As I see it, self-education should consist of two forms of learning:

1. Reactive, highly practical, just-in-time learning: Seeking out skills and knowledge that helps you solve a problem in your life, make progress on a project, or accomplish a specific task. .

2. Proactive, curiosity-driven, liberal learning: More so learning for learning’s sake. Reading books and studying subjects that bear no relation to your current projects or goals. In the process, you gain hard-to-see advantages, like developing a philosophy of life, increasing understanding of yourself and the world, and sharpening your intellect, etc.,

Our productivity-focused culture seems to be gravitating towards type number 1, and forgetting about the purpose of type number 2—perhaps due to individuals experiencing financial stress or lacking the attention span to learn anything that doesn’t immediately result in some tangible payoff?

Regardless, if we want to live intellectually fulfilling lives, we best not forget that random, broad learning, without relation to current projects, is still highly useful, not to mention enjoyable.

Broad knowledge, acquired solely to satisfy curiosity, often pays off in unexpected ways, and not just in trivial pursuit.

For example, my deep dive into revolutionary history 5 years ago is part of what inspired me to start taking my self-education so seriously. It introduced me to the founding fathers and their reading habits, which led to me creating Knowledge Lust.

In sum: yes, learn what you need to know for the specific situations in your life, but also make a little time each day for random reading. Your future self will thank you for the broad exposure.

As the saying goes, it’s all grist for the mill.

Wisdom works in mysterious ways.