We live in an age of information abundance. Podcasts, YouTube tutorials, self-help books, and online courses offer endless knowledge at our fingertips. But there’s a catch: just because we’ve read it or watched it doesn’t mean we’ve learned it.
True learning happens not just in the mind—but in the doing.
Whether it’s baking a cake, fixing a bike, programming an app, resolving conflict, or starting a business, the only way to really learn is by rolling up your sleeves and trying. You might fail. In fact, you probably will. But that’s exactly the point.
From Theory to Practice: The Power of Experiential Learning
This idea isn’t just common sense—it’s backed by decades of research.
Psychologist David Kolb popularized the Experiential Learning Theory (1984), which posits that effective learning is a four-stage cycle:
- Concrete Experience (doing it)
- Reflective Observation (thinking about it)
- Abstract Conceptualization (learning from it)
- Active Experimentation (trying again)
Kolb argued that knowledge results from grasping and transforming experience. We don’t just absorb information; we build it through doing.
More recent research supports and expands on this. A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Psychology emphasized that “active engagement, practice, and reflection” lead to longer retention and deeper understanding than passive learning alone. Learners who physically or mentally engage with a task—whether through simulations, hands-on tasks, or even teaching others—score significantly higher on assessments and retain knowledge for longer periods.
This principle is also at the heart of the “testing effect”—a well-documented phenomenon in which learners who are frequently quizzed or asked to apply knowledge perform better than those who simply review or reread material.
In short, learning sticks when you use it.
Try, Fail, Reflect, Repeat
Failure plays a vital role in this process. While no one enjoys making mistakes, research shows that errors can enhance learning—if followed by reflection.
A 2023 meta-analysis in Educational Psychology Review found that “productive failure”—the process of struggling through a task before receiving instruction—helps learners develop deeper conceptual understanding compared to receiving instruction first.
In other words, failing before you’re taught something may actually help you learn it better.
That’s why skill-building in real-world environments—internships, apprenticeships, prototyping, and even personal hobbies—so often outpace classroom-only learning.
The IKEA Effect: Why Doing Also Builds Meaning
There’s another surprising benefit to learning through doing: we value what we build ourselves.
This is known as the IKEA effect, a term coined by behavioral economists Michael Norton, Daniel Mochon, and Dan Ariely. Their research found that people assign significantly higher value to things they’ve had a hand in creating—even if the result isn’t perfect.
From a learning perspective, this suggests that the process of building or doing something not only teaches us—it attaches meaning and pride to that knowledge or skill. When we craft our own furniture, build a garden, write a blog, or troubleshoot a tech problem, we become more invested in what we’ve created—and thus, more likely to keep learning and improving.
Everyday Areas Where Learning by Doing Matters
Learning while doing isn’t limited to the workplace or school. It’s everywhere:
- In relationships: Conflict resolution, empathy, and communication skills improve through real interactions, not just books on psychology.
- In parenting: No guidebook can fully prepare you for being a parent. Trial, error, and reflection are key.
- In hobbies: From painting to photography to learning guitar, skill comes not from watching tutorials but from practicing—even poorly.
- In work and entrepreneurship: The best innovators and leaders often credit their success to iterative learning—launching, failing, pivoting, and learning fast.
Practical Tips to Learn by Doing
- Start Before You’re Ready: Don’t wait to know everything. Dive in and learn as you go.
- Break Projects Into Small Experiments: Try small actions that let you test ideas and gain feedback.
- Embrace Failure as Feedback: Treat mistakes as data, not defeat.
- Reflect Actively: Ask yourself what worked, what didn’t, and what you’ll change next time.
- Teach What You Learn: Explaining a skill to someone else reinforces your own learning (Feynman Technique).
- Combine Theory with Practice: Read and research as you go, not before. Use learning to guide your actions—not to delay them.
Want to Read More? (Yes, Books Can Help—If You Put Them Into Practice)
Reading is still valuable—especially when it inspires action:
- Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel → A foundational book on why practice, retrieval, and spaced repetition work.
- Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
→ Learn how deliberate practice and feedback loops build true expertise. - Ultralearning by Scott H. Young → A practical guide to self-directed, aggressive learning projects—filled with doing, not just reading.
- The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything… Fast by Josh Kaufman → Focuses on rapid skill acquisition through focused practice.
Final Thought: Stop Just Thinking—Start Doing
At Learning Loons, we believe learning should never be passive. The most meaningful, lasting, and joyful learning happens when you do the thing, mess it up, laugh (or cry) a bit, and then try again.
So whatever you want to learn—start today. Pick up the guitar. Launch the blog. Try a new recipe. Volunteer for a new task at work. Say the awkward apology. Build the birdhouse.
You’ll be learning more than you realize—and building a stronger, wiser, more capable you in the process.
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