unlearn & re-learn

its 4am and I’m staring at my screen wondering why I’m awake and what brought me to this moment of clarity about unlearning and relearning like who even thinks about this at this hour but here I am and it’s kinda amazing

so here’s the deal I’ve been coding for a while now and you know how they say you have to keep up with the latest trends languages frameworks all that jazz right but what nobody tells you is how much of what you think you know can actually hold you back it’s wild like you think you’ve got it all figured out and then boom new stuff comes along and you’re stuck in your own head just spinning your wheels

the concept of unlearning is basically shedding all those assumptions you’ve built over time like that time I thought learning JavaScript was enough and didn’t need to pay attention to things like functional programming or the newer stuff like React or Vue and man was I missing out

I had to unlearn the idea that there’s a single way to do things in coding every problem doesn’t have just one solution and clinging to old methods was keeping me in a box I didn’t even realize I was in at the time

so here’s where the relearning comes in once you’ve let go of those outdated beliefs it’s time to embrace the new ideas this is where it gets exciting like discovering how to use a new library or diving into a different programming paradigm and feeling that rush when it clicks and you start to see the bigger picture

the other night I was working on a project and I had this moment where I realized I was stuck in an old mindset trying to solve a problem the way I always had I took a step back and thought okay what if I approached this differently what if I unlearned that old habit of just brute-forcing a solution and actually tried to think creatively about it so I googled around watched a couple of tutorials and suddenly everything clicked it was like flipping a switch

this cycle of unlearning and relearning doesn’t just apply to coding it seeps into my daily life too whether it’s how I approach my morning routine or how I communicate with my team I started questioning my habits and asking myself what can I let go of that’s not serving me anymore like the way I used to overthink every single line of code before writing it now I’m more about just getting it down and refining it later and that’s made such a huge difference in my workflow

I mean think about it how often do we stick to what we know because it feels safe we cling to it for dear life but that safety is actually a trap it limits our growth and keeps us from exploring new paths and solutions and it’s not just in tech it’s in everything we do whether you’re a developer a teacher or even just trying to be a better friend

so how do we incorporate this unlearning and relearning in our daily lives I’ve been experimenting with a few things that have really helped me

Question Everything: start by asking yourself why you do what you do why do I write code this way why do I have this routine what if I tried it a different way what assumptions am I holding onto that might not be true anymore this curiosity opens doors

Seek Feedback: getting input from others is gold it can be hard to see our blind spots but others can help shine a light on what we might need to let go of or change I’ve started sharing my work more often and the feedback has pushed me to rethink and relearn some approaches I was too attached to

Embrace Failure: it’s scary but failing is part of the process it’s how we learn and grow so when something doesn’t work out instead of beating myself up I try to analyze what went wrong what can I learn from this and how can I adjust my approach next time

Stay Curious: make it a habit to explore new tools languages techniques whatever interests you don’t just stick to what’s comfortable go out there and try things that might not make sense at first and see how they can reshape your thinking

Reflect Regularly: take time to look back on your experiences what worked what didn’t what did you learn what do you need to unlearn and how can you keep that cycle going keeping a journal helps me track my thoughts and progress

I think that’s what it comes down to really this journey of unlearning and relearning isn’t a destination it’s an ongoing process kind of like coding itself always evolving always changing and honestly it feels empowering to know that I can let go of old patterns and embrace new ones it’s like leveling up in a game or finding a new hack that makes everything smoother

so as I wrap up these rambling thoughts at 4am I’m realizing that unlearning and relearning is about freedom it’s about breaking out of those self-imposed boxes and allowing ourselves to grow in ways we never thought possible it’s messy it’s chaotic but it’s also incredibly rewarding and I’m here for it

and maybe just maybe these thoughts will inspire someone else to take a step back and question their own routines beliefs and practices because in the end that’s what it’s all about right finding ways to be better stronger and more open to the world around us

here’s to unlearning and relearning and to the late-night musings that lead us there