How can you learn to be more self-directed?

1 Assess your readiness

Before you embark on a self-directed learning journey, you need to assess your readiness to take on this responsibility. This means evaluating your motivation, self-discipline, self-awareness, and learning preferences. You can use various tools and frameworks, such as the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, the VARK model, or the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, to help you with this assessment. The goal is to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a self-directed learner, and to set realistic and achievable goals for improvement.

2 Plan your learning

Once you have a clear idea of your learning goals and needs, you need to plan your learning activities and resources. This involves finding relevant and reliable sources of information, such as books, articles, podcasts, courses, mentors, or peers. You also need to decide how much time and effort you will devote to each activity, and how you will organize your schedule and environment to support your learning. A useful tool for planning your learning is the SMART framework, which helps you to make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

3 Monitor your progress

As you engage in your learning activities, you need to monitor your progress and check if you are meeting your goals and expectations. This requires you to be self-reflective and self-regulated, meaning that you can assess your own performance, identify gaps and errors, and adjust your strategies accordingly. You can use various methods to monitor your progress, such as self-testing, feedback, journals, portfolios, or rubrics. The key is to be honest and critical with yourself, and to celebrate your achievements and learn from your failures.

4 Seek feedback

Although self-directed learning is about being independent, it does not mean that you have to learn in isolation. Seeking feedback from others can be very helpful for improving your learning outcomes and gaining new perspectives. You can seek feedback from various sources, such as instructors, mentors, peers, or online communities. However, you need to be selective and constructive with the feedback you receive, and to use it to enhance your learning process. You also need to be respectful and appreciative of the feedback providers, and to reciprocate by giving feedback to others.

5 Apply your learning

The ultimate goal of self-directed learning is to apply your learning to real-life situations and problems. This means that you need to transfer your knowledge and skills from one context to another, and to demonstrate your competence and creativity. You can apply your learning in various ways, such as solving a challenge, creating a project, teaching someone else, or sharing your insights. Applying your learning not only helps you to consolidate and deepen your understanding, but also to showcase your value and contribution.

6 Review your learning

The final step of self-directed learning is to review your learning experience and evaluate its effectiveness and impact. This means that you need to reflect on what you have learned, how you have learned it, and why it matters. You also need to identify what you have achieved, what you have struggled with, and what you can do better next time. Reviewing your learning helps you to recognize your growth and development, to appreciate your efforts and results, and to plan your next steps and goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?