Before you hit the delete button wondering why I am writing about food, stop!
Don’t be confused. I’m not talking about what you eat. I’m talking about the type of information you consume, and ultimately what and how much you learn.
As we all currently spend more time indoors, it’s the perfect time to focus on your learning appetite and learning diet.
It can be very easy at the moment to spend loads of time binge-watching Netflix, YouTube or TikTok videos. They are all addictive. Indeed, the first time I got on TikTok it was a couple of hours before I got off it.
Consider for a moment, what makes up your learning; ie what you consume and how frequently you consume it.
Ask yourself:
- Do you spend most of your time consuming meaningless TV or perhaps trashy novels, which is the equivalent of a ‘junk food’ diet? Or do you seek a broad range of learning, so there is a mixture of sources that are entertaining, informative and challenging, which is the equivalent of a ‘whole food’ diet?
- Is your appetite for learning limited, so you do the bare minimum, or are you always hungry and eager to know more? Using your answers, place yourself in the quadrant below.
Considering your self-assessment reflect for a moment – does that rating surprise you and what needs do you need to do more of or less of?
In a world that is continuously changing, embracing learning in its many forms and experiences is crucial. Your interest and willingness to learn new things impact the choices you can make and ultimately your success.
Is it time to either shift the type of material and information you consume or to consume more regularly?
Perhaps it’s a bit of both.
If you want to change your diet, consider:
- Buying a book on a topic that you have always wanted to know about, and is different from your day job
- Watching YouTube videos on how to do something you’ve never done before. Perhaps it’s a craft, learning how to use new technology or to speak a
different language - Enrolling in an online course on a topic that will broaden your field of view or deepen your understanding
- Subscribing to online news, so you get up to date information and knowledge from around the world
- Using curating sites such as Google Alerts, Flipboard and Pocket to get a daily dose of interesting information sent to your inbox
- Subscribing to the Big Idea Club where you’ll read summaries on the latest books and hear additional insights from the authors
- Joining Goodreads and following key authors and other people you find interesting to see what they read, and then, what you should read
If you want to consume more learning, more regularly, than look at how you structure your day so you can allocate time each week to learning.
While you are now spending more time indoors, it’s never been a better time to broaden your mind and take it to places it hasn’t been before.
There’s a Chinese Proverb which says: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
Getting you ready for tomorrow, today®
Michelle Gibbings is bringing back the happy to workplace culture. The author of three books, and a global keynote speaker, she’s on a mission to help leaders, teams and organisations create successful workplaces – where people thrive and progress is accelerated.