Tips for Being a Learn-It-All

The older we become, the further away we get from our learning spirit. In the US, our structured education system is designed that way. Eventually, it falls to the individual to be motivated to learn. This isn't an easy proposition, but is critical for personal and professional growth.

When The Ladders interviewed Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, Nadella stated:

[Say] you have two students — one of them has more innate capability, and the other has less. The person who has less, but is a learn-it-all, will ultimately [become] better. That applies to CEOs, and that applies to companies. I think it has been a helpful cultural metaphor for us to say that you can’t act like a know-it-all; you have to be a learn-it-all.

This is a lofty goal that is out of reach for many due to time constraints. In today's 'always on' world, it can be hard to prioritize learning. Simply focusing can be difficult.

Here are my tips for getting organized and developing successful habits and routines to become a Learn-It-All!

Identify downtime and take advantage

The first step to being a learn-it-all is to simply find the time to do it. Routine helps out here. A simple place to start might be your commute. Over the years, my commute has varied from 30 - 60 - 90 minutes. While this can be a great time to take phone calls and have meetings, these are usually low value due to the lack of note taking and poor follow up. Leveraging your commute time for learning on a 30 minute commute yields 5 hours of learning per week.

If you exercise, this can be another great opportunity to learn. This is a methodology employed by Bill Gates. He learns about new topics as he exercises on the treadmill. I do the same, whether on the treadmill or running outside. I average 40-60 minutes per session and usually fit in 3-5 sessions per week. That's another potentially 5 hours of learning per week.

I listened to an audiobook during the 2017 Rocky Run. Warning - books may lower your pace!

Identify downtimes like these in your routines and take advantage of the time. Other examples might be waiting for your kids at a practice, winding down at end of the day, getting ready for work in the morning, or taking a break at lunch instead of plowing through your work.

Not all learning takes place in long chunks of time. It is important to optimize shorter periods of time as well. Before we learn about ways to learn during downtime, let's get focused.

Organize Topics

In order to get the most out of your downtime, focus on the topics that interest you. Over the years, I've learned about various topics including digital privacy and digital transformation, which I write about now regularly. In my most recent position, I've added financial services and insurance to my learning topics to help me focus on my customer's needs more effectively.

The list doesn't have to be formalized, just keep it in the back of your head. As you learn more about a topic, you will find keywords that will lead to ancillary topics of interest, opening up new avenues to learning. Be sure to pursue these paths as well.

Lastly, don't be afraid to completely stray from your list. When "Hamilton" came out, I decided to pick up Ron Chernow's "Alexander Hamilton." This book helped me have intelligent and interesting conversations, both in personal and professional environments due to its current cultural relevance.

After reading it, I came back to my list of topics and kept learning (and did indulge myself in a semi-related work of fiction, David Liss's "The Whiskey Rebels").

Learning Resources - Longer Stretches of Time

Everyone learns differently, but now that you have identified a mix of longer times and shorter times to learn in, let's cover where you can find resources to learn from and what learning activities fit where.

Most of us have some sort of commute. When driving (and running outside or exercising), audio is the best way to learn. I maintain an Audible subscription for both pleasure listening and learning. For example, I'm listening to the insanity of Tom Sweterlitsch's "The Gone World" for pleasure, but previously, I have listened to Yuval Noah Harari's excellent "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow" to learn about his near term predictions for humanity and technology. Often books read for pleasure open opportunities for learning new perspectives and empathy.

An Audible subscription might not be for you though. If not, podcasts have been experiencing a resurgence over the past few years. With your topics in mind, search some keywords in your favorite podcast app and subscribe. It is trial and error to find what you like, but once you find one, it is a constantly renewable source of learning. Here are some in my library.

If you find yourself on the treadmill or in a stationary position, even during your commute (a bus or train), video might work better. YouTube is a great resource for learning. I have a login to YouTube and have created channels with videos I want to watch, based on topic. This does require planning, but if you find a YouTube Channel that posts regularly, subscribe and it will save you some time!

Lastly, check out university websites. MIT Sloan posts webcasts fairly regularly, as do others. Also, use Bing's video tab to search. Not all video content is on YouTube and you might uncover a new site that updates their content regularly. Simply bookmark the page and check back regularly.

You can download some YouTube videos to your mobile device through the official app, but it does require a subscription to YouTube Red.

Learning Resources - Shorter Stretches of Time

Oftentimes, we pull out our phones during short periods of downtime. We check email, social media, or play mobile games. Instead, use short bursts of downtime for learning. The key is to have the content ready to go so you aren't wasting time searching for it.

For years, I've been using Flipboard as my mobile magazine. This app allows you to subscribe to topics curated by their staff and members. For example, I am subscribed to the following topics: Microsoft, Net Neutrality, Gen-X, Technology, FinTech and some others at the moment. I don't have to plan anything since the app refreshes the content on its own. I can quickly flip through and read whatever I have time for.

Another recommendation is to create a learning (or professional) Twitter account. Find thought leaders from the topics you are interested and start following them. This is a great, fast way to stay on top of the latest news for your topics as they are always sharing.

Other places to check for topics that interest you that are fast and don't require planning are LinkedIn Groups and Medium. Remember, you want something quick and easy that surfaces readily available to content to you based on your pre-defined topics.

Application and Engagement

As you learn, you will develop more insights into the news around your topics. A powerful way to get a return on your learning is to apply it and engage with others. One easy way to apply your new knowledge is to apply your context and insight when sharing information on social media. Too many people, even thought leaders, will only share out articles without any of their insight. This is a huge missed opportunity for you and your network. Always share your perspective!

If you are feeling brave, write about your insights. LinkedIn and Medium are great self-publishing starting points. Writing tips aren't included in this article, but draft, edit, publish. Even if you aren't comfortable, at least give it a try.

Learn-It-All

Being a Learn-It-All has impacted both my professional and personal life. Without ongoing learning, I wouldn't have been able to adapt over my career. For my kids, it means that their dad understands the world a little better and can provide them context and guidance around an array of topics.

What strategies have you employed to keep learning? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

About Matthew Sekol:

Matthew Sekol is an Account Technology Strategist in Financial Services for Microsoft with a degree from Penn State in English. With a mix of creativity and a passion for computers, he has a unique perspective on life, business and technology.

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