Time for learning can feel like a luxury. It may feel like there isn't energy or time for anything else. Yet our peak experiences come when we expand our thinking. Without leaning, life becomes flat. When you learn new things in your limited time, you'll substantially increase the amount of new and exciting stuff you can do.

Make the most out of your limited time to learn new things

A major barrier to reading more books into having interesting reading material available. A simple strategy is to have three books with you.<ul><li>An audiobook is great for commuting, exercising or waiting in line.</li><li>A digital book can ensure you have something to read at all times.</li><li>A hardcover book gives you the joy of paper at your fingertips when you get a moment to sit down.</li></ul> If reading feels unpleasant, you're possibly reading the wrong books.

Always have at least three books with you

Find courses that interest you on YouTube and watch them during your computer breaks. Start with more entertaining courses and switch to headier stuff once you've built the habit.

Keep a course open on your browser tab

Hobbies and skills require hands-on experience, yet, it is often the most difficult to fit into a busy life. One way to maximize your time is to ensure all your projects are ready to start. Create a dedicated workspace, so you only have to sit down and get to work. Get the project past the "blank canvas" stage. A painting or woodworking project is easier once the groundwork has been laid.

Make your projects ready to start

Finding a stretch o free time is hard. All you might have are fragments of time throughout your day. One strategy to increase learning is to regularly pursue at least one task or project that is speculative. It should be something outside of the range of your current abilities in an area you find interesting. It could be a new technical skill, leadership role, or exploring a different type of client or industry.

Take on work projects beyond your current level

If you care about learning, build it into your social circle. Discussion groups can come in many forms. For example, you can organize a group among friends interested in a topic or join pre-existing groups on services like Meetup to discuss topics of interest.

Cultivate friends with shared interests

Many skills have a forbidding eputation. We want to learn a programming language but writing coe is a grind. A method known as pretraining can break down the difficulty of these pursuits.<ol><li>Master the basics so that applying the new skill becomes much smoother.</li><li>Flashcards can help to memorize syntax and commands to make your next project easier.</li></ol>

Fill time fragments with flashcards

Reading before you sleep is a great way to expand your learning time. Books that require mental effort will also more quickly put you to sleep. Pick a book you've always wanted to read and keep it at your bedside, such as a classic work of fiction or a challenging nonfiction book.

Have a “stretch” book by your bedside

How do you learn more in a busy life? Follow these seven habits to increase the amount of learning, without overwhelming your schedule.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

habits

Habits

education

Learning & Education

Maximize Your Learning Time with These Seven Habits - Scott H Young

What is "the good life"? This is one of the oldest philosophical questions. It has been posed in different ways.How should one live? What does it mean to "live well"?These are really just the same question. But the question isn’t as simple as it sounds. Philosophers specialize in unpacking hidden complexities, and the concept of the good life is one of those that needs quite a bit of unpacking.Everyone wants to live well, and no one wants "the bad life."

The Good Life

<ul><li>One basic way we use the word "good" is to express moral approval.</li><li>When we say someone is living well or that they have lived a good life, we may simply mean that they are a good person.</li><li>Socrates and Plato both gave absolute priority to being a virtuous person over all other supposedly good things such as pleasure, wealth, or power.</li><li>Many religions also conceive of the good life in moral terms as a life lived according to God's laws.</li><li>A person who lives this way-obeying the commandments and performing the proper rituals-is pious.</li></ul>

The Moral Life

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus declared that what makes life worth living is experiencing pleasure.Today, this hedonistic conception of the good life is dominant in Western culture and is often taken to mean enjoying recreational pleasures such as good food, good wine, skiing, scuba diving, etc.

The Life of Pleasure

According to Aristotle, happiness is something we value not as a means to some other end but for its own sake. It has intrinsic value rather than instrumental value.The good life is one in which a person cultivates and exercises their rational faculties by engaging in scientific inquiry, philosophical discussion, artistic creation, or legislation.

The Fulfilled Life

<ul><li>Recent research shows that people who have children are not necessarily happier than people who don't have children.</li><li>During the child-raising years, and especially when children have turned into teenagers, parents typically have lower levels of happiness and higher levels of stress.</li><li>Even though having children may not make people happier, it does seem to give them the sense that their lives are more meaningful.</li><li>For many people, the well-being of their family, especially their children and grandchildren, is the main source of meaning in life.</li></ul>

The Meaningful Life

<ul><li>A truly good life is one that is both enviable and admirable in all or most of the ways outlined above.</li><li>Sometimes a person can appear to live a fine life and be able to check all the boxes-virtue, prosperity, friendship, respect, meaning, etc., yet eventually be revealed as something other than what we thought they were.</li></ul>

The Finished Life

It's not what you see in the commercials.

Philosophers specialize in unpacking hidden complexities, and the concept of the good life is one of those that needs quite a bit of unpacking.

philosophy

Philosophy

Do You Know The Meaning of The Good Life?

