I've been working through the iCanStudy course, and while it’s packed with valuable ideas, the biggest thing it’s done is force me to confront a pattern I didn’t know I was stuck in. I thought I was just learning how to learn. What I actually found was a deeper issue that’s been driving how I approach all my projects.
One of the significant lessons in the “High-Yield Phase” is a warning against rushing through the material. They recommend a minimum of 5 hours of practice for every hour of theory, with more complex techniques requiring even more practice.
Since I’m not a university student cramming for exams, I’m comfortable taking my time and making sure I actually learn the techniques before moving on.
But how can I actually practice these techniques?
Turns out, all of my current projects revolve around trying to improve the way I approach learning. My thinking had been, “I need to effectively learn how to learn so I don’t waste my time trying to learn and then forgetting everything.” I have no current projects on which to practice these skills.
I started to realize I wasn’t just struggling with how to practice. I had actually built an entire system that kept me busy while avoiding real work. That’s what I now think of as the Meta-Work Trap.
How I Fell Into the Meta-Work Trap
In Why I Avoid Tracking, I talked about how the iCanStudy course described fixed vs growth mindset and my realization that I have all the signs of a fixed mindset. Basically, I am continuing to use “what if” questions and trying to prepare, all while continuing to put off the actual work.
It turns out that my fixed mindset is also showing up in the projects I’ve selected. In fact, 8 of the top 10 projects in my project ranking system are meta-projects, or projects where I learn skills to use on other projects.
The two that aren’t purely meta-projects are this newsletter and reading the book On The Shortness of Life. If I’m being completely honest, they are both borderline meta-projects. At least this newsletter is a project where I produce something.
These are all project versions of asking “what if” questions. It’s me procrastinating on doing something real by staying busy learning “skills I’ll need” to do the amorphous “real” projects in the future.
What I’m Doing to Break Out of It
If I don’t shift out of this loop, I’ll just go from wasting time learning and forgetting to wasting time mastering techniques I never use.
The only solution is to reconsider all of my projects. The two I’m keeping right now are this newsletter and the iCanStudy course. Yes, the iCanStudy course is a meta-project, but since it was the catalyst for me figuring out this issue, I see a lot of value in continuing.
Since my day job is working as a software developer, two interrelated skills that I think might be good candidates for iCanStudy practice are React and Typescript skills. These are both skills I’m expected to use at work, but I still consider myself a beginner.
There is also the ability to get coach feedback through the iCanStudy course, so I’ll do my best this week to learn these skills using the iCanStudy techniques and then submit a request for feedback with the coaches.
Takeaways
I started this journey trying to improve how I learn. What I uncovered instead was a pattern of avoidance. I had filled my time with preparation work, telling myself it was productive when really I was putting off anything that required risk or real execution. The Meta-Work Trap isn’t just about overthinking. It’s about building systems that feel like progress but keep you from doing the actual work.
If this sounds familiar, take a closer look at your own projects. Are they helping you move forward or just helping you stay busy?
If you found this helpful, please share it with someone else who might be stuck in the same loop.
This essay was originally published on my Substack newsletter.