Learning…To Let Go of the Collection

This post was written by Jacob McNulty

One of my personal hobbies is photography and I subscribe to PC Photo Magazine.  I am a self-described pack rat and have kept all of the issues they’ve sent for fear that there may be a morsel of information in one that I’ll need to come back to.

As part of the process of moving into my new office, though, I thought about how likely it was that I would go back and look through old magazines as opposed to looking for the information on the Internet or via some other source.  It didn’t take long to decide that they belong in the circular file.

It was very liberating to toss them out - knowing that I could find my answers in other ways.  Then my eyes drifted to the top shelf where there sat many of the binders I’ve collected over the years through various projects and seminars.  I haven’t gotten up the nerve to toss them just yet but the experience with the magazines got me thinking about it.  I haven’t touched many of those binders in years.  Before digging through old binders to answer a question, I am more inclined to talk with a colleague or look on-line.  The shelves in my office are prime real estate and I don’t want them being occupied by information that I won’t use.

For the time being, though, instead of tossing them I’ve decided to not allow binders to take up any more room on the shelf.  Of the binders I get in the future, then, I will have to decide if they get a spot and another one gets tossed or if they never get a turn in the rotation.

Perhaps some day I’ll have the nerve to purge my shelf more radically - but I doubt it. 

Many training companies like to load their participants up with take-aways that usually collect dust once participants return to their office, just as mine are.  Since people are more inclined to go ask a colleague or consult the internet when they have a challenge, why not spend those training dollars on things that make it easier for them to do so?

Tags: Action learning, Blended Learning, business training, corporate training, development, informal learning, learning, learning strategies, learning system, organizational learning, professional development, workforce development