The learning loop

You’re familiar with the “learning curve” — when something’s hard to learn, we say it has a steep learning curve: you have to learn a lot very quickly, just to get started.

You might have seen this old cartoon, often called “The Learning Cliff”:

The labels for those lines will change as the cartoon gets repurposed in different communities, but the joke is that the learning curve for that one thing (shown by the black line) is ridiculously, impossibly steep.

That’s the Learning Cliff. And it can feel brutal.

But it’s not necessary. Because you don’t have to scale that cliff all at once.

Becuase good learning will also circle back on itself.

You try something,
it works okay,
you learn,
you try it again
hopefully better this time.

Improve and repeat.

It’s more like this:

That's the Learning Loop. The more frequently you circle back, the tighter the loop. You’ll revisit things now and then, but you’re generally moving forward.

Turns out there's a relationship here:

When that learning curve feels steep — like you’re climbing a cliff — circling back make a lot of sense.

Here’s the thing:

We’re all learning. New systems; new ideas; new team members; new goals.

Tackling it all at once is hard; and it’s risky; and it’s usually not necessary.

Want to avoid falling off that cliff-side and never making it (like those poor stick figures in the cartoon)?

Take notes. Reflect on your learning. Circle back, then move forward again.

And count the small wins as you do. They will add up.

All the best,
A.