“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.”
Haruki Murakami
Finding time to learn can often feel like this. We know how important it is to expand our knowledge base and develop new skills, it’s a smart investment in our own professional growth. But how often do we put this on the back burner? During a busy work day, time becomes a hot commodity; People Matters even noted that 69% of organisations flagged a lack of time to set aside for training as the biggest challenge that prevented their teams from staying relevant.
So what can we do to remedy this? We’ve devised three simple strategies that will help you maximise your time to find opportunities to learn even in the busiest of schedules!
1. Time blocking:
It’s the simplest place to start. Instead of letting to-do lists and post-it notes stack up, actively designate time in your diary for learning. It will always become the thing that gets pushed aside if you don’t. Look at your day, or even your week, and see where you can block off a certain amount of precious time to focus on up-skilling. It immediately lets you see where you’re being unrealistic about your scheduling. Even as little as an hour a week can see impressive results. According to Pluralsight, these vital 60 minutes could improve productivity gains, saving around 83.7 hours year. Now that’s definitely time well spent!
2. Learning on the go:
With a smartphone in every hand, it has to be conceded that the future of e-learning is mobile. Being able to stay connected to your training whenever and wherever you are will feed into success. So embrace micro-learning! Platforms like the SocialTalent app allow you to tap into the content you need when you’re on your daily commute, on a coffee break or even when you’re completing daily tasks like cooking or cleaning. The app gives you an opportunity to control your own learning path no matter how busy you are.
3. Habit:
As stated by ThePotentiality: ‘learning is a learned behaviour.’ There is no magic trick or quick fix to sustained results, it’s all a matter of habit. And the sooner you get into the habit of learning the better. Be disciplined in your approach and find ways to strike that balance between training that will lift your career and training you legitimately find interesting. The SocialTalent app lets you see your team’s recent activities and allows you to send and receive kudos, creating a community of learning. Staying informed and interested like this will keep you engaged.
While time might be regarded as the greatest barrier to knowledge for employees, it can certainly be managed effectively. Training needs to be seen as a career necessity, not an obligation, and being both systematic and flexible in your approach is sure to pay dividends. Block off time in your schedule, embrace e-learning on the go and, most importantly, STICK WITH IT!
The post You’re not too busy! 3 ways to find time to learn appeared first on SocialTalent.