<ul><li>Perhaps you’re considering a job or role change, starting or buying a business, getting married, or becoming a parent. </li><li>Maybe you’re exploring how to volunteer in your community, or how to donate to causes you care about.</li><li>Perhaps you want to wallpaper a room, learn to invest, or teach your old dog new tricks.</li><li>Maybe you want to conquer the territory of self — to develop greater patience and become more focused, resilient or benevolent.</li></ul>Each is a voyage awaiting a captain.Exploration is key because it helps us make good decisions despite a mind-boggling array of choices.

Changing Something In Your Life

Most of us do not suffer from a lack of possibilities, yet overabundant options can be paralyzing and undermine or discourage action. Our prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain that juggles all the options we’re considering — doesn’t have unlimited processing power to constantly consider how one of an infinite number of new things we could do fits with what we are already doing. We’re also paralyzed by fear. Exploring a new S Curve of Learning is filled with the threat of uncertainty.

Exploring Something New: The Problem

There is a nearly limitless range of things that are possible. They require only that we believe and act on our beliefs.To decide if a stretch of terrain warrants further exploration, here is a seven-point template you can consider.

How To Choose

Wistfully thinking often signals we don’t think a goal is possible and, therefore, it won’t be. If, instead, we are optimistic, saying, “I am so happy I’ve achieved this” as if we already have, there is a kernel of belief that it is within reach. Knowing our assumptions guide our movements, how do we change our assumptions so “that would be nice” becomes “this is nice”?

Achievability

Is there an easy way to test whether I want to be on a particular S Curve of Learning? If I decide to stay on this S Curve, will my initial pace be sustainable?So start small. Set your initial expectations and incremental increases so laughably small, that you deactivate your inner procrastinator.Each tiny benchmark is its own easy test. Is this S Curve feasible? Can I sustain this long term? Take baby, baby, baby steps.

Ease Of Testing

There is a general human tendency to want some new knowledge to build on the firm foundation of what we already know.Familiarity helps you relax and feel safer; too much familiarity may mean stasis. The unfamiliar in small doses surprises and delights and can lead us in new directions. In large doses, novelty and uncertainty create anxiety and fear.

Familiarity In Novelty

An S Curve worth pursuing will dovetail with who we aspire to be.Exploring areas of ourselves and possibilities that have no apparent connection to who we are right now is exciting. They may even be admirable, but they may also mean we get voted off our current island. People around us, including those we care about deeply, may be heavily invested in who we are now: our family.  If the new S Curve we’re exploring is too aligned with who we already are, the potential for growth may be too low. But if it’s too far out of alignment, then the price of reaching for a new identity may be too high.

Fitting in The Identity

Sometimes S Curves aren’t totally voluntary. Circumstances, or people who see potential in us, give us an unexpected push. Preplanned or unforeseen, thrilled or terrified, you’ll need to determine whether the reward of being on a specific curve is worth the cost. Even if the reward doesn’t initially seem greater than the cost, can you find a way to make the numbers add up?

The Cost Of The Reward

Assessing if an opportunity is aligned with our values is usually easier said than done. We are complex creatures, and our hierarchy of values isn’t always straightforward.We have our stated, public-facing values. But we also have hidden or “shadow” values that don’t meet the public eye, and exploration involves excavating our shadow values.Know what your shadow values are. Understand what aspects of your personality feed them, or perhaps what may have happened early in your life that made these shadow values powerful to you. Then bring them out of the shadows.

Alignment To Our Values

When contemplating a new opportunity for growth, consider what motivates you — the “why” behind what you are doing. If you don’t yet know your “why,” <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_to_discover_your_why_in_difficult_times">Simon Sinek</a> provides a brilliant yet simple exercise: Ask the people who know you well why they enjoy being around you and what their relationship with you does for them. If you can get candid, straightforward answers from them, they will reveal to you your “why.”

Ask Yourself Your Why

Talent development expert Whitney Johnson shares her 7-point template to help you decide if a new challenge is worth exploring.

productivity

Productivity

career

Career

problemsolving

Problem Solving

Considering a job change or other life change? 7 questions to ask yourself first

The fear of missing out, or FOMO, happens because we find new experiences more exciting than repeat experiences. But research also shows us that we will repeatedly listen to our favourite song or rewatch favourite movies and TV shows. While many believe that if you want to look interesting, you need to show that you're open to new experiences, we take the value of delving into the known for granted.

Been there, done that

Researchers found repeating experiences were often more enjoyable than participants had expected. Every person will miss a large part of any experience. There are always more layers to explore. Repeating things is another opportunity to experience something fully, especially when the experience is complex.

