Just in time, not just in case

A mental model for learning

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I’ve been re-learning math as an adult and… it’s a challenge to say the least.

The other day I got stuck on a problem that required the FOIL method.

Now I haven’t done math in so long I forgot what FOIL was, let alone how to use it.

And in that moment I thought:

“maybe I’m not ready for pre-calculus. Maybe I need to go back to the drawing board and start learning EVERYTHING over”…

But then I remembered just in time vs. just in case learning.

Basically, you can try to predict what you'll need, learn it all now, and hope to remember… or you can just start, and when you hit a roadblock, learn what you need on the spot.

So instead of starting from scratch, I went and watched a video on FOIL, did a few practice problems, and passed the section I was stuck on.

It’s often better to work like this.

Instead of starting from scratch, start where you’re weak.

We doubt our abilities and get stuck in an endless loop of doing the beginning steps over and over because they’re comfortable.

But once you have the fundamentals covered, it’s always better to fill in the gaps than to spend a ton of time re-learning what you already know.

Mastering the fundamentals is incredibly important, but you can’t stay there forever. Push yourself to learn, grow, and get uncomfortable.

And when you hit a sticking point remember:

Just in time, not just in case.