Why What You Know Is Becoming Obsolete

Learning new knowledge is more important than what you already know.

Because what you know is rapidly becoming obsolete.

Imagine if you had a 100% perfect memory and full knowledge of everything that was possible to accomplish on the Salesforce Platform in 2014 (ten full years ago).

You would've commanded a large salary and been sought out by many companies as an ideal problem solver.

So what? What's interesting about that?

• Well, it's 2014, Salesforce Lightning has not been released
• Process Builder (retired in 2023) also hasn't even been released yet
• You can automate things - but only by using workflow rules, Apex Code, or an extremely clunky version of the flow builder (with way less features) that looked like this:

Ick.

Countless hours would've gone into your study of the Salesforce Platform to have achieved perfect knowledge in 2014.

Perhaps many years of hard won experience.

And it's value today?

Some - but not much.

Pretend you're a manager today in 2025 who must hire one of the following:

1. The imaginary person with perfect 100% knowledge of Salesforce in 2014, who (due to a mysterious space-time anomaly) has no knowledge of Salesforce past 2014
2. A Salesforce admin who has spent 30 minutes a day studying (and applying) Salesforce best practices for the last 1 year

Crazy to say, but I'd personally pick option 2!

The ten year time horizon in the example highlights the main point: many forms of knowledge are worth less over time.

Knowledge decreases in value

Only 2.5 years ago, ChatGPT wasn't a word that meant anything to most of us.

Today, it's a little unusual for someone in our field not to have heard of ChatGPT and other AI tools.

The knowledge frontier continually expands.

And, as it does, what we know degrades in value.

So - what to do? 

Continually invest in yourself with both time AND money.

• Spend 20+ minutes a day learning a skill that works well with what you currently know
• Invest money each month "buying" new skills or knowledge (courses, certifications, in-person training, etc)

One mentor of mine went so far as to recommend that 30% of your discretionary income EVERY month go into "doubling down on your own brain".

The best skills to invest in?

Anything that gets you into a Flow State. 

Why a flow state?

Enhanced Learning and Retention:

• Studies suggest that individuals in a flow state experience improved learning and memory retention. This is because the flow state is associated with optimal levels of engagement and focus, which facilitate deeper cognitive processing.
• A study by Ullén et al. (2012) found that flow states are linked to increased dopamine release, which enhances attention and memory formation. This neurochemical boost can lead to better learning outcomes.

Productivity and Performance:

• Research by Csikszentmihalyi and colleagues indicates that people in a flow state are up to 500% more productive than when they are not in flow. This heightened productivity translates to faster and more effective learning.

The deeper in flow you get, the faster you learn and the more you retain.

It's a competitive advantage for you against everyone else learning the same topic.

Your brain is in "superhero mode" for that topic, so that's where you dive deep.

In so doing, your knowledge will stay relevant, you'll be learning valuable skills, AND you'll be having fun.

It's the best way to fight the half life of knowledge:

And thats a wrap.

So - what’s one skill you’re investing in this month?