Two Ways of Lateral Thinking

There are two ways a polymath learns.

• Near Transfer: Learning a new subject that is closely related to an already known subject
• Far Transfer: Learning a new subject that has little relation to an already known subject.

Each has its advantages. If you have an ultimate goal, say start a business, of course you would need to learn a lot of things related to the goal -- getting good at sales, marketing, accounting, supply chain management, etc. In this case, near transfer would be appropriate. Far transfer is good for finding new perspectives since you'd be making new connections and gaining new insights between two totally different subjects. Far transfer is sometimes slower since the learning and training may not be familiar.

If you want to maximize the time you have into learning faster, I recommend near transfer. This way, you learn subjects that may already be easier to learn, since you would be using a foundation you have already built from other subjects. There is a more directed learning path; and you design that path by aligning it with a goal. 

Now think of your career goals. Can you design your own path of near transfer subjects that you must learn in order to achieve an ultimate goal?

As I strive to become a senior NetSuite developer, my learning path of subjects will probably is: SuiteScript, Integration, Web App development, AI foundations, and maybe even Power BI.

The path doesn't have to be a straight line. The point is going wide, like polymaths do. Once you've determined your learning path, the next step would be to actually change your schedule and do the actual work. Remember there should be output.

Syllabi for each subject would be helpful too, but that's a topic for another day.