Harvest Your learning
- Elios Collective Team
- Oct 20
- 6 min read
How many times have you sat through a great workshop or training, taken a few notes, nodded along, and thought, “This is good stuff—I should try this at work”?
And then… life happens.
Emails. Deadlines. Dinner. The ideas fade into the background, and your scribbled notes gather dust.
The seeds were there—good seeds—but they were never planted.
If we want to move from being consumers of learning to integrators of knowledge, we have to get intentional about our studies. Learning doesn’t grow on its own. It needs sunlight, water, and time—just like a garden.
The Passive Learner (a.k.a. University Me)
Back in university, I’ll admit I wasn’t the most engaged student. I wasn’t one of those people who loved lectures or raised their hand every five minutes. I was more of a “read the textbook, write the exam, move on” kind of student.
To be fair, my degree didn’t require much more than that. You could study strategically—just enough to get the grades and get out. But when I did put in effort, I had a specific process:
Read the textbook and highlight key points.
Write those highlights by hand—yes, with pen and paper, old-school style.
Type those notes on my computer into a clean summary I could review before exams.
Read. Write. Type. Three distinct actions that reinforced the same content in three different ways.
What I didn’t realize then was that I was using one of the most effective learning techniques available: multi-modal reinforcement. When we engage with material in more than one way—reading, writing, speaking, listening—we strengthen the neural pathways that help us recall and apply it later.
That’s how learning takes root. It is not just the exposure to new ideas, it is active engagement with them.
Unearthing the Learning Journal
Recently, while cleaning out a box in my basement, I found my old Learning Journal.
I started it years ago when I worked at an engineering company where my boss believed deeply in professional development. He encouraged us to take courses, read books, attend conferences—all the good stuff.
Flipping through those pages, I was impressed by how much gold was hiding in there. Quotes and notes I had written out from webinars. Insights from books. Diagrams of leadership frameworks that had once inspired me.
But I had never gone back to read any of it. Not once. All those sparks of inspiration—my own thoughts, reflections, and the wisdom of others—had been captured but never cultivated.
It made me wonder how many of us are sitting on a treasure chest of forgotten learning. How many notebooks, PDFs, or e-course transcripts are waiting in drawers, folders, and inboxes, filled with seeds we never planted?
Cultivating a Learning Practice
This inspired me to design a new rhythm—a simple framework for turning learning into action. It’s not complicated. In fact, it’s designed to fit into the natural flow of busy lives. I call it Sow, Water, Tend, Harvest. This is the farm girl coming out in me:)
1. Sow the Seeds — Capture Key Ideas
When I read a book, I keep my learning journal (it’s a new one now) right beside my bed or in my cozy, curl up and read chair. I pause as I go to capture great lines or key concepts — the little things that make me think or feel something. If I forget my journal, I still highlight and underline - then go back and grab those into the journal at regular intervals
When I finish the book, I flip back through those notes and type up a mini book report. Sometimes it’s a couple of pages; other times it’s just a few sentences. The goal isn’t to summarize — it’s to capture what mattered most so I can find it again later.
It’s already helping me as I write these blogs — the ideas become sparks I can return to, reminders of where inspiration first struck.
And maybe one day, instead of saying, “I read somewhere once…”, I’ll be able to say, “In Jamie Kern Lima’s book Worthy, she writes…” — and know exactly where I first planted that seed.
2. Water Them — Reflect in Your Own Words
When I sit down to write those little book reports, I notice that I’m doing more than collecting notes. I’m sorting through ideas, connecting them to my own life, or other books, articles and concepts then translating what they mean to me.
That’s the watering part — where information starts to turn into understanding.
Sometimes I’ll catch myself writing, “This reminds me of something I saw at …,” or “This connects with a conversation I had with ...” That’s when I know a concept has started to take root.
The more I do it, the more natural it feels. And I’ve realized I remember the lessons more deeply because I’ve made them mine, not just the author’s.
3. Tend the Garden — Apply One Thing
Once you’ve reflected, pick one idea to act on this week. Just one.
Maybe it’s a communication habit you want to try, a mindset shift you want to test, or a question you’ll start asking your team. Keep it small, concrete, and immediate.
Application is what transforms theory into practice. Without it, even the best ideas dry out before they take root.
You might not see results right away—and that’s okay. Gardens grow slowly. But consistency is what builds mastery. A single weekly experiment adds up to fifty new practices a year.
4. Harvest and Re-Sow — Review and Share
Finally, set aside time once a month to review your notes. Look for themes:
What ideas have stuck?
What have you applied?
What’s still on the page, waiting to be planted?
This is your harvest—the moment you gather the learning that has grown and matured. It’s also when you re-sow by sharing what you’ve learned with others.
Teaching is one of the most powerful forms of retention. When you share a new concept in a team meeting, mentor someone using a new tool, or post your reflection online, you reinforce it in your own brain while spreading value to others.
Learning as a Lifestyle
When we treat learning as an event—something we attend, finish, and forget—we stay stuck in a cycle of consumption. But when we treat learning as a practice—something ongoing and evolving—we start to change how we think, not just what we know.
This is especially true for leaders, educators, and anyone who wants to grow others. The best leaders are gardeners of knowledge. They don’t just attend training—they cultivate habits of curiosity, reflection, and sharing.
They know that growth doesn’t come from cramming more in—it comes from letting ideas breathe and live inside the work.
The Gentle Reminder
I encourage you to dig through your desk drawers, bookshelves, and even old emails from past training sessions. Each one may not hold the answer, but tucked inside you’ll find seeds—tiny beginnings of ideas that can still grow into something meaningful.
Take them out. Flip through them. Notice what still excites you, what you finally understand now that you didn’t back then, and what might be ready to take root in this season of your life.
Your next great idea might already be written down. You just haven’t planted it yet.
Want to Start Harvesting Your Learning? Join Me Live.
If this idea resonates with you—if you’ve ever thought, “I take so many great courses, but I don’t always apply what I learn”—then you’re not alone. Most of us collect insights faster than we can integrate them.
That’s why I’m hosting a free 45-minute online session designed to help you turn your learning into lasting growth.
Create a Learning Integration Habit
Date: Friday, October 31, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM Mountain Time (GMT -06:00 MT Edmonton)
Format: Live Online
Cost: Free
In this session, we’ll explore:
Why our brains love to collect but resist apply
The science behind reflection, recall, and retention
A simple weekly routine to turn “aha” moments into actions
Tools and prompts you can start using immediately
Save your spot: https://www.elioscollective.ca/event-details/harvest-your-learning-creating-a-learning-integration-habit-1
Let’s make this the season you stop gathering and start growing.
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