In Nov last year, I shared my thoughts on the joy of learning and being a lifelong learner.
Learning doesn't stop after our formal education years.
As long as we learn, new synaptic connections get formed in our brains. These connections get stronger as learning becomes reinforced and repeated. The word "boredom" disappears from our vocabulary, when we embrace learning.
How to make learning a priority in our daily schedule? There are multiple strategies one could try. Here's a simple technique that I follow:
- Allocate 1 hour every day for learning.
- Split this hour into three blocks of 20 mins each.
- Dedicate these three blocks to learning in the following three categories:
- Topics that you are curious about
- Topics that might help you in your profession/career
- Topics that you had learned about earlier
If you are in a state of "flow", continue learning the chosen topic without worrying too much about the time blocks.
On days when it is not feasible to allocate these three blocks of time, schedule time for at least one. If you find it challenging to block 20 minutes towards learning, bring it down to 10 min. Start small, but get started.
Choose the mode of learning that works best for you - books, audiobooks, TED talks, podcasts, videos, online courses, etc.
My preferred mode of learning is through books. Currently, I'm reading 3 books that fit into the above categories:
- Samkhya Darshan - Yogic perspective on Theories of Realism by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
- Build - An unorthodox guide to making things worth making by Tony Fadell
- Tamil book - "Udalin Mozhi" by Dr. Umar Farook