The Amy Porterfield Show

Episode: Create a Personal Curriculum (Without Turning It Into Homework)
Host: Amy Porterfield
Date: January 13, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Amy Porterfield discusses the concept of creating a "personal curriculum"—a structured yet relaxed approach to intentional, self-directed learning that doesn't feel like homework. Drawing from trends she's seen on social media and her own experience as a curriculum designer, Amy shares a quarterly framework for personal growth, explains how to make the process enjoyable and sustainable, and offers practical tools (including custom AI prompts) so listeners can design a curriculum tailored to their current goals and interests. The episode is rich with practical examples, candid personal insights, and Amy's signature blend of encouragement and realism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Personal Curriculum: What Is It and Why Now?

• Definition & Origin

  • Amy explains the idea of a "personal curriculum" as “intentional self-learning,” inspired by how people online—particularly women—are creating self-study syllabi for hobbies and interests (e.g., gardening, French cooking, history) ([03:00]).
  • Credits Elizabeth Jean as a popularizer of the trend, noting its academic origins but social media-driven present.

• Amy’s Take on the Trend

  • While intrigued by the intentional planning, Amy notes the trend can feel “too academic,” like going back to school. She prefers a less rigid, more enjoyable approach: “The last thing I want to do is feel like personal development, and personal learning feels like homework” ([06:15]).
  • Amy seeks to balance structure with fun, aligning learning with personal and business growth without overwhelm.

2. Designing Amy’s Personal Curriculum: Quarterly, Not Monthly

• Quarterly Structure
  • Amy intentionally set her curriculum on a three-month (quarterly) basis, not monthly, to avoid pressure and allow space for life and business realities ([09:40]):
    • “I could do it in a quarter, for sure. It’s designed to help me become my best self…without overwhelming me or giving me a giant list that I’ll never complete.”
  • The framework helps channel New Year ambition into focused, sustainable action, but she encourages listeners to adopt it any time.

3. Amy’s Three Core Categories for Personal Curriculum

• Categories ([14:25]):

  1. Something I want to learn more about
  2. Something I am curious about
  3. Something that moves me closer to my future self

• Each category gets one specific topic per quarter, and Amy recommends only focusing on three categories to avoid overwhelm.

4. Customization and Flexibility

• Amy emphasizes the value of tailoring categories for personal relevance; alternative suggestions include:

  • Something that challenges your way of thinking.
  • Something that brings you joy.
  • Something you want to do more or improve.
  • Something you’ve been avoiding but know is important.
  • Something that scares you a little (in a good way).

• The goal: intentional, “meaningful learning instead of random content” ([26:08]).

5. Deep Dive: Amy’s Q1 Curriculum (with Examples)

1. Learn More About: Upleveling as a Coach

• Re-reading “The Coaching Habit” by Michael Bungay Stanier.
• Finding one, high-quality coaching-focused podcast and diving deep.
• Training with coaching expert Nancy Levin ([35:10]).
• “Just one book, one podcast, one training offer. That’s it… If you add too much to your curriculum, you will not do it.” ([37:20])

2. Curious About: Manifestation

• Signing up for Gabby Bernstein’s 21-day Manifestation Challenge.
• Listening to specific episodes of the “Dear Gabby” podcast on manifestation:
  • Ep.293: “You’ve Been Manifesting Wrong”
  • Ep.285: “How to Align Your Head Energy to Attract What You Want”
  • Ep.270: “Rewire Your Brain to Manifest Anything You Want”
• Researching and designing a vision board for 2026 ([40:10]).
• “Curiosity-driven learning is different from obligation-driven learning. When you’re learning something because you’re just genuinely curious… it feels like play, and that’s when you can really make a transformation within yourself.” ([45:00])

