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I’ve been so excited to see the personal curriculum trend gaining popularity online. As someone with a Master’s in Education and a blog dedicated to personal development, I was thrilled to find such a positive movement that supports personal growth getting traction on social media. And this is a trend I can lend some expertise to!
The movement began on TikTok. And it’s incredible that those on TikTok – which celebrates a short attention span – are recognizing the drawbacks of social media platforms and making plans to combat the “brain rot.”
However, in my exploration of the topic, I’ve seen some advice that will set people up for failure. Those of us with experience creating an adult curriculum can spot these pitfalls a mile away.
In this series of posts, I’ll take you through what a personal curriculum is, how to design one that works for you, some personal curriculum ideas for skills to learn and hobbies to try, and the best study tips for independent learning as a busy adult.
Let’s get started!
What Is a Personal Curriculum?
A personal curriculum is a way to promote personal development and lifelong learning by setting up a structured study path to explore a topic you find fascinating. It includes a timeline, readings and other resources, and assignments just like you had as a student. But don’t run away yet if you hated school!
With a personal curriculum, you create your own syllabus based on your individual interests, schedule, and preferences. In that way, it’s much more flexible than the curricula you encountered in school.
Yet it provides enough structure that you’ll actually – you know – do it. Instead of sighing and thinking, “It would be amazing to learn that skill/topic/language someday” once a week for the rest of your life.
This concept itself has been credited to TikTok creator Elizabeth Jean (@xparmesanprincessx). But many other creators have offered their tips and experiences.
As I said above, I want to chime in because I actually create curricula for adults for a living! And I can provide some guidance that will help you design your perfect learning journey while avoiding some common mistakes.
Why Develop a Personal Curriculum?
This idea gained popularity because there are so many reasons to design a self curriculum. Here are a few you might relate to:
1. You want to combat brain rot
Brain rot is the feeling that your mind is deteriorating due to passively consuming too much content online.
2. You’re neurodivergent
And, although you’re intensely intellectually curious, the traditional school system didn’t support you.
3. You want to learn a skill to change your career
Examples:
- a tech platform or software
- digital marketing
- graphic design
4. You want to learn a skill for fun
Examples:
- crocheting
- photography
- cooking
5. You need information about a life phase you’re entering
Examples:
- You’re pregnant and need to know about labor, postpartum, & newborn care
- You got promoted and need people management skills
- You’re moving and need a new language
6. You don’t have the time or cash for a formal course
You don’t need to wait to enroll in a formal program to nurture your intellectual interests.
7. You always bookmark a certain topic
But you never find time to explore it. This is my favorite reason to build a personal curriculum. You don’t need a practical end goal!
8. There’s a topic that could improve your life
Examples:
- nutrition
- Buddhist meditation
- communication skills
9. You treat research as a hobby
(Enneagram 5s, I’m looking at you.)
10. There’s a hot topic in the news, and you want to be knowledgeable enough to have an opinion.
Don’t you wish more people did this?
11. There are topics you’re interested in that are a bit fringe
There aren’t many traditional courses. Examples:
- UFOs
- Tarot
- Psychedelics
- Paranormal experiences
You’ll need to be extra careful to find reputable sources. But look – your curriculum is what interests you. It doesn’t matter if your roommate thinks it’s “weird.”
Benefits of a Personal Curriculum for Adults
There are several reasons a personal curriculum can result in more learning and personal growth than a traditional course.
1. It centers on whatever topic you want
Whether it’s a practical career skill, a hobby, or simple intellectual interest, it’s fascinating to you personally.
2. It aligns with your schedule
Many of us felt stress as students. Managing a constant stream of unrelenting due dates is exhausting. A timetable set by a professor obviously isn’t going to mesh perfectly with your personal life. But with your personal curriculum, you have an opportunity to schedule your work with the rest of your life in mind. And that means you have a great chance of succeeding.
3. It provides structure
Many of us balk at the idea of structure because we want unlimited freedom. But the fact is – it’s essential to success. With your timetable, readings, and assignments already set up, you’ll actually take the time to learn. Instead of just thinking, “I should look into that more someday.” Or buying a book and letting rot on your shelf for years.
4. It combats brain rot
As we discussed above, many people are citing a desire to reverse brain rot as their primary goal for their self curriculum. Your personal curriculum will include longer-form readings, applying new skills, thinking critically, and focusing for longer periods of time. All these activities help you hone your focus and attention span.
