--- name: learning-plans description: "Build learning plans that work: testable target performances, starting assessments, sub-skills, focused resources, deliberate practice with feedback, real projects, weekly schedules, retrieval practice, spacing and interleaving, progress checks and adjustments, with a 12-week example. Use whenever someone wants to learn a new skill, tool, language or subject, plan study for a certification, change careers, build a learning roadmap or learn faster with practice instead of passive courses." license: CC-BY-4.0 metadata: author: Afeez Adebayo author_url: https://afeezadebayo.com author_linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/ author_x: https://x.com/za_icon source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/research-learning/learning-plans/ category: productivity subcategory: research-learning version: "1.0.0" created: "2026-10-10" updated: "2026-10-14" --- # Learning Plans People learn new skills slowly when they collect courses, watch videos passively and never practise under realistic conditions. Learning science points to more effective methods: practice testing and spaced practice rate highly in Dunlosky and colleagues' review of study techniques, mixing related problem types (interleaving) improves the ability to choose the right method, and expert performance research by Anders Ericsson emphasises deliberate practice: focused work on specific weaknesses with feedback. [Research, Dunlosky et al. 2013; Rohrer and Taylor 2007; Ericsson et al. 1993] This skill builds learning plans for professional skills, tools, languages, subjects and certifications: defining the target performance, assessing the starting point, breaking the skill into sub-skills, choosing resources, designing practice with feedback, scheduling spaced reviews and projects, measuring progress and adjusting the plan. ## Operating principles 1. **Define what good looks like.** A specific performance you can test, not "learn Python". 2. **Practise more than you consume.** Aim for most time spent doing, not watching or reading. 3. **Focus on weaknesses with feedback.** Deliberate practice targets what you cannot yet do. 4. **Retrieve and space.** Test yourself and revisit material over days and weeks. 5. **Learn through real projects.** Apply skills to work that matters. 6. **Small, regular sessions.** Consistency beats occasional long sessions. ## Target performance examples | Vague goal | Target performance | |---|---| | Learn SQL | Write queries joining three tables and calculating monthly retention without help, within 30 minutes | | Get better at public speaking | Deliver a 10-minute talk to 50 people with no notes, finishing on time, rated 4 of 5 by attendees | | Learn French | Hold a 15-minute conversation about work and daily life, reaching B1 level | | Learn SEO | Audit a 200-page site and produce a prioritised fix list that an expert reviewer agrees with | ## When to use, and when not to Use it for learning a new professional skill, tool, language or subject, preparing for certifications, changing careers or onboarding into a new domain. Don't use it for one-off information needs; a quick search or short guide is enough. ## Inputs - What you want to be able to do and why. - Your current level and related experience. - Time available per week and deadline. - Budget for courses, books, coaching or tools. - Access to real projects, mentors or communities. ## Workflow ### Step 1. Define the target performance What you will be able to do, under what conditions, by when. ### Step 2. Assess the starting point Try the target task or a smaller version; note what you can and cannot do. ### Step 3. Break into sub-skills List the components (for SQL: selecting, filtering, joining, grouping, window functions, data modelling). ### Step 4. Choose resources One main course or book per sub-skill, plus documentation and examples; avoid collecting too many. ### Step 5. Design practice Exercises for each sub-skill, increasing in difficulty, with ways to check answers or get feedback. ### Step 6. Add a real project A meaningful project that uses most sub-skills, started early and grown over time. ### Step 7. Schedule Weekly sessions with a mix of new learning, practice, review of earlier material and project work. ### Step 8. Build in retrieval and spacing Self-tests and flashcards for key facts and procedures, reviewed at increasing intervals. ### Step 9. Get feedback Mentors, code reviews, peers, automated checks or recordings of yourself. ### Step 10. Measure and adjust Re-test the target task every few weeks; spend more time where progress is slow. ## Weekly plan template ``` Target: by | Time: Week - New learning (30%): - Practice (40%): - Review (10%): - Project (20%): Check: ``` ## 12-week