My friend Eric was sharing how he's working to increase his reading to become a more prolific writer. It's the classic garbage in, garbage out, quality in, quality out. The better quality (and quantity) of your reading, the better quality (and quantity) of your writing.

As we talked through our mutual struggle to keep that quality input high, I saw a similarity with my newest daily habit - feeding my sourdough starter. I find a geeky pleasure in caring for my glob of responsibility. I feed it 150 grams of all-purpose flour, 60 grams of whole wheat flour, and 160 grams of water. It bubbles for a day. Then I discard 370 grams of it and repeat.

Feed, bubble, discard. Another model for daily learning is born.

FEED the glob between my ears with rich knowledge. Read, listen, watch, discuss. Start with high quality ingredients. Stir to activate.

BUBBLE. Microbes digest the nutrients and exhale carbon dioxide which creates airy pockets of gas - bubbles. This fermentation makes the bread last longer, stronger in structure, easier to digest, and taste better. All ideal benefits of letting my learning ferment. My learning microbes digest information primarily through reflection and sharing.

DISCARD. This stage feels wasteful at times. It's tough to throw away potential food. But many living and growing things require regular removal, from pruning trees to hair cuts. Picasso said, "Every act of creation is first an act of destruction." Learning is often first an act of unlearning. It's healthy to discard old ideas to make room for new ones to grow.

All this writing about my sourdough starter is making me hungry. I'm off to slice a piece of my freshly baked Poilâne-style wheat, apply some butter, and let my learning bubble for a bit.

A Poilâne-style wheat baked using my sourdough starter