According to a LinkedIn study, the number one reason employees abandon learning is a lack of time. This is a common grievance for many people drowned in hectic schedules at both work and home.
But this could have long-term ramifications. A lack of personal development could prevent you from pursuing your life goals. It could keep you from staying relevant and leave you with a stagnant career.
Lifelong learning is an essential investment in yourself. It’s how you create growth for yourself and deliver exponential value to those around you. This is likely why the richest and the most successful people in the world swear by it. Bill Gates, for instance, reads one book a week. And Warren Buffett reportedly spends 80% of his time reading.
Now, developing a Buffett-like reading habit is not going to happen overnight. But you need to start somewhere. So, here are 5 tips to boost your learning time despite a busy schedule.
1. Go bite-size
With traditional learning, you need to commit at least an hour to a classroom lecture. For many people, it could be a struggle to hold their attention for that long, even if they could afford the time.
But microlearning assets could help retain focus and leave you with better learning outcomes. And by setting bite-size learning goals, it’s easier to develop a consistent habit of learning. Allocating 10 minutes a day is a more achievable mandate for most people with busy schedules. You can easily slip it in right before bedtime or even during a break at work.
2. Choose audio
The conventional ways of reading are not for everyone. Some people are slow readers, and others may just not enjoy reading. Besides, it often demands a lot of focus and a more conducive context—a quiet mind and a quiet place.
But audio learning content can ease a lot of the pain points of text-based learning. And it’s available in plenty of formats, from podcasts to ebooks. Best of all, it’s a highly versatile learning mode. With the help of audio content, you can learn in the shower, while jogging, or even when commuting. So, it’s time to swap those music tracks for a podcast.
3. Maximize conversations
Your network could be an excellent source of learning, too. Social learning is effective because of several reasons. It’s much more engaging and as a result, you’re likely to retain knowledge better. It allows learning through real-life experiences and also to seek clarifications in person. Besides, you hardly need to make an effort. Learning could take place in the form of a simple conversation over a coffee, a casual phone call, or even a chat on an online community forum.
So surround yourself with lots of people with different interests and expertise. And regularly check in with them. You’re guaranteed to enjoy the conversations while learning a thing or two.
4. Put down the phone
An average person spends 3.5 hours a day on their phone. And most of it is just habitual glancing — checking and rechecking emails, messages, and social media updates with a constant fear of losing out. In fact, many people just stare at their phone to kill time, while they’re standing in a queue to pay at the cashier or waiting for a friend at a coffee shop.
Now, cutting down 10 minutes from your daily screen time could be a significant enough saving to invest in learning. So, do what you’ve got to do to get over your FOMO.
Learning, similar to all other things, has dramatically evolved over the years. There are more opportunities today for personal development than there has ever existed. Instead of sitting through a lecture, learning can take place now with a podcast, audio lesson, e-book, online conference, networking session, gamification, social learning, and countless other formats. But making the time for it is your responsibility. And sometimes, all it takes is a little bit of ingenuity.
