Learn21 — The Missing Class

A good day to you!

There's a class that does not exist, but should be available for every person.

The class would be called "How to Learn," with the curriculum covering the actual mechanics of the learning process:

• How our experiences create long-term memories.
• What makes practice stick, generating better performances.
• Why some approaches lead to frustration while others lead to growth.

Instead, we were assigned material and told to study — figure out the rest and do the work.

Some of us did figure out how to learn, usually through trial and error. Unfortunately, many of us are still guessing.

The strange part of this missing class? The principles are well-researched and teachable, but the principles just aren't taught.

When Something Doesn't Make Sense

After years of teaching, I have noticed ways that people talk about their challenges: No one ever says, "I have a learning problem."

Instead, people say things like: "I'm stuck;" "I'm overwhelmed;" "I'm behind;" or, "I've read the brief three times and still don't know where to start."

Underneath all of those phrases lives the same idea: Something isn't making sense yet.

When something doesn't make sense, you can't move forward. You spin in place, consuming more information hoping clarity arrives. You work harder at approaches that aren't working, then eventually you start to wonder if the problem is you.

Here's a way to reframe this situation: When something doesn't make sense, you don't have a failure; you have a learning challenge. This learning challenge is an opportunity — a signal that growth is available, if you know how to respond.

The Ground Is Shifting

I won't pretend the world isn't changing fast — we both feel the pace. The tools that worked two years ago feel insufficient now, plus the skills that made you valuable are being questioned. The ground that felt solid keeps moving.

That tension is real, but the response to that tension matters more.

You can freeze — wait for someone to tell you what to do, hope the pace slows down, and fall behind while you figure things out.

Or, you can learn, developing the capacity to make sense of new things quickly. To have the knowledge and skills to see a challenge and know how to approach the challenge. To trust yourself when the ground shifts again, because the ground will shift again.

Learning how to learn is the skill underneath every other skill — every tool you need to master and every pivot your role requires. Every time uncertainty arrives, your ability to make sense of new things determines whether you drown or thrive.

The Missing Class

Learn21 is the class that should have existed.

In 21 days, you'll understand how learning actually works — not as abstract theory, but as a system you can apply to any challenge you face. You'll stop guessing because you'll know where sense-making breaks down and what to do about the breakdown. This will give you agency and wisdom when the ground shifts.

Learn21 is not about working harder; if you are interested in these ideas, you already work hard. Learn21 is about having a system that makes your effort count — so you can learn better and live better.

The first cohort begins Monday, February 2nd.

​Learn more and reserve your spot here!​

If you have questions, simply reply to this email — I read and respond to every one.

If you want to see some of the foundational ideas in Learn21, check out this essay: That’s How Learning Works?!?! A Comprehensive Model for Understanding the Learning Process.

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