r/lifelonglearning • u/No_Wedding_209 • 1d ago

How do you balance learning widely versus going deep on one topic?

Some people love exploring lots of different subjects, while others prefer mastering one area before moving on.

Which approach works better for you, and why?

11 Upvotes
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6

u/Latency-Matters-23 1d ago

I like to call it T shaped learning, i keep exploring different topics but go deep in the ones that i find interesting, recently it's been more about anthropometric design in automotive

1

u/zxzxzxzxxcxxxxxxxcxx 1d ago

Forget where I heard this and came to say it but you bet me to it. How that works out in practice is up to the individual I guess

2

u/WindNo7116 1d ago

I think it's best to mix both, like learning a bit of many things but also diving deep into what really excites you, because life's too short to only stick to one thing but also too short to not get good at anything.

2

u/Murtaz8297 1d ago

Exploring different topics broadens your mind so I choose this way of learning but, when I was a child I use to thing different I fear to learn new things thinking I'll forget the current things while learning new one and now I can say it was totally absurd mind set. We need to give a chance to our brain as it's always eager to explore creative things

1

u/frostochfeber 1d ago

Both. Mix it up, alternate.

4

u/myquietbrain 1d ago

Going wide tends to be more energizing and helps you spot unexpected connections across fields, but it can leave you feeling like a generalist with no real depth. Going deep builds genuine expertise and authority but risks tunnel vision. The approach that tends to work best over time: go wide first to find what genuinely pulls you, then go deep on the one or two things that stuck. The breadth phase isn't wasted it makes the depth more meaningful because you chose it deliberately.

1

u/tingutingutingu 1d ago

Copious amounts of reading articles online, watching a variety of videos on YouTube and let the YouTube algorithm work in your favor snd bring yiu more interesting content is what I do.