a publisher, have expensive filming and audio equipment, and go through a long and complex process.

Today, with the help of the internet and the democratization of production, practically anyone with technical knowledge can create and share content. The fact that any course, video, or tutorial arrives as a notification to several people's devices has resulted in an explosion in the volume of available material.

The real cost of a bad course

When you invest in a course that doesn't meet your expectations, it's not just the money that hurts. The real cost is in the time and energy you invested, resources that are irreversible and more valuable than money. There's also the pain of regret, the constant "what if" question: what if you had chosen that other course that seemed more promising? This doubt can be more exhausting than the financial loss, as it affects your confidence in future decisions and intensifies the paralysis when choosing new things.

"We are always looking for the perfect book, the perfect game, the perfect food, the perfect movie. But as perfection has nothing to do with the content itself, but with our state at the moment, we find ourselves in an incessant search - hours, days, months to start doing something that, in the end, we never start."

Conclusion: Finding Clarity and Actually Learning Something

In summary, learning something new has never been easy, but the year that begins brings us more challenges than just accessing information. With that in mind, here are some points that can help you learn effectively:

1. Limit your choices: Avoid the temptation to accumulate courses or books. Having fewer options can help prevent overload and distraction. Don't buy more books or courses than you are willing to undertake.
2. Close all tabs: When you start watching a course or video, close all other tabs. Keep your focus on a single task.
3. Realistic goals: Set a real study plan with goals you can achieve (avoid creating ego-filled goals to make what you are doing seem bigger than it is).
4. Do good content curation: Choose simpler and shorter initial content to understand if that's really what you want to study.
5. Always have practice for theory: Ensure that for each thing you study, you can practice in some way. This reinforces and validates what you learned.
6. Revisit your study: Always revisit your study and see if it is aligned with what you aim for. This reflection can be weekly or monthly, but it is important that you understand which path you are heading (and also which you are not).

I wrote another article "Learning Tailwind CSS and a reflection on goals". I think it's an interesting combination because it shows exactly how I applied these principles to actually learn something new.

Remember, in our learning journey, every step, no matter how small, is progress. Nothing is wasted; in the worst case, you learned something new.