A Checklist to Make Your Own Learning Plan
Published: 2019-08-21 22:42:40

---
title: A Checklist to Make Your Own Learning Plan
published: true
tags: 
canonical_url: http://heiskr.com/stories/a-checklist-to-make-your-own-learning-plan
---

I published my [**Eight Big Ideas of Learning**](/stories/eight-big-ideas-of-learning-tl-dr-edition) article (also [full version](/stories/eight-big-ideas-of-learning)) about a month ago. The article attracted broad interest. Several people asked me how to act on those ideas.

If you’re an independent learner like me, you’re **creating** your own **plan** and also **following** that plan. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Let’s make it easier. Here’s some **steps** you can follow to create and follow your own research-backed learning plan!

_The numbers in brackets refer to the sections in the_ [_Ideas_](/stories/eight-big-ideas-of-learning-tl-dr-edition) _article. Check that out if you need more clarification. You don’t need to do all of these things to learn effectively. Take what’s relevant and ignore the rest._

## Before you start learning the subject

- ☐ **Why** do you want to learn this subject? Think _autonomy_, _mastery_ and _purpose_. Write it down somewhere you will see regularly. [7.1]
- ☐ Learn the subject’s **organization**. [Draw it out.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_map) You can try to find diagrams with Google image search, or use a Table of Contents from a popular book on the subject. [4.1]
- ☐ Determine a way to visualize your **progress** as you learn. Place it somewhere you will often see. [2.3]
- ☐ **Assess** what you already know. A few ideas: Find an online test, try some practice problems from a book, or ask an expert. [3.1]
- ☐ Use a tool to help you **track** what you need to do when. This could be a website, a To-do app, or even a paper checklist.
- ☐ Break down what you want to learn into small **tasks** of 30 minutes to an hour in duration. Set small and specific goals for each session. [2.1]
- ☐ Set goals with Bloom’s taxonomy in mind. Go **beyond** recognizing information. Add practice problems. Try miniature projects. Do comparison exercises. Try pattern exercises. Graph out concepts. Present arguments about what you’re learning. [2.2/6.2]
- ☐ Find a way to allow **choices** while you learn. You want choices for both content and format. Maybe on a given day you have the choice of one of three topics. Or one of three ways to learn the same topic, like a book, video, or activity. [5]
- ☐ Set your schedule with plenty of time for **practice** and spaced **repetition**. You should plan to revisit each unit at least two or three times, spaced out as you learn. [6.1/6.4]
- ☐ Find a way to get either expert or peer **feedback** as you learn. That could mean finding someone you already know to give weekly feedback. Or finding an online forum. This person or community can also help you **stick** to your plan. [8.1/8.3]

![](http://heiskr.com/images/chk-2.jpeg)

## Before you start a learning session

- ☐ Find a quiet, calm, and clean learning **environment**. Remove distractions. It won’t be perfect, and that’s okay. [1.3]
- ☐ Only learn **one** thing at a time. If you are thinking about trying more than one thing at a time, don’t. If the session feels too large, break it down into smaller parts. [1.1/1.2]
- ☐ Review the **organization** of what you are about to learn. How does this fit into the subject? [4.1]
- ☐ What **problem** does this information or idea solve? Figure that out early. [7.2]
- ☐ Determine the **main ideas** of what you are about to learn. You could review section headers in a book, or a summary of the content. [4.2]
- ☐ Review related prior knowledge. What do you **already know** that relates to what you are about to learn? [3.3]
- ☐ Make a **choice** about the content or format before learning. [5]
- ☐ Limit your session to about _30 minutes to an hour_. Take frequent breaks!

![](http://heiskr.com/images/chk-3.jpeg)

## While you learn

- ☐ Tie back _details_ with the **main ideas**. [4.2]
- ☐ As you learn, **connect** what you are learning to what you _already know_. [3.3]
- ☐ Stay in the **middle** of challenge. If too _difficult_, review what you already know and break down what you are learning. If too _easy_, skip ahead. [1.2/3.2]
- ☐ **Scaffold**. Solve easier problems before trying harder ones. Do isolated exercises before trying to create a full project. [3.2]
- ☐ Find **examples**. You could find a video demonstrating the idea. [7.3]
- ☐ Test your organizational knowledge. **Draw** out the relationships between the concepts. [4.3]
- ☐ Get **feedback**. Use your expert or peer to help make sure your learning is on task. Clear up any misconceptions and use this person to test what you’ve learned. [8.1]
- ☐ When you feel you’ve learned the content, update your **progress** visualization. [2.3]

![](http://heiskr.com/images/chk-4.jpeg)

## To review weekly

- ☐ Revisit your reason for **why** you want to learn this subject. [7.1]
- ☐ Update your model of the **organization** of subject and your **progress** tracking. [4.1/2.3]

**Ask meta-cognitive questions [6.3]…** (There is no right answer to these. Just asking is enough.)

- ☐ Do I have a _strategy_? Is my strategy successful? [6.3]
- ☐ Am I _focused_ while learning? Can I improve my focus? [1]
- ☐ Is this the right _difficulty_ for me? [3]
- ☐ Are the _choices_ I’m making effective? Do my choices have a limited number of options? Do my choices have clear default options? [5]
- ☐ Am I getting enough _practice_ time? Am I _spacing_ my practice? [6.1/6.4]
- ☐ Am I getting effective _feedback_? I am building _trust_ with my expert/peer? [8.1/8.2]

## Wrap Up

_Learning is hard_, and learning alone can be difficult. It can be difficult to stay motivated and keep going towards your goal. If you follow some of the ideas on this list, you can learn more easily, more deeply, and more quickly.

See the [full article](/stories/eight-big-ideas-of-learning) for more resources. **Thanks for reading**! _Feedback is welcome._

If you’d like to know more about Sagefy, [visit today](https://sagefy.org).