INTRODUCTION

Lighthouses were invented around 500 B.C. Modern lighthouses have a big reflective light bulb at the very top, so that ships can identify where the water meets land and won't accidentally run into the shoreline.

Ever wonder how they change the light bulb in a lighthouse?

From the outside, it looks pretty straightforward. There's a ladder attached to the lighthouse, and any brave soul can climb straight up, rung by rung, reach the top, and change the bulb.

I tell this story because it illustrates how a popular saying,, "just learn things one rung at a time", might sounds like good advice when solving a complex problem or learning a completely new subject. There's an implied promise that if we just "take it one step at a time" we can master any topic we want!

I'm here to tell you the bad news that this is sort of advice is mostly wrong. To be sure, there's a grain of truth that will resonate with most folks to some extent. It actually works to some extent in practice. But the "one rung at a time" analogy just isn't sufficient. It can leave you with a feeling of "well, I'm still having a hard time learning this thing, so I'm the problem. I'm not smart enough to learn this yet." And that's unfortunate, because that feeling is almost always a lie and causes many of us to self-select out of experiences that we could otherwise participate in.

The Missing Ingredient

Why doesn't this advice work as well as it sounds? Because it's only half the story, not the whole story.

What's missing? The answer might surprise you, as it surprised me.

The missing element is time.

When you're trying to learn something non-trivial, then of course we take one step at a time. We already know this from the idea of breaking big problems into small pieces so that you have a place to begin. But there will always be a natural limit to how much we can learn in any one sitting, one day, or one week.

Those "learn cooking in 9 minutes!" videos generate a lot of clicks - because, of course, they're too good to be true. Those videos are a lie because complex, new topics require your brain be given time to digest, to explore, to ruminate, to fully grok something truly new. The cliché "let it sink in" is actually very good advice! You need time to allow your subconscious to make sense of information that initially feels a little out of reach.

Let's go back to the ladder analogy, but instead of trying to take one step immediately after the other, let's add a time delay between rungs. "During that time delay, what should you do? Continue learning, but pick a different sub-topic to focus on for a while. You're still making progress, but giving your brain a break from the specific concept that was challenging.

Ok let's go back to the beginning: how do you change a lightbulb in a lighthouse?

Complimentary Context

That ladder on the outside isn't really how it's done. It's there just in case, but the truth is that lighthouses have spiral staircases inside. That's how you get to the top.

Here's the key: imagine that each side of the lighthouse represents different subtopics or areas that you need to learn in order to master the overall topic or to solve the entire problem. Each time you make a revolution on the stairs, you're returning to the same subtopic again but at a higher level.

Here's a quick example. Support you're starting to learn a foreign language. The current "side" of the spiral is all about present-tense verbs, so you're spending a good amount of time on learning how to speak and write present-tense verbs. That's a pretty challenging step when you're first starting out. Instead of the "next rungs" - future tense, past tense, imperfect forms - you should go around the stairs by spending a little time on nouns and articles and colors - and then after a while, come back to verbs to learn past tense. Same topic, but now at higher level, and your brain has had much more exposure to the context and nuance of the language that you're trying to learn.

So you need time to rest between rungs, and you also need to build (what I call) complimentary context. You need to allow your subconscious to really absorb the material, and that can only happen if you work on something else in the meantime: something related, so that you can take advantage of both the Rule of Adjacency and the Zone of Proximal Development.

Examples

Here are a couple of real-world examples of how to climb the spiral staircase.

Photography: spiral on "Understanding Light".

