Squiggly Careers Podcast

Episode: How To Be a Speed Learner in 5 Minutes

Date: November 13, 2025
Host: Helen Tupper (Amazing If / Squiggly Careers Podcast)

Episode Overview

In this Squiggly Shortcuts episode, Helen from the Squiggly Careers podcast delivers a rapid-fire guide to “speed learning” at work. The main aim: to equip listeners with five practical strategies to accelerate workplace learning, enabling continuous growth and resilience in the context of a busy career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Speed Learning vs. Slow Learning

Starts at 01:05

• Slow learning: Involves deep dives, reflective thinking, and multi-perspective analysis.
  • “Slow learning for me is when you dive really deep into a topic. You are spending time with that topic, you are considering it from different perspectives, you are questioning what you are learning.” (01:12)
• Speed learning: Accumulating more knowledge quickly and more often, albeit more surface-level.
  • A practical necessity for most professionals.
  • “Speed learning is perhaps a little bit more surface level... you accumulate more of it more quickly, more often.” (01:33)

2. Five Ideas to Become a Speed Learner

a. Instant Inspiration

Starts at 02:12

• Avoid the trap of procrastinating on what to learn by setting up a repository of instant materials.
• Helen’s tactics:
  • Downloads useful videos or podcasts on YouTube and Spotify in advance.
  • Uses apps like Inoreader and Feedly to curate articles.
  • Utilizes idle time (e.g., between meetings, waiting for children) to engage with stored content.
• “So get yourself some instant inspiration. Makes it a lot easier when you kind of want to get some of that speed learning in.” (02:38)

b. Fast Feedback

Starts at 02:46

• Feedback is vital for learning, but asking for it can be awkward.
• Solution: Use the simple, structured question—
  • “What worked well? Even better if...”
• Suggests weaving this question into your weekly routine for actionable insights.
• “If you ask that once or twice a week, you will automatically get more lear[nings] about your impact, about where you can improve.” (02:58)

c. Curious Questions

Starts at 03:18

• Prepare a set of “go-to” curious questions to stimulate learning from others.
• Example prompts for meetings:
  • “What might I be missing?”
  • “How else could we look at this?”
  • “Who could we learn from?”
• Lean on the “what, when, where, who, why, how” structure.
• “Have two or three [questions] in mind before you go into a meeting... you’re not having to think about the smart question to ask.” (03:33)

d. Everyday Experiments

Starts at 04:00

• View experiments as low-stakes tests—embrace being a beginner and possible failure for learning’s sake.
• Examples:
  • Experimenting with new ways of running meetings or using new tools (Helen mentions trialing Superhuman AI for email).
• Ask yourself: “What am I learning?”—whether the experiment works or not.
• “Finding one experiment a week... one thing you are doing for the first time, one thing that you’re not 100% sure if it will work... learning is the best outcome.” (04:22)

e. Real-Time Reflection

Starts at 05:00

• Reflection doesn’t require new input—simply review recent actions and conversations.
• Examples:
  • After meetings, reflect on your role: supporter, solver, or sounding board.
  • Analyze your listen-to-talk ratio and consider adjustments.
• “It’s useful for you to reflect on how you showed up in that conversation and whether that was really what that person needed.” (05:20)
• This method avoids overwhelm and facilitates ongoing improvement in real time.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On balancing depth and speed:
  “I still think slow learning is really important... but the reality is that takes quite a lot of time and most of us struggle with that at work.” (01:14)
• On curating learning, not scrambling for it:
  “What is hard when you’re trying to learn is if you spend all of your time procrastinating about what to learn... get yourself some instant inspiration.” (02:14)
• Making feedback easy and accessible:
  “Fast Feedback... Easiest way to get fast feedback... is, what worked well? Even better if...” (02:53)
• On the power of experiments:
  “What matters most is what you learn from it and what you might do differently next time.” (04:13)
• Reflection as learning:
  “Learning isn’t all about union [i.e., inputting] knowledge... real time reflection is another good way that you can learn without having to add more stuff into your very busy brain.” (05:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:05 — Introduction to speed vs. slow learning
• 02:12 — 1. Instant Inspiration
• 02:46 — 2. Fast Feedback
• 03:18 — 3. Curious Questions
• 04:00 — 4. Everyday Experiments
• 05:00 — 5. Real-Time Reflection
• 06:49 — Closing thoughts

Conclusion

Helen’s five practical techniques for speed learning—instant inspiration, fast feedback, curious questions, everyday experiments, and real-time reflection—are presented as tangible, low-barrier ways to weave more learning into a hectic work schedule. By making speed learning a habit, listeners can keep growing even when time and focus are scarce, helping them remain adaptable and resilient in their “squiggly” careers.

Contact for feedback: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com