5. It provides things to do instead of doom scrolling
With your curriculum all set up and resources chosen, it will be easy to turn to study even when you feel a bit lazy. Learning can be a hobby! And it’s a much better one than passively consuming TV and social media content.
Personal Curriculum Ideas: How to Choose a Topic for Your Personal Curriculum
You may be thinking, “This sounds like a fun idea – I’m on board! But I have no idea what to learn.” Maybe because you don’t know what you’re interested in. Or maybe because you have so many interests that you can’t decide where to focus first.
1. Brainstorm skills that would be useful to your life.
- Is there a software that would make your work easier?
- Would financial literacy help you build the life you want?
- Would cooking skills help you save money and eat more nutritiously?
2. Look at the pages you bookmark, social media accounts you follow, and documentaries you watch.
Most of us won’t put in the time and effort to really engage deeply with a topic, even if it interests us.
Instead, we passively consume content related to it in an effort to scratch the itch. These pieces of content are therefore hints that will reveal what you’re dying to know more about.
Unlike the above, these do not need to be practical. They’re simply topics that fascinate you.
3. Don’t pick a topic that’s highly technical and requires expert guidance.
Most of us are not going to learn pharmacology or civil engineering independently. Similarly, don’t pick a career skill that requires a formal certificate. Without the certification, it won’t mean much in the “Skills” section of your resume.
4. Don’t make it too broad.
Let’s say you’re interested in classic English literature. But people get Ph.D.’s in that topic and still only scratch the surface.
Instead, you might choose Gothic fiction in the Victorian Era. This creates some guardrails – a genre and a timeframe – that separate a manageable chunk of knowledge to explore.
Elements of a Personal Curriculum
I’ll provide a step-by-step guide to setting up your personal curriculum in another post. But here are a few elements you’ll need, so you know what you’re getting into.
1. A topic
Find a topic that
a) fascinates you, and
b) is reasonable to explore through self-study during your chosen period of time.
2. A schedule
How much time do you want to dedicate?
How many hours per week can you study?
A student on winter break might do a one-month intensive. But a working parent might need 6 months.
You get to decide. But remember to use realistic time management.
3. Course objectives
I’ve noticed this piece is missing from the personal curriculum guides I’ve seen.
Your objectives answer, “What will I be able to do after finishing this curriculum?”
If you’re studying just for interest, your objective can be, “I will be able to explain Topic X to a beginner in plain language.”
If you can’t think of any good objectives – that might mean you don’t have sufficient motivation to stick with this topic.
4. Learning experiences
Try to mix these up. Don’t just find books to read. Include videos, podcasts, shorter articles, and even field trips.
5. Assignments
Yes, assignments gave us all anxiety in school. But now is your opportunity to create assignments you’ll actually enjoy.
Give yourself assignments at regular intervals, then a final assignment. Assignments provide evidence you’re learning.
Examples:
- explain a concept to a child
- make a YouTube video
- write a blog post
- ask a friend to quiz you
- make something (crochet a baby blanket)
- translate a passage
- host a PowerPoint party
- write an essay defending your opinion on a topic
Mistakes to Avoid with a Personal Curriculum
1. Going too broad with your personal curriculum topic
Choose your topic carefully. If it’s too broad, you’ll get discouraged before you gain mastery.
2. Being too ambitious
If you’re like me, you love finding new things to research and are tempted to develop several overlapping self curricula. And I’ve seen some creators online specifically suggesting this.
But here’s the thing. If you’re not unemployed or on a break from school with nothing else to do, this will backfire. It’s better to tackle one thing at a time.
Remember you can keep doing a new personal curriculum every few months for the rest of your life and never stop learning. Doing one thing at a time prevents burnout and ensures success.
3. Not giving yourself enough time
Similar to the above, this involves being too ambitious with your timetable. As you build out your curriculum, evaluate your schedule and be realistic. Make sure you’re not giving yourself one month to master a topic that reasonably will take six.
4. Not setting a schedule at all
If your life is hectic, you may be tempted to create your curriculum without a set schedule. This might be an attempt to give yourself some flexibility and avoid inevitably “missing” assignments and getting discouraged.
But one of the most effective study tips is that structure is necessary for success. When setting goals, you always need a timeframe.
It’s easy to say you’re going to read something. But when are you going to read it? That question is key.
Ultimately, you are your own professor. If something comes up, just give yourself an extension! But it’s important to set a schedule to keep yourself on task.
What Do You Think?
Are you starting a personal curriculum this year? What’s the topic? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
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