What I have learned from 2024

Last year, I wrote an article about lessons learnt from 2023.

With the new year upon us, I thought this might be a good yearly tradition to continue.

So, here we go...

Let’s start with the good news: you’re not too old, too busy, or too hopelessly tied to Netflix to improve yourself.

A year ago, I had one of those What am I doing with my life? moments.

It wasn’t a full-on existential crisis, but let’s just say I could hear my ambitions softly weeping from the corner of my LinkedIn profile.

I had big career goals, but between work, family life, and the bottomless scroll of Instagram, there never seemed to be enough time.

Then I did something new this year: I invested one hour a week - just one - toward learning and development.

Not five hours a day.

Not an MBA program.

Just 60 minutes a week.

If you’re rolling your eyes, I get it.

But stick with me.

Receiving a reality check

Before I committed to this, I needed a nudge - or in my case, a blunt, no-nonsense reality check from Nicole Schmitz .

Nicole and I met years ago at Macquarie University while working in the Graduations Unit.

Back then, we spent our days organising pomp and circumstance for students whose only goal was getting their family to stop asking, “So, when are you graduating?”

Fast forward to 2021 during the COVID crisis, Nicole has a resume longer than most people double her age, and ran her own leadership coaching business.

What started as a long-overdue Zoom catch-up turned into six months of leadership and career coaching.

There was one particular coaching session where I tried the classic excuse: “I just can’t make the time to do it.”

Nicole didn’t even blink.

“You don’t MAKE time. You prioritise what you want to achieve.”

And there it was: the slap-in-the-face wisdom I didn’t know I needed.

You don’t create time out of thin air.

You rearrange your priorities to reflect what matters.

The Results

Here’s where I tell you about the promotions, the accolades, and the global respect I earned from my peers.

Except…that’s not the point.

The real win wasn’t what I achieved; it was what I learned about myself:

• You don’t need a motivational quote on Linkedin to succeed. You need a calendar reminder and a willingness to shut up and do the work.
• Big, audacious goals are appealing, but small, consistent effort is what gets you there. Think of it as compound interest, but for your brain.
• I didn’t ace every course or master every skill. In fact, there was one Advanced SEO Technical course where I failed the exam three times (and still haven't passed). But every mistake taught me something, which is more than I can say for Netflix.

How to create a learning and development strategy

You don’t need a life overhaul to create a strategy for learning.

You don’t even need to be "smart." (Trust me, I'm not.)

What you need is one hour a week.

Set a timer, pick a skill, and start.

In a year, you’ll look back and wonder why you ever doubted yourself.

And if you’re thinking, “But I don’t have the time!”

Remember: You don’t "make" time.

You prioritise.

So here’s my question: what are you going to do with your next hour?

Because the difference between where you are now and where you want to be isn’t magic.

It’s math.