3 Pitfalls of Self-Study

3 Productivity Destroyers

One significant benefit of living in a foreign country where everyone assumes you are unable to speak the language is a drastic reduction in social responsibility. Over my last three months I have committed a significant chunk of this reclaimed time to my studies (putonghua, programming, and a dash of market analysis).

Self-study can be extremely productive since you are free to move at your own pace and focus on material that is appropriately challenging. It also allows you to venture off on short tangents that spice up the curriculum ( like learning how to say 'nuclear missile' and spending an extra day on cryptography).

However, self-study is a double edged blade. The powerful flexibility it provides can also be dangerous if students lack diligence and focus.

To maximize self study benefits, it is critical you avoid these three common pitfalls.

1. Lack of Endgame

People commonly talk about wanting to learn a new skill or trade. Whether becoming a sommelier ( serving red wine at 50 degrees Fahrenheit is not okay), a respectable chef (put down that bag of ramen noodles), or a master furniture craftsmen (sorry IKEA), it is critical that you possess and visualize an attainable endgame.

Without visualizing the the potential of your future skill set, you will meet great resistance in maintaining motivation to continue diligent studies. This is why many bachelors claim they want to learn to cook but often fail to do so. After a short lived effort, studying cooking will seem like a waste of time when all you do is eat out or order take-away.

Visualizing the endgame will fuel your motivation.

2. No Sense of Velocity

Another common pitfall stems from the lack of testing and comparison. Without other students and feedback devices (i.e. tests) it is difficult to recognize and acknowledge improvement.

Building a skill set mimics the construction of a building. Great architectural feats take time to construct. Once they are finished, it is easy to look upon their glory and forget the years put into their design and construction.

Use small waypoints and challenges to help motivate yourself. Also, review your past challenges. You will quickly notice how "easy" your old challenges seem with the skills you develop in the intervening time.

3. Rationalizing Distractions

By and away the most fiendish pitfall to self-study is the ability to rationalize distractions. Justifying a break is much easier when you won't miss a class or have to do additional study the following day.

It is far too easy to justify procrastination and delaying study due to hunger, tiredness, or other seeming worthwhile reasons.

Clearly setting and maintaining a schedule can significantly mitigate this threat. 

Conclusion

Overall, you can't beat the price or potential of self-study programs. However, unlike colleges and paid programs, you won't end up with a piece of paper regardless of your effort. This means you must trade on your actual merits, not just your ability to scrape by.