3. Future Self: Journaling and Planning

• Developing a personalized journaling and planning “ecosystem”—using multiple physical planners/journals for different parts of life (daily, meetings, therapy, health) ([48:20]).
• Making journaling a consistent daily habit (10–15 minutes/day).
• Night-before planning as a ritual; considering both analog and digital tools.
• Exploring Notion for personal organization and planning (new for Amy; comparing it to Asana).
• “I want to be a more consistent journaler. When you have something new in your business… I want to just stay really organized and make sure I’ve got the notes that I need, solving the right problems.” ([56:05])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On making it feel like play, not homework:
  “What I don’t love is that it felt too academic. It felt like school to me. And I’m way past that. So I didn’t want to feel like I was going back to college, but I did want to feel like I was learning something on my terms.” ([05:28])

• On the pitfalls of over-planning:
  “Without categories, you end up with a list of 47 books you want to read, 12 podcasts you want to binge… and then you do none of it because it all feels too much. Like, too much. Raise your hand; I’m not alone, right?” ([29:50])

• On intentionality:
  “I really love this word, ‘intentional.’ I’m actually thinking, is this my word for 2026? I haven’t totally decided yet, but I love the word intentional. And that’s what a personal curriculum is.” ([24:09])

• On organization and new ventures:
  “When you have something brand new in your business… you just, your whole business is troubleshooting when you’re launching something new. …The bigger problems I solve, the more money I make. Yes. And yes.” ([54:50])

• On fun and personalization:
  “This is your curriculum, not your mom’s curriculum, not your business coach's curriculum, not the person you follow on Instagram… No, this is yours, so make it your own.” ([01:02:05])

Practical Framework: Create Your Own Personal Curriculum

([01:00:42] onward)

1. Choose Your Time Frame
   • Quarterly (three months) is ideal—“A year is too long, a month is too short. A quarter is just right.”
2. Choose Three Categories
   • Use Amy’s list or invent your own. They must matter to you now.
3. Pick One Topic per Category
   • The key to depth, not breadth: “One topic gives you permission to go deep instead of staying surface level.”
4. Assign 2–4 Learning Inputs
   • Examples: one book, one podcast series, a short challenge, masterclass, new habit, single expert, etc.
5. Connect to Existing Rhythms
   • Build learning into current routines (e.g., “I will read 10 pages every morning with my coffee”; “I’ll listen to one podcast every Monday during my walk with Scout”).

AI Prompts and Resources

• Amy has created two detailed AI prompts:

  1. Design your ‘Future Self’ one-sheet ([16:10], [01:11:55])
  2. Generate your personal curriculum with targeted questions

• Both are available at: amyporterfield.com/42.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:00] – Personal curriculum: What it is, origins, why it caught Amy’s attention
• [09:40] – Why quarterly, not monthly, makes the approach sustainable
• [14:25] – Amy’s three personal curriculum categories
• [24:09] – Importance of intentionality and focus
• [29:50] – Why “random consumption” fails; dangers of overwhelming lists
• [35:10] – Amy’s concrete learning plan as a coach
• [40:10] – Amy’s approach to curiosity (manifestation example)
• [48:20] – Deep dive into journaling and planning for “future self”
• [56:05] – Organization, multiple journals, leveraging new tools like Notion
• [01:00:42] – Step-by-step framework for listeners to create their own
• [01:11:55] – Summary, encouragement, and where to find resources

Closing Encouragement

• “A personal curriculum helps you be intentional with the growth that is already happening in your life, and it’s meant to be enjoyable. So make sure you don’t take this too seriously and you choose topics that you actually will have fun with.” ([01:13:12])
• Amy encourages listeners to DM her on Instagram (@amyporterfield) with their personal curriculum ideas and reminds everyone: “It just has to be yours. So start small, choose the three categories, choose your topics, and commit to these three months of intentional growth. Your future self will thank you.” ([01:14:00])

Summary Takeaway

Amy Porterfield’s approach to a personal curriculum is all about intentional, joyful, quarterly learning—designed for real life, not for perfection. Pick three meaningful categories, one topic for each, just a couple focused learning “inputs,” and tie them into your rhythms. Skip overwhelm, skip random consumption, and enjoy the journey of becoming your best (and most interesting) self—on your own terms. For custom prompts and extras, visit amyporterfield.com/42.