10 Practical tips to "Learn" in such crazy time!

If you have some; or lots of free time being quarantined or working from home, here are few practical tips to use this time in the best way possible….LEARNING!

1.Set learning targets:

Don't miss this step, it affects all what comes next. Spend just 10 minutes to reflect and think about 2 or 3 key skills that you have been thinking on how to develop for a long time; and didn’t have time to do. Write them down, set them as a target to learn about within this week or two. Use all the below ideas to achieve your learning target.

2.Create learning groups:

Using social apps or professional digital apps, choose 3 people to be your social "support group" for learning. You might think of setting criteria for choosing them as:

Role Models: they are well known for being best in the skills you are looking to develop

Experts: known as bookworms, knowledge lovers and being helpful people

Optimists: Those who push you with their positive energy, see bright things around, not pessimists and energy sucking people who would drag you down

Once you set the group, share knowledge together, talk about insights and findings, ask for help or support in finding more and assigns tasks and knowledge gaining missions to each other. make it a competition and have fun!

3.Watch TV:

If you have a smart TV, use it to search for TED Talks or similar learning videos instead of the phone screen. If it’s going to be Netflix, you can try the documentaries as well.

4.Listen while you walk:

Put your sneakers on and go for a walk with the headphones and listen to audiobooks or podcast about your required skill

5.Teach-back:

The highest knowledge recalling level as per Edgar’s dale: cone of adult learning” happens when you repetitively talk about something, that's called "teaching-back". Use what you just learned to share the knowledge.

Write it and post it.

Say it and share it.

Record it and uploaded it.

Tell your kids, friends or colleagues about it!

6.Make yourself available for someone else to teach-back to you

Either from the support group or anyone else. Take the time to listen and may be learn something new as well, be proactive about it and ask them to teach you something

7.Trade Facebook with LinkedIn, HBR and others...

I know that we can't give up social media-specially in crazy time- but try to trade some of the browsing time with another browsing activity but for reading articles related to your learning goals on professional platforms

8.Don't read books

Yes, you read that right, you don't need to read a whole book from start to end, make it a targeted reading, read what's serving your learning objective or required skill, may it be a page, a chapter or few pages from several books

9.Utilize e-learning platforms

I mentioned few in my last articles, but here are few more (both for free and with fees): Coursera - Udemy - LinkedIn Learning - TEDEd - Alison - edx and by the way, don't underestimate the famous YouTube, remember, all technology are just tools, you either use it to watch cute cats or learn about psychology :)

10.Play games :)

Just search the internet and you will find hundreds of free online games, webpages and apps for language, memory, brain and even business strategy that you can utilize, here's a lead..

Duolingo (app) - freerice.com - mentalup.co - memory.com - Lumosity.com

Stay Safe, optimistic and learning...