plan example (SQL for marketing analysis) | Weeks | Focus | Practice | Project milestone | |---|---|---|---| | 1 to 2 | SELECT, WHERE, ORDER | 30 exercises on a sample dataset | Load company data into a sandbox | | 3 to 4 | JOINs | Join customers, orders, campaigns | Campaign revenue report | | 5 to 6 | GROUP BY, aggregates | Monthly metrics | Monthly dashboard queries | | 7 to 8 | Subqueries, CTEs | Funnel queries | Funnel analysis | | 9 to 10 | Window functions | Retention cohorts | Cohort retention table | | 11 to 12 | Review and speed | Timed mixed problems | Present analysis to the team | ## Practice principles | Principle | How to apply | |---|---| | Retrieval practice | Solve problems or answer questions without notes before checking | | Spacing | Revisit sub-skills after days, then weeks | | Interleaving | Mix problem types once basics are known | | Feedback | Check answers quickly; understand every mistake | | Desirable difficulty | Practise slightly beyond comfort | | Real context | Use real data, real documents, real audiences | ## Choosing resources | Resource | Best for | Watch for | |---|---|---| | Structured course | Foundations in order | Passive watching without exercises | | Official documentation | Accurate, current detail | Hard for beginners | | Books | Depth and mental models | Slower to apply | | Mentor or coach | Feedback and shortcuts | Cost, availability | | Communities | Questions, examples, motivation | Mixed quality | | AI tutor | Explanations, practice questions, code review | Errors; verify key facts | Pick one primary resource per sub-skill and finish it before adding more. ## Measuring progress Re-run a version of the target task every three or four weeks and record time, accuracy and the help needed. Progress that shows up in real work, such as fewer requests to an analyst or a talk delivered without notes, matters more than course completion certificates. ## Keeping momentum Attach learning sessions to existing routines, track sessions completed per week, share goals with a colleague and celebrate milestones such as the first real project delivered. When life gets busy, shrink sessions rather than stopping, so the habit survives. ## Edge cases and judgement calls | Situation | What to do | |---|---| | Very little time | 20-minute daily sessions focused on practice and review | | No feedback available | Use answer keys, automated checks, AI review with verification or communities | | Motivation drops | Smaller weekly goals, visible progress, learning partner | | Plateau | Change practice type; target specific weaknesses; get expert feedback | | Certification deadline | Practice exams early to find gaps; spaced review of weak areas | | Learning with AI tutors | Ask for explanations and practice questions; verify facts; do the work yourself | ## Handoffs to related skills - Remembering key material: `spaced-repetition` - Understanding deeply: `explain-to-learn` - Reading and notes: `active-reading-notes` - Time for learning: the Planning and Task Management `time-blocking` and `habits-routines` skills - Career changes: the Jobs and Careers skills ## Worked example A marketing manager needed SQL to analyse campaigns without waiting for analysts. Her plan defined the target (a cohort retention query in under 30 minutes), assessed her start (basic SELECT only), broke SQL into six sub-skills, used one course and the database documentation, and spent 70% of five hours a week on exercises and a real campaign dataset. Weekly mixed self-tests and an analyst's review of her queries every two weeks provided feedback. By week 12 she presented a cohort analysis to her team and now answers most campaign questions herself. ## Common mistakes - Vague goals with no test. - Watching courses without practising. - Rereading notes instead of self-testing. - No feedback on mistakes. - Too many resources and no project. ## Output format ``` 1. Target performance and deadline 2. Starting assessment 3. Sub-skills 4. Resources 5. Practice and feedback design 6. Project 7. Weekly schedule 8. Progress checks ``` ## Self-check before you answer - Is the goal a testable performance? - Is most time spent on practice with feedback? - Are retrieval and spacing built in? - Is there a real project and regular progress checks? --- Created by Afeez Adebayo, Marketing, SEO & Growth Expert Website: https://afeezadebayo.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/ X: https://x.com/za_icon Source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/research-learning/learning-plans/ Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share and adapt this skill, including for commercial use, as long as you credit Afeez Adebayo and link to the source URL above. Keep this notice in any copy or adapted version.