Written by Brian Hulela
Updated at 20 Jun 2025, 16:34
5 min read
Photo by Octavian Dan on Unsplash
We all strive to become better versions of ourselves, and learning is one of the primary ways we achieve this. The excitement of diving into a new topic can be exhilarating. However, simply acquiring knowledge isn't enough. If we don’t put what we learn into practice, we miss out on the full benefits of that learning journey.
Typically, we dedicate hours upon hours to building a foundation of knowledge before ever applying it. Whether it’s completing a course, reading a book, or watching tutorials, we often feel a sense of accomplishment just from consuming information. But here’s the issue: while we may have learnt something new, we haven't necessarily learnt how to apply it in the real world.
This delay in practical application significantly slows down the learning process. By the time we reach the end of a course, we may have forgotten much of what we learnt, or worse, we might realize that a large portion of it wasn’t even necessary for our goals.
What if we flipped the script? Instead of waiting until the end of a course to apply what we’ve learnt, what if we started a project from the very beginning and continuously added to it as we gained new knowledge?
Rather than searching for a comprehensive course and committing hours to passive learning, we could jump straight into a project and gather only the information needed to complete it. We need to show bias to action. Bias to action has several key benefits:
Focused Learning – We only seek out knowledge relevant to our immediate goals, avoiding unnecessary information overload.
Time Efficiency – We don’t waste hours on concepts that may not be applicable to our project.
Faster Results – By learning and applying knowledge simultaneously, we see tangible progress much sooner.
We live in a fast-paced world where delivering results quickly, accurately, and efficiently is crucial. The ability to learn rapidly and immediately put that knowledge to use is an invaluable skill.
Think about everything you’ve ever learnt, how much of it have you actually used? How much do you even remember? The reality is, we often spend time learning things that have little relevance to our goals.
Project-based learning changes that by ensuring that every piece of knowledge we acquire has a direct and immediate application. When we learn by doing, we reinforce our understanding and retain information more effectively.
Since embracing project-based learning, I’ve seen tremendous results in my own life. Not only do I complete more projects, but I’ve also built a strong portfolio of work that showcases my skills.
In the past, I would enroll in long courses, spending weeks learning before finally attempting a project. Now, I take action first and learn as I go. With the help of AI tools, I no longer need to spend excessive time searching for information. Instead, I can quickly find what I need and apply it immediately.
I took this approach when building my personal website. I used the foundational knowledge I had to quickly get started, then learnt more as needed. Had I waited to master everything, including authentication, payment gateways, security, UI/UX, and SEO, I probably wouldn’t have completed my website even today.
I see many experienced developers with 5+ years in the field who still don’t have a personal website. I was one of them for a while. The reality is that almost every developer I know wants a personal website, a domain they own to showcase their brand and portfolio. Yet, despite spending years learning how to build applications, they never actually build their own.
We often feel like we don’t know enough to start working on the projects we’ve always wanted to do. We spend hours watching YouTube videos and tutorials, falling into what’s often called "tutorial hell." Instead of applying what we learn, we get stuck in an endless cycle of consuming content.
I blame our education system for not emphasizing the importance of practicing what we learn. Instead, we go through years of mindless memorization with little real-world application. We don’t spend enough time using what we learn to create tangible results.
From the beginning of our academic journey to the end, we should be working on multiple projects and building a portfolio of work. Yet, I see this gap even among academics. When I try to collaborate on projects with fellow developers, they often feel they lack the necessary skills, perhaps a programming language they aren’t familiar with.
Instead of diving into the project and learning as they go, they feel the need to study the programming language first, leading to unnecessary delays. Rather than spending a few minutes grasping the basics, they take days, sometimes even weeks or months, before starting. The truth is, if you know one programming language, learning another should only take a few minutes. Yet, this hesitation often results in projects being delayed or never completed at all.
If you want to learn anything quickly and effectively, start with a project. Let the challenges of building something guide your learning process. Not only will you gain practical experience, but you’ll also stay motivated as you see real progress from the very beginning.
