Forget grades and gold stars – your ‘personal curriculum’ is all about the joy of self-growth
Growing up, many of us were taught that learning had a clear destination – good grades could lead to a steady job, and a sense of success. But your relationship with learning doesn’t have to follow a prescribed path. What if, instead of learning to climb a ladder, you turned to learning for its enjoyment?
As we get older, and busier, we often stop asking questions that excite us, or exploring ideas just for the fun of it. But learning doesn’t have to be reserved for classrooms or career goals. It can be playful, personal, and deeply nourishing.
That’s the idea behind a ‘personal curriculum’ – a self-directed approach to learning that centres around joy, meaning, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you find yourself drawn to mythology, mental health, or mushroom foraging, it’s about choosing what matters most to you, and allowing that to guide your growth.
What is a personal curriculum?
In the same way that schools, colleges, and universities create a curriculum to teach their students, a personal curriculum invites you to build your own tailor-made plan to study subjects you enjoy.
Think cosy nights in listening to podcasts about the French revolution, or highlighting textbooks about the psychology of habits, just because it fascinates you. It’s about curiosity, not a qualification, and permission to learn on your own terms by choosing topics that light you up, setting your own pace, and shaping your learning around the life you want to lead. Whether you’re craving creative inspiration, deeper self-understanding, or simply a break from the scroll, here’s what you need to know.
Syllabus of the self
Learning in private, at your own pace, can do more than just improve your general knowledge or teach you a new skill; it can actually shift you into an altered state. Research in Frontiers in Public Health, from 2022, showed that learners with a strong, self-directed learning attitude were more likely to enter ‘flow’ – the mental state linked to focus, satisfaction, and reduced anxiety.
Developing your own personal curriculum even has the potential to impact those around you. Researchers note in a 2025 article, in The Learning Organisation, that workplace teams saw enhanced employee engagement, more creativity and innovation, and even market adaptability, as a result of leaders demonstrating a commitment to learning and development.
But bringing out the textbooks isn’t just for people in the workplace. In fact, 2021 research in The Lancet Healthy Longevity has shown that later-in-life learning provides “intellectually enriching experiences and social engagement opportunities”, which can enhance psychological wellbeing, a sense of empowerment, and decision-making skills for ageing adults.
Class is in session
If you like the idea of having a personal curriculum, leadership coach Astrid Korin suggests imagining the kind of future you are trying to create for yourself. “Start with the kind of life you want to live,” she says. “I know, it’s a big question! But without a sense of direction, it’s hard to know who you want to be in order to live the kind of life you truly want.”
Astrid suggests making time for some self-reflection by asking yourself: what’s most important to me? What do I want my 100-year-old self to see when I look back on my life? What kind of person was I? What did I pay attention to? And what did I let go of?
For example, perhaps you want to look back and feel proud of the relationships you built. From there, you might realise you want to have an impact on the children in your life, or build a local network of friends who create a sense of belonging for you.
Or maybe, when you picture your future self, you hope they’ll feel connected with nature. That might lead you to explore subjects like sustainable living, seasonal gardening, or even the history of local landscapes. The point isn’t to become an expert necessarily, but to deepen your relationship with something that matters to you.
Set your goals
If you’re someone who likes to see tangible progress, consider setting specific, realistic goals you can work towards in a timeframe. For example, if you want to learn more about philosophy, you could set yourself the goal to learn the basics of three key schools of thought – say, stoicism, existentialism, and structuralism – over a set period.
Bear in mind that a year-long study plan doesn’t leave you much flexibility, and could feel overwhelming if you start to ‘fall behind’. Try thinking in seasons, or six-month ‘terms’, where you focus on one goal at a time before moving on.
Astrid points out that if setting goals feels too pressurised, that’s OK. “I always prefer intentions to goals,” she says, “because they allow for more fluidity and less striving – which always feels like hard work.”
Unlike goals, intentions aren’t about reaching a finish line, but more about setting the tone for your experience. While a goal might be to write a screenplay by the end of the year, an intention could be to explore creative writing as a form of self-expression. Goals give you structure and milestones, but intentions offer flexibility and self-compassion.
Gather your resources
Depending on your preferences, budget, and what’s on offer, now it’s time to think about how you want to go about learning. Spend a few hours in research-mode, looking at all the books, podcasts, documentaries, and websites that are available relating to your chosen subject.
There are lots of free resources on offer, so don’t jump straight into an expensive textbook – search your local library or charity shops for interesting books, watch TED talks on YouTube, or create a playlist of podcast episodes in your area of interest.
Design your syllabus
You don’t need to plan every detail, but having a rough map of where you’re headed will help you stay on track, and see your progress. Plan a loose structure: what you’ll explore first; what formats you’ll use (books, podcasts, video tutorials); and how deep you want to go into a subject. But remember to keep it flexible, by considering how much time you can realistically dedicate to your curriculum on a regular basis.
Set yourself assignments
To stay engaged, give yourself small tasks that help you apply what you’re learning as you go. For those learning a practical skill, such as drawing, it could be challenging yourself to create a sketch using a limited colour palette, or experimenting with different shading techniques each week. These mini-assignments can help you build confidence, while also pushing yourself to evolve.
So, whether you’re sketching in the quiet hours, reading about ancient myths, or simply following a spark of curiosity down a rabbit hole, remember, this is your curriculum. It doesn’t need to impress anyone but you, and it might even leave you feeling top of the class.
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