JOSEPH WEINTRAUB
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Learning a new skill takes commitment. And there are certain limits to what you can learn. So, before starting working on a new skill, ask yourself:
- If your goal really is attainable
- How much time and energy you can give to this process.
Make sure the skills you've chosen are relevant to your career, your organization, or both.
Gaining a new skill is an investment and you need to know upfront what the return will be.
You can find out your ideal learning style by looking back: review your past learning experiences and make a list of the good ones and another list of bad ones, in order to see the elements they had in common.
By doing this, you'll be able to define the learning environment that works for you.
Find and approach someone you trust who has mastered the skill you’re trying to attain. This will greatly increase your learning.
If you can’t find a mentor inside your company, look for people in your industry or from your network
Choose one or two skills to focus on at a time, and break them down into manageable goals. This will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.
Also, take the time to reflect on what you're learning. Thinking and talking about your progress will help you get valuable feedback and will keep you accountable.
One of the quickest ways to learn something new, and to practice it, is to teach others how to do it.
So share what you learn with your team, your manager, or your co-workers.
RELATED IDEAS
Decide whether what you're trying to improve is mostly a habit or mostly a skill: if your main problem is with doing something you already know how to do, but doing it consistently, that’s probably a habit. If your main problem is not knowing how to do something well enough, that’s probably a skill.
In school, your teachers worked out a lesson plan and made sure you were aiming in the right direction. When you're teaching yourself, you have to do it yourself.
- Deconstruct and select: Every skill can be broken down into pieces. Find out what are the minimal learnable segments you should start with for success and focus on that first.
- Find a mentor: If you're unfamiliar with a skill, you may not know what is worth learning from the start. Find a mentor to help you.
- Stop learning and start doing: Once you know the basics, put them into practice wherever you can.
Motivation is not a switch. Motivation is a flow.
If you can create a self sustaining motivation engine, you’ll not only be able to find more meaning and purpose in your life, but you’ll be able to enjoy every minute of what you’re doing, which will make your roles and responsibilities less of a chore.