421 | How We Learn & Coaching for Structured Routines with Aran Rees

Eric is joined by Aran Rees, joining the show from across the pond! Aran has worked in professional development for close to a decade, specializing in self-directed peer-supported experiential learning and believes that learning is a survival skill! You'll hear about the ways that the "why" behind the "what" we want to learn can affect the ways we learn, how our environments affect how we learn, and what is needed for genuine learning. 

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Topics & Questions in this Episode:

• How is work changing? How does the move from office-work to at-home work change the way we work? 
• (As of this recording), what is the average job tenure?
• Is the shift to learning online geared more towards compliance versus actual learning?
• Eric to Aran: “Whether we are trying to learn a new skill ourselves or a new job, from what you do professionally, what do we know about what is actually needed for genuine learning rather than regurgitation?” 
• What does learning begin with? 
• How does the interest in what we’re learning affect the ways we learn? 
• Are the goals you are pursuing actually important to you, or is this something someone else is encouraging you to do? Is it only important to you because that person is important to you? Then, is that enough of an ‘interest’ to keep you engaged?
• Once you’ve made a commitment and you care about something and you’ve carved out the time - what else is essential for learning a new skill or new ability? 
• What is Aran’s deep ‘why’ behind wanting more structure in his routines? 
• How can your environment affect learning? How can our environments affect our routines?
• What is the importance of environmental cues? 

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Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• “...I want to learn the piano, but actually I don’t want to learn the piano, I want to have learned it.” - Aran
• “People can’t be made to learn something they don’t care about.” - Aran
• Book: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
• Book: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
• Book: The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries