The developments in technology have necessitated that we learn continuously to keep pace with the changing dynamics around us.
Learning is no longer confined to children or young adults. Even those in the middle and old ages must learn to stay relevant to the job market. But apart from the “need” for continuous learning, it’s also fun.
Whether it’s to upgrade skills or enjoy the process, inculcating a habit to learn something new with each passing day, contributes immensely to our personal development.
To achieve the maximum results from learning, set a specific career path that you like the most. Define clear goals or outcomes you’d like to achieve.
This will give a sense of direction to your learning and make it more productive.
Here are some ideas that’ll help you on your journey of lifelong learning.
The internet and the social media allows you to join communities with experts and amateurs from around the world.
Alternately, there are also local communities for specialized professions.
Join a community which is relevant to your field of profession or passion. Learn from the members and also make your contributions. Gradually, you’ll become an integral part of it.
Every conversation with every person in such a community can be a new learning experience.
However, even if you become an expert member of your community, never stop learning. Even the new members might teach you something new or give you a new perspective.
What you can do: Join or build one online or offline community at a time and actively participate in its activities.
Learn to focus on things that matter to you the most. Don’t let distractions get in the way of your learning.
If you’re reading something, watching an informative video, attending a seminar or training, or having a conversation with someone from whom you can gain valuable insights; leave aside everything else and focus on the moment.
At such times, keep your phone on silent, turn off social media notifications, and don’t multitask.
And yes, switch off the television! The idiot box has its way to pull your attention even if you aren’t watching it.
What you can do: Reserve one hour a day when you will not answer calls, surf the net or watch television. Spend that time on things that you love – be it writing, painting, or learning a new language or a game.
Leverage technology and use it as a source as well as a tool of learning. When you come across a new piece of information or idea, make notes on your smartphones.
There are numerous apps such as Evernote that allow you to note important things immediately.
Save and store important documents or videos so that you can keep revisiting them in future. Make optimum utilization of technology at your disposal by subscribing to podcasts, live conferences, videos, digital newsletters, and other sources of digital content which will help you learn.
What you can do: Join an online course may be on Lynda or Udemy or elsewhere. Devote some dedicated time per week in learning or practicing something new which may or may not be directly linked to your job or business.
The above methods are great enablers for developing a learning habit that only improves with age. We now have exponentially more information at our fingertips with the developments in technology.
The tools for learning are ready for you to use them. So, make good use of them by following the above steps.
