I’m really struggling

I signed up in July which was three months after the course started. I still had seven months, which equates to the 28 weeks the course is intended to take. I was motivated, really enjoyed watching Geoffs free videos and felt this was manegeable.

Now I’m really struggling. The PDF’s issued with each section are excellent. The short animations are excellent. Geoff standing in front of a blackboard is a great cure for my insomnia. They are the biggest part of the course by far. The content is interesting but my monkey mind just can’t focus. It wanders all over the place or just shuts down and I wake myself up snoring half an hour later. Module 4 is about patterns - it was by far the longest and hardest to get through. You could spin it off and sell it as a sleep app!

I don’t mean to be disrespectful - Geoff can be incredibly engaging and he’s clearly passionate about his subject. I’m sure he’s a lovely bloke in person. So maybe it’s just me.

I’m wondering if there are any permies who have completed his course could offer me some help? Did you struggle? Do you have any techniques for getting through? The only thing helping me is the fear of having spent a huge chunk of cash and not finishing. I realise with hindsight that this was a bad decission on my part and I would have been much better suited to a two week residential PDC.

I haven't taken a PDC in person or otherwise, but I am a teacher and an accomplished student.

If you can watch the videos on 1.5x-2.0x speed it will go faster and be easier to focus. He speaks pretty slowly.

For reading, I recommend focusing on it structurally. Find the main point, highlight it, find the evidence or supporting points, and then paraphrase it in your notes, in your own words, before moving on. If you can't paraphrase it you don't have it yet. Don't try to read on too much without actually grasping the content.

When you get to the point where you are going to sleep, to me it is best to get up and go do something else.

Come back early in the morning or when you have the most energy.

I have not taken a PDC and most of my knowledge of permaculture is from what I have gotten from the forums.

Patterns are something I find fascinating and also hard to visualize how to use them in my life.

Here is a thread you might enjoy:

https://permies.com/t/164449/patterns-design

Like L Johnson said, "Don't try to read on too much without actually grasping the content."

This is where I get stuck with Patterns.

Just skip the patterns section   I like finding patterns but I'm still not sure why that chapter really matters for permaculture design.  Whether you learn about them or not, you still use patterns to do your design.  

Kinda like explaining how the brain works.  Who cares, it works, let's get on with using it.

L. Johnson wrote:I haven't taken a PDC in person or otherwise, but I am a teacher and an accomplished student.

If you can watch the videos on 1.5x-2.0x speed it will go faster and be easier to focus. He speaks pretty slowly.

For reading, I recommend focusing on it structurally. Find the main point, highlight it, find the evidence or supporting points, and then paraphrase it in your notes, in your own words, before moving on. If you can't paraphrase it you don't have it yet. Don't try to read on too much without actually grasping the content.

Thank you - great advise. Alas the high speed option isn’t available with the platform they use, but I’ll remember that for other online content.
Just found it - that is awesome. I always thought that playing high speed was a gimmick. It works really well with Geoff as he likes his big pauses. In addition, my brain is much more focused because it’s harder. And the bonus is, I can get through content faster.

The PDF’s and animations are mostly summaries, so I maybe able to get away with skipping the longer lectures and then read the chapter in Bill Mollison’s book.

Anne Miller wrote:When you get to the point where you are going to sleep, to me it is best to get up and go do something else.

Great suggestion and doing BB’s has helped but also a distraction as I start my day with them rather than the PDC. I’ve found permies to be a huge help and if I had discovered it first, I wouldn’t have signed up to the PDC but bought the book and supplemented it here with the great case studies in the forums and practicals in the PEP section and then maybe done a two week residential PDC down the road. It was my vision to become a PD Consultant in order to spread the word and connect with local people, build a network and make some friends.

I too find patterns fascinating and as a photographer it was something I was always on the look out for. Some of my own favourite pictures are just simple patterns.

Mike Haasl wrote:Just skip the patterns section   I like finding patterns but I'm still not sure why that chapter really matters for permaculture design.  Whether you learn about them or not, you still use patterns to do your design.  

Kinda like explaining how the brain works.  Who cares, it works, let's get on with using it.

Great advice! I know when I see one but I don’t know how to describe it.