Level 1: Notice if it's bright enough to take a clear photo. Depending on the camera you're using, you might be able to see a "light meter" to help you out. - Success! Your photos aren't blurry or too dark. - Meanwhile at this level: Learning basic composition, how to hold camera, simple editing

Level 2: Recognize golden hour is prettier, avoid harsh midday sun - Success! Your photos have better mood and color. - Meanwhile: Learning about different subjects, candid shots, basic filters - Then come back: Understand why morning light is different from evening

Level 3: See direction of light, know hard vs soft, position subjects accordingly - Success! You're deliberately using light as a creative tool. - Meanwhile: Advanced composition, working with people, building portfolio - Then come back: Learn to modify light with reflectors, find/create shade

Level 4: Master multiple light sources, balance ambient and artificial, create specific moods - Success! You can shoot in any condition and get professional results. - Meanwhile: Color theory, complex editing, client work - Then come back: Understand color temperature, gels, complex lighting setups

Level 5: Understand physics of light, teach others to see it, create signature lighting styles - Meanwhile: Running a business, mentoring, developing artistic vision

Guitar: The Spiral Topic is "Learning Chords"

Level 1: Three basic open chords (G, C, D) - Success! You can play dozens of simple songs. - Meanwhile at this level: Learning to hold the guitar, basic down strumming, switching between chords smoothly

Level 2: Come back to chords - add more open chords (Em, Am, E, A), learn your first barre chord (F) - Success! You can play most pop and folk songs. - Meanwhile at this level: Strumming patterns with upstrokes, reading chord charts, playing in time with a metronome - Then come back: Understand chord families (I-IV-V), why these chords sound good together

Level 3: Come back to chords - 7th chords (G7, Cmaj7, Dm7), sus chords, power chords - Success! You can play blues, jazz standards, rock songs accurately. - Meanwhile: Fingerpicking, basic scales, playing with others, singing while playing - Then come back: Moveable barre chord shapes, chord inversions up the neck

Level 4: Come back to chords - extended chords (9ths, 11ths, 13ths), diminished, augmented, jazz voicings - Success! You can play sophisticated music, create interesting arrangements. - Meanwhile: Improvising solos, music theory, ear training, recording yourself - Then come back: Voice leading between chords, chord melody style, CAGED system

Level 5: Come back to chords - understand chord construction from intervals, create custom voicings, teach chord theory - Meanwhile: Performing, composing, arranging for multiple instruments, developing signature sound

Plant Care: spiral on the topic of "Watering"

Level 1: Water when the top inch of soil feels dry, use your finger to check - Success! Your pothos stays alive and grows. - Meanwhile at this level: Learning which plants are beginner-friendly, where to place them near windows, dusting leaves

Level 2: Come back to watering - recognize overwatering vs underwatering symptoms, learn different plants need different frequencies - Success! You can diagnose why a plant is struggling, adjust schedules. - Meanwhile: Learning about fertilizing basics, repotting, picking soil at the store - Then come back: Understand drainage holes matter, succulents vs tropicals

Level 3: Come back to watering - seasonal adjustments (less in winter), bottom watering technique, humidity considerations - Success! Your plants thrive year-round, no root rot. - Meanwhile: Propagating cuttings, identifying pests, choosing specialized pots - Then come back: Use moisture meters, self-watering systems, rainwater vs tap

Level 4: Come back to watering - water quality (chlorine, minerals), specific needs by plant family, drought stress techniques - Success! Handle finicky rare plants, optimize for growth spurts. - Meanwhile: Creating microclimates, advanced propagation, building collections - Then come back: Understand osmosis and root pressure, teach others to diagnose

Level 5: Come back to watering - understand plant physiology of water uptake, xylem function, research and experiment - Meanwhile: Breeding cultivars, designing indoor gardens, mentoring

You've reached the top

A spiral staircase lifts you upward and circles you back past familiar sights. Each revolution feels recognisable, yet the view is slightly higher, the angle a bit different. In teaching, the “steps” are new ideas; the “circle” is deliberate return to earlier material—now approached with deeper nuance.

Where Big Rocks First taught us to sequence essentials and Context Is Everything showed the value of adjacency, the spiral staircase fuses both: we plant the biggest, most relatable rocks first, then loop back to them again and again, layering complexity as capacity grows.