What have you recently finished, and what did you learn from it?

Not to do it again. I just rebuilt a very long fence (160 metres) and for the small saving I gained it would have been far better to have had a professional do it. The results are as good or better than a professional, but it took me far too long.

I finished a 12 hour road trip. I learned…that knitting is now the most boring activity in the world, and that I’m never going to finish this shawl…

making rice. I learned I should check to make sure the rice is actually fully cooked before turning off the stove and just assuming because the time had passed

I just finished a book. I (re-)learned that a crappy final 10 pages can totally negate the previous 430, no matter how much you enjoyed those at the time.

@hug_of_war Did you know that you can “cook” rice by standing it in water in a refrigerator overnight? It comes out the same as it would when cooked normally.

I finished a take-home exam. I learned that long-term potentiation is a viable candidate mechanism for memory, and that neither the multiple trace theory nor the standard consolidation model of retrograde amnesia can adequately account for all the data we’ve collected on the topic.

@MacBean: What book?

I finished reading the newspaper, as I do every day, and I learned that more people are figuring out how to survive the depression that ever before.

@nikipedia The Association by Bentley Little.

Just finished my degree in Music Technology. I learned that University is not about achieving a degree but about creating networks amongst peers.
I created an Events Management company whilst studying and learned that now i do not need my degree, but without going to University i would never have met the people that made things happen.

Just finished teaching an adult ed course on Robert Frost and T.S. Eliot. I learned that the students liked Robert Frost’s poetry a lot more than T.S. Eliot’s and I would probably not try to teach Eliot again.

I also learned that I am getting good at changing my lecture and teching style to adapt to the needs of the students.

I just finished applying to grad schools and I learned that you can streamline the process by reusing essays (because they all ask essays from the same set of questions it appears) and to brush up on my essays before the interview because they’re going to ask the same questions again during that. I am now in the process of learning patience in waiting.

Just finished another semester of school! Learned school is where I’m most happy!

I just finished going through all my shoes, and I learned that I have issues parting with shoes.

i just finished my psych class. we took the ap exam the other day (and not to be overconfident, but i’m pretty sure i nailed it :) ), and i’m so sad it’s over haha. i’ve never looked forward to a class so much, and at this point i’d take the class again even with the same information haha. i’m really going to miss it. and i can’t even tell you how much i learned. i feel like i’ve improved the way i think so so much since i began the class.

I just finished another symphonic mix over at TapeGerm based on a short horror story. Learning how to express myself with sound rather than words has become very exciting, and it has gotten my creative juices flowing again.

I finished moving house a week and a half ago, and I learnt that stability is more important to me than I could have possibly known.

I finished a very long semester and I learned that I really do need to take time for myself because it IS possible for me to burn-out.

I just finished my school rowing career, and I learned that I chose the right sport to play during my school life. It has given me so much, and I am grateful.

What a great question, @elisedesigns. Though it was asked back in May, I have only stumbled upon it now. Your only 37 lurve means you haven’t been around since then… but perhaps we can resurrect this excellent question. KIt would be interesting to know what people have learnt upon completion of things, because that also gives others a first-hand perspective of something from start through fruition. I hope there are some interesting contributions here.

I haven’t completed anything recently, I procrastinate a lot, and I am in the middle (I guess) of stuff right now.

GQ!