“The real voyage of
discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new
eyes.” - Marcel Proust
“I don’t think much of a man
who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” - Abraham Lincoln
“I have never let my schooling
interfere with my education.” - Mark Twain
Assuming the public school system hasn’t
crushed your soul, learning is a great activity. It expands your viewpoint. It
gives you new knowledge you can use to improve your life. Even if you discount
the worldly benefits, the act of learning can be a source of enjoyment.
But in a busy world, it can often be hard to fit
in time to learn anything that isn’t essential. The only things learned are
those that need to be. Everything beyond that is considered frivolous. Even
those who do appreciate the practice of lifelong learning, can find it difficult
to make the effort.
Here are some tips for installing the habit of
lifelong learning:
1) Always have a book. It
doesn’t matter if it takes you a year or a week to read a book. Always strive
to have a book that you are reading through, and take it with you so you can
read it when you have time. Just by shaving off a few minutes in-between
activities in my day I can read about a book per week. That’s at least fifty
each year.
2) Keep a “To-Learn” List We
all have to-do lists. These are the tasks we need to accomplish. Try to also
have a “to-learn” list. On it you can write ideas for new areas of study.
Maybe you would like to take up a new language, learn a skill or read the
collective works of Shakespeare. Whatever motivates you, write it down.
3) Get More Intellectual Friends Start
spending more time with people who think. Not just people who are smart. But
people who actually invest much of their time in learning new skills. Their
habits will rub off on you. Even better, they will probably share some of their
knowledge with you.
4) Guided Thinking Albert
Einstein once said, “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too
little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” Simply studying the wisdom of
others isn’t enough, you have to think through ideas yourself. Spend time
journaling, meditating or contemplating over ideas you have learned.
5) Put it Into Practice Skill based learning is useless if it
isn’t applied. Reading a book on C++ isn’t the same thing as writing a
program. Studying painting isn’t the same as picking up a brush. If your
knowledge can be applied, put it into practice.
6) Teach Others You learn
what you teach. If you have an outlet of communicating ideas to others, you are
more likely to solidify that learning. Start a blog, mentor someone or even
discuss ideas with a friend.
7) Clean Your Input Some
forms of learning are easy to digest, but often lack substance. I make a point
of regularly cleaning out my feed reader for blogs I subscribe to. Great blogs
can be a powerful source of new ideas. But every few months I realize I’m
collecting posts from blogs that I am simply skimming. Every few months, purify
your input to save time and focus on what counts.
8 ) Learn in Groups Lifelong
learning doesn’t mean condemning yourself to a stack of dusty textbooks. Join
organizations that teach skills. Workshops and group learning events can make
educating yourself a fun, social experience.
9) Unlearn Assumptions You
can’t add water to a full cup. I always try to maintain a distance away from
any idea. Too many convictions simply mean too few paths for new ideas. Actively
seek out information that contradicts your worldview.
10) Find Jobs that Encourage Learning Pick
a career that encourages continual learning. If you are in a job that doesn’t
have much intellectual freedom, consider switching to one that does. Don’t
spend forty hours of your week in a job that doesn’t challenge you.
11) Start a Project Set out
to do something you don’t know how. Forced learning in this way can be fun and
challenging. If you don’t know anything about computers, try building one. If
you consider yourself a horrible artist, try a painting.
12) Follow Your Intuition Lifelong
learning is like wandering through the wilderness. You can’t be sure what to
expect and there isn’t always an end goal in mind. Letting your intuition
guide you can make self-education more enjoyable. Most of our lives have been
broken down to completely logical decisions, that making choices on a whim has
been stamped out.
13) The Morning Fifteen Use
the first fifteen minutes of your morning as a period for education. If you find
yourself too groggy, you might want to wait a short time. Just don’t put it
off later in the day where urgent activities will push it out of the way.
14) Reap the Rewards Learn
information you can use. Understanding the basics of programming allows me to
handle projects that other people would require outside help. Meeting a
situation that makes use of your educational efforts can be a source of pride.
15) Make it a Priority Few
external forces are going to persuade you to learn. The desire has to come from
within. Once you decide you want to make lifelong learning a habit, it is up to
you to make it a priority in your life.
