Working as a coach, I often talk to people about the obstacles in their way when it comes to accomplishing their learning goals (or creating learning goals in the first place).
One problem that I hear very often is that people are busy and have a difficult time figuring out where they can squeeze in learning and personal development time in their already packed schedules.
I get it. I’m sure you truly are busy, and I do not question that at all.
So I’m going to give you some quick, actionable tips on how you can create some time to level yourself up – even when your calendar is already pretty colorful.
1. Prioritize Learning
2. Decide what you can eliminate
3. Squeeze in learning during “downtime”
4. When you have kids…
5. Keep it Simple
Prioritize it
Often, when people say they “don’t have time”, what they mean is they are not making that option a priority.
I know, sometimes it can suck to hear, but it’s true.
If you’re already running on all cylinders, hoping to squeeze something in is dependent on both a) remembering that you even have something to do and b) being motivated to do it.
So the first thing you can do is prioritize your learning.
Pick one thing you want to learn about. Anything at all. For this first one, make it something you want to learn, not something you have to learn. We’ll tackle that once we get some momentum built up.
Once you have your subject or skill chosen, write down what it is. Write it down somewhere you’ll see it – don’t just put it in your memos and never look at it again. Put it on a markerboard by your desk, write it on your mirror with an erasable marker (wet-erase can work wonders here!), stick a Post-It on your computer monitor, whatever you gotta do.
I like to write mine on the front page of my Rocketbook reusable smart notebook that I use for my daily journaling and notes. I check this every day for my goals, big objectives, and habits to focus on.
Next, we need to…
Make Room for it
Now we need to figure out what is getting in the way.
Do a quick audit of how you spend your time. Be honest – where is your time going?
How much are you using social media every day? Could some of that time be rolled over into more useful pursuits?
Could you spend some time learning rather than getting sucked into a game?
Are there tasks on your to-do list that you could ask someone to take over for you, automate, or eliminate?
If you want to go big, you can track how you spend your time for a week or two using a simple spreadsheet (Google Sheets works well) in 30-minute increments.
Android and iOS both have methods to track how you spend your time on your phone – I go into some detail about how to find and use these features on my technology blog here.
Once you have an idea of how you spend your time, you can start to get a feel for where you can fit in your learning.
Squeeze it in During Downtime
Do you commute to or from work? Clean your house? Exercise? Cook?
Then congrats – you’ve just found a TON of time for learning.
Now, I’m not recommending that you do visually intense studies while driving or try to perform a handstand while cooking.
But if you’re selective about your materials, and put a little time into preparation, you can easily squeeze in some podcasts or audiobooks.
Tools for any platform also exist to rip the audio track out of videos for free.
This means you can take your video course, rip out the audio, put it on your phone (or send it to your cloud storage of choice), and now you can listen to it anywhere without worrying about chewing up your data plan playing videos.
You can also get the Kindle app for any device (Windows/Mac, Android, iOS) and carry an entire library with you wherever you go. Find yourself waiting at the doctor’s office, maintenance shop, or while picking your kids up from school? Flip open your e-book instead of going on social media or playing a game.
Better yet, bury your time-waster apps on another page and leave your reading and learning apps right in your face on your main screen.
There are plenty of opportunities to get a little education in – be mindful of them when they arrive and be prepared ahead of time so you can make the most of it.
When You Have Kids…
I have three kids (and another on the way). I understand that learning while parenting kicks the difficulty up a notch.
So many questions…
But there are a few ways we can try to hack this:
- Can you get up an hour earlier?
- Can you get your learning in after bedtime?
- What about during naps?
- Can you learn together?
- Side note: learning with your kids is a great opportunity to practice the Feynman Technique – simplify what you have learned, explain it to your kids, and have them teach you what they understand
- Can you get them involved in an independent learning project of their own, or is there a class they could attend?
- Do you have someone (spouse, relatives, neighbors, random passers-by) you could have watch the kids for a short time so you can focus?
- Can you think of any other times where you can get 20-30 minutes of “focus time”?
Get creative. If you’ve prioritized your learning and committed to improving yourself, you can find a way to overcome this challenge.
Brainstorm on this for a few minutes, try to come up with 10-20 ideas on what you could do. Then pick the most likely solution and try it out.
Finally, we need to remember to…
Keep it Simple
Don’t overwhelm yourself with what you plan to learn.
Pick your subject. Break it down into bite-size pieces and decide in what order they need to be tackled. Decide how you can tackle the first piece. Then, simply start.
Shoot for short study sessions at the beginning – watch one video, read for ten minutes, do one exercise. You can ramp it up as you go along, but I don’t advise trying to study for more than 20-30 minutes without a break anyway (people can’t concentrate for much longer than that anyway).
Consistency is key. It is better to study for ten minutes per day than to study for 50 minutes every 5 days. Permit yourself to cut it short if you need to.
Try the Pomodoro Technique – focus intensely for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. Repeat this four times (or fewer if you don’t have time for four). After four, take a 30-minute break and do something rewarding. Grab yourself a timer and try it out.
Always reward yourself after getting your studies done. We like our rewards, and they help to keep us motivated.
Be realistic about the time you can devote at once, be kind to yourself regarding your progress, and don’t overcomplicate it.
Bonus: Some Resources
Here are some learning resources to get you started (in no particular order):
- SuperHuman Academy (consider starting your learning journey by seriously boosting your memory and reading speed with the SuperLearner Masterclass, or check out this FREE book offer)
- Udemy (wide range of classes, often steeply discounted)
- edX (options to pay for certifications)
- Khan Academy (geared towards teenage learners)
- Coursera (paid learning tracks and certifications)
- Stanford Online (yes, that Stanford)
- MIT Open Courseware (yes, that MIT)
- Professor Messer (free computer training for CompTIA’s A+/Net+/Security+)
- YouTube (for more than just kids watching other kids play video games…)
- Duolingo (language learning app)
- Drops (also a language learning app – focuses on very short study sessions and visual cues)
- Project Gutenberg (eBooks)
- TED (mostly 5-20 minute presentations on many subjects)
Thank you for taking the time to read this article – I hope it helps you to begin your learning journey!
If you are interested in ways you can boost your memory, improve your reading speed and comprehension, and supercharge your learning, get in touch with me here to book a free, 30-minute consultation to discuss the SuperLearner© Methodology (or check it out yourself here). I have used this course to boost my reading speed to over 750 words per minute with 80% comprehension and to memorize lists of 20 random words in under one minute – and you can learn these skills in just a few months!
It might be a great place to start your learning journey…
Until next time!