I have been learning something new lately. Or maybe I should say, we learn new things every day, but this one is very intentional. I want to learn how to use certain software tools that will give me a clearer overview of the work I do, and the work I could be doing in my professional life.
For that, I recruited AI to help me. I’ve been using it as a co-pilot to create a booklet with my training schedule, update it as I go, and design tests and projects that simulate real-life use cases. This way, I learn by doing—the best way for a concept to truly stick.
I’m not a developer, and I’m not planning to become one. But in my role, we use developer tools every day, and many of them I only came across after starting at Automattic. I was trained, yes but never formally. I learned by doing, often while troubleshooting users’ sites, under pressure.
This time, my learning is not only intentional, but also happening on my own time. I have goals I want to accomplish, but I’m also giving myself the space to do it well. With my sabbatical coming up in September, I’d like to have this wrapped up at least a month or two before then.
Deadlines have always helped me get things done. There’s nothing like a bit of pressure to get the words flowing. So once again, I set a deadline, and with the support of my coach, I’m staying on track and accountable. I’m happy to say I’ve been accomplishing more each month than I originally set out to do.
AI has helped in ways I didn’t expect. Yes, it’s nice to have “someone” to talk to at any time of day or night, but it’s been much more than that. Together, we’ve created challenges and projects that would have otherwise required me to rely on others—or risk becoming a bit of a pest. Instead, I’ve been able to move forward independently, and that has been incredibly empowering.
To be honest, I was inspired by my son, who seems to learn everything on YouTube. So I started there too. The visual aspect helped tremendously—I was finally able to grasp concepts that once felt abstract. Starting with videos, then moving into AI-supported practice and real-world simulations has been a complete game changer.
And this feels like just the beginning. I’m curious to see where this way of learning will take me next—and what becomes possible when we allow ourselves to learn differently.
Leave a Reply