#02 Make Time For Personal Learning
Personal Learning Is A Must
Failing to make time for personal learning is like planning to fail.
If you are not yet convinced that personal learning is a must then you may want to read my article entitled "The Continuous Learning Dilemma". Hopefully this will help you to recognise that personal learning must be treated as an essential part of your work and is therefore a priority that must become routine.
No End To Your Education And No Job For Life
It's a mistake to think that your education was complete when you left school or finished college or university. It's also a mistake to imagine that your education equipped you with a skill for life that you could utilise with little or no change. For the vast majority, continuous learning is a stark reality i.e. our education continues and there is no longer any such thing as a job for life!
Too Busy For Learning
Most people who say they "don't have time to learn" really mean they "don't make time to learn". Time management is a skill that needs to be learned and many people, despite many years of working, still haven't got a handle on it.
If you find yourself in the position of being too busy to learn because of the pressures of the "day job" then please take some time to read my article on being "Crazy Busy". This will hopefully provide you with an escape route to regain control of your work and time so that you can become more pro-active and begin to plan and commit to a regular time for learning.
Use Brute Force If Necessary
In today’s fast-paced business world, no one’s going to force you to engage in continuous learning — a strategy that is essential to your future success. You must take the initiative yourself.
To get started quickly, you may need to just pick a time and place and commit to learning regardless of whatever else is going on or how busy you are at the time. You may even need to hide away to achieve it. Regardless of the circumstances, it will likely prove the best decision and investment you ever made. Good habits are always profitable!
Great Things Come From Small Beginnings
Start small by making a regular commitment to learning in your calendar. Find a time and place that suits you and guard that time jealously! Occasionally you may need to re-schedule to a different date/time but that's usually rare.
You'll soon discover that taking time out to learn as a matter of routine is a refreshing change and you'll probably surprise yourself how quickly you can learn new things when you put your mind to it!
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Tim Simpson
#OldDogNewTrick