Sit Back and Listen. You'll Learn if You Pay Attention.

When was the last time you just sat back and listened to the world that’s going on around you? An hour? A day? A week?

I was listening to an episode of the Ruby Rogues podcast the other day while I was driving home from work. While I was listening, I learned several things about the different people that were on the podcast that I didn’t know before. Then it dawned on me that I’ve been purposely doing this sort of accidental learning for years. I had just never fully realized it until that moment.

While a lot of developers like to slap on some headphones and jam to their favorite bands, I tend to leave my headphones off, just in case I might pick up on something that I hadn’t learned before.

So, one day, just for a little bit, take off the headphones. Sit back, listen to the things going on around you. You never know what you’ll pick up on that you might have missed out on before.