Learn & Work Lightly ✨ Paper Airplane Mindset

Welcome to Module 2!

Before we dive into the practical aspects of course creation, we need to talk about mindset... adopting a light, experimental approach that will prevent overwhelm and encourage consistent action.

The Challenge of Overthinking

Many aspiring course creators get stuck in the planning and preparation phase. They feel like they need to have everything perfect before they can launch.

A student in this course perfectly captured this common feeling:

"Do you have recommendations about how to keep the steps small enough? And how do you stay loose and not too attached to specific ideas as you are going about the development process?"

The answer is in embracing an iterative mindset.

Work Lightly ✨ Learn Lightly ✨

The core principle we'll be emphasizing throughout this course is to work lightly and learn lightly. This means:

• Taking small, manageable steps. Don't try to do everything at once. Break down the process into bite-sized actions for yourself.
  
  
• Embracing imperfection. Your first course (or even your tenth!) won't be perfect, and that's okay. The goal is to get it out there, learn from the experience, and improve over time.
  
  
• Being flexible and adaptable. Be willing to adjust your plans based on feedback and results. Don't get too attached to any single idea.
  
  
• Prioritizing action over endless planning. The best way to learn is by doing. Don't get stuck in "analysis paralysis." Take on an iterative mindset. The "paper airplane" analogy might help.

The Paper Airplane Analogy:

Think about creating a paper airplane. You fold a piece of paper, give it a toss, and see how it flies. It might nosedive, veer off course, or maybe even fly surprisingly well.

Do you give up and declare yourself a failure if the first flight isn't perfect?

Of course not!

You pick up the airplane, make adjustments (bend a wing, straighten the nose), and try again.

You learn from each flight, making small tweaks until the airplane flies better and better. This is an iterative mindset.

Your courses are similar. They're not quite as inconsequential as paper airplanes, but in the grand scheme of your business, each individual course launch is definitely an experiment.

The faster you launch, get feedback, and iterate, the faster you'll improve and create truly impactful courses.

Journaling Exercise:

Take a few minutes to journal about the experimentation mindset.

What does it mean to you to "work lightly and learn lightly", and to take on an iterative mindset?

How might adopting this mindset change your approach to course creation?

Write whatever comes to mind – there are no right or wrong answers.

Share your responses below as a comment if you'd like!