Getting ahead
Learn one skill in public
A micro habit for learning where people can see it, so they can help and notice
Once a week, share a few lines about a skill you're learning: what you tried, what you learned, and one question.
- 15 minutes a week
- You and your team
- Weekly
- Make time
Why this can work
Learning quietly means learning alone, and nobody knows to help or to notice. A short weekly note invites the people who know more to chip in, and shows the people around you what you're becoming capable of. Framed as sharing rather than showing off, it tends to be welcomed, and it often helps others learning the same thing.
Read moreHow to learn in public at work
You’ll come away with a weekly note that lets people see, and help with, what you're learning.
- Pick one skill and one place to share.
One skill you're actively working on. Then a place the right people will see: a team channel, an internal community for that topic, a short note to a few colleagues, or your professional network if the skill isn't tied to your job.
Tip: Start where it feels a little less exposed. Two or three trusted colleagues is a fine first audience.
- Write a short note each week.
Three parts: what you tried, what you learned, and one thing you're stuck on or curious about. A few sentences is plenty. The question is what invites people in.
To: your team or networkThis week in learning the skill: I tried what you tried.
What I learned: one thing that worked or surprised you.
Still figuring out: one question. If anyone has been down this road, I'd love a pointer.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Make it useful to someone else.
Add a link, a shortcut, or a mistake you'd warn others about. When the note helps the reader, it reads as generosity rather than self-promotion.
- Reply to everyone who helps.
Thank people, try what they suggest, and say how it went the next week. Credit them by name when it worked.
Tip: This is where the relationships come from. People keep helping when they see their help used.
- Look back once a month.
Read your last four notes. It's often the clearest view you'll get of how far you've come, and it tells you whether the skill still deserves your time.
MonTueWedThuFri9 am11 am1 pm3 pm15 min, yours5 pm1 hr a month, for you13 hrs a year you didn’t have beforeSame slot so it stops being a decision
Good times to repeat it: once a weekwhenever you start learning something newafter a course, a book or a talk
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Notes about what you tried and where you're stuck invite help. Notes that only announce success tend to get polite silence.
What might make this harder
Lead with the question and the mistake, not the win. A note that asks for help rarely reads as showing off.
Questions people ask
What does working out loud mean?
Making your work and learning visible as you go, in ways that help other people, rather than only showing finished results. John Stepper developed the idea into a practice and a book.
How do I share what I'm learning at work without bragging?
Focus on what you tried, what you learned, and what you're still stuck on. Asking a question and sharing something useful keeps it about the learning, not about you.
Where should I share what I'm learning?
Wherever people who use that skill will see it: a team channel, an internal community, a note to a few colleagues, or a professional network for skills outside your job.
Why this works, and where it comes from
The usual way to learn a new skill is privately. People take the course, read the book, practice on the side, and wait until they're good before anyone sees. It feels safer, but it has a cost. Learning quietly means learning without help, and without anyone noticing you're doing it. The colleague who could have saved you a week never knew you were stuck, and your manager never knew you were building something they'll need next quarter.
This exercise adapts Working Out Loud, a practice John Stepper developed from an earlier idea and set out in his book of the same name. His version is about making your work visible in ways that are useful to others and building relationships through small contributions, often with the support of a small peer group he calls a circle. Truest's version narrows it to one skill and one short weekly note. The shape is his: share what you're doing, offer something useful, and let people connect with it.
What makes it work is the question at the end. A note that only reports progress is easy to scroll past. A note that says where you're stuck gives someone a reason to reply, and most people enjoy being asked about something they know. Help that arrives because you asked tends to build a relationship, not just an answer. Thank them, use it, and tell them how it went.
It does feel exposed at first, especially if you're used to showing only finished work, and that feeling usually fades sooner than people expect. It isn't for every skill. If you're learning something you'd rather keep private, learn it privately. For the skills you'd be glad for people to know you're building, learning where they can see is one of the simplest ways to be noticed for the right reasons.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Getting ahead
A few minutes that compound
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
See how Truest worksAlready a member? Log in- A reminder beforePut it on your calendar and Truest reminds you before it starts.
- It comes back if it slipsA missed one comes back around instead of disappearing.
- Every week it happens countsEach week you do it shows on your record, next to what you said matters.
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Written by Truest, based on Working Out Loud: For a Better Career and Life (John Stepper). Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.