Repeat experiences are more enjoyable

<ul><li>Recognise that the second experience will never be a replica of the first experience. On the contrary, it will always vary to some degree.</li><li>Looking for the novelty in the repeat experience will feel engaging.</li><li>Recognise that events are neither positive nor negative. It's how we view the events that make them positive or negative. If we look to find the experience enjoyable, we'll find evidence for it.</li></ul>

How to be more mindful of repeat experiences

There is joy in repetition partly because every human mind wanders. Consequently, we miss a substantial part of every experience.

health

Health

The Surprising Benefits of Repeat Experiences

Nowadays, we tend to consume too much of our energy exerted upon the wrong questions. Whenever we’re feeling lost, we’re promoted to ask ourselves these rational questions:<ul><li>“What do I want?”</li><li>“Who do I want to become?”</li><li>“What do I want my life to look like in five years?”</li><li>“How can I achieve the success I so desperately crave in my field?”</li></ul>These are not exactly the right questions we should begin with. They assume you know exactly what it is you want, and that’s often not the case. They also tend to be self-centered and thus neglect to factor in the potential impact we will have on others.

Asking The Wrong Questions

It’s a question with three core benefits:<ol><li>It tells you what you stand for (what your core personal values are).</li><li>It shows you how you want to show up in your daily life. </li><li>It roots you in the present.</li></ol>Once you’re clear on how you want to be remembered, all you have to do is start acting in that way, right now.

“How do I want to be remembered?”

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Blindly pursuing whatever it is we think we want at the expense of 
everything else is not the way we should be going about our lives. We need 
to be more intentional, more aligned with our own values. We need a 
timeless overarching question that we can revert back to time and time 
again. A question that shows us what we stand for and guides our daily 
actions. How do you want to be remembered?

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

The One Question That Should Guide Your Daily Life: "How Do I Want to be Remembered?" — OMAR ITANI

Invisible work refers to work that is unpaid, unnoticed and unacknowledged. These tasks include cooking dinner, assisting children with homework, or making a dentist appointment. Invisible labour also appears in other sectors. For example, doing unpaid work for the "exposure" that could lead to industry connections, or a task outside of your work duties that could give you access to better "opportunities." While it may be true, it is still invisible labour.

Invisible labour

We pay for what matters. When someone does unpaid and unacknowledged work, it can mean they don't matter in other ways. <ul><li>One United Nations report found women do three out of every four hours of unpaid labour. It leads to reduced earnings.</li><li>When women get paid for their work, everyone benefits. Women's economic empowerment contributes to growing economies.</li><li>An analysis from Oxfam estimated unpaid care work done by women was worth at least $10.8 trillion annually.</li></ul>

Recognising invisible labour

People often don't even realise they're doing work, as is the case with invisible labour. It's true for an employee who has to purchase specific clothing and groom himself in a specific way to work at a specific retail job, and it's true for the mother who can't understand why she feels more exhausted than her partner. However, once you spot invisible labour, you can't unsee it.

How people contribute unknowingly

To solve invisible labour, people need to make it visible. Then they should do something about it. <ul><li>On an individual scale, family members can talk about the division of work at home.</li><li>Paid parental leave or subsidised child care could help alleviate the unpaid work mothers currently do.</li></ul>

Solving invisible labour

The co-editors of Invisible Labor: Hidden Work in the Contemporary World explain the phenomenon eating away at all of your free time. 

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

teamwork

Teamwork

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

What is invisible labor? It's real and it hurts. Here's what to know.

Research shows that with practise, we can all learn to become more creative.
When we hear of people known for their remarkable creativity, it's quick to assume that they are born different from the rest of us. We forget that these creative geniuses often spent years working on projects that did not turn out that well. Many hours of sharpening their thinking or skills finally created something unique.

Creativity is a trainable skill

Puccio's Thinking Skills Model is one of the best-tested attempts to teach workplace creativity. Research showed that participants in creativity training generated four times as many original ideas as those who didn't.
The programme highlights the need to balance convergent and divergent thinking. Both are essential.
<ul>
<li>Divergent thinking is creative solutions that may be impractical. </li>
<li>Convergent thinking selects and develops the best ideas.</li>
</ul>

Thinking skills

How to apply convergent and divergent thinking in seven steps:
<ol>
<li>Assess the situation</li>
<li>Explore the vision</li>
<li>Frame the challenges</li>
<li>Explore ideas</li>
<li>Create solutions</li>
<li>Explore acceptance </li>
<li>Create a plan</li>
</ol>
It takes time to develop creativity skills. But with a bit of work, you can make significant progress.

Applying convergent and divergent thinking

The right mindset is needed to develop your creativity.
<ul>
<li>Some people see their talents as fixed, so they prefer to stay with the tasks that will result in success. For them, failure would be deeply discouraging.</li>
<li>Others are learning-oriented. They are more focused on finding opportunities to increase their skills. They see failure as an opportunity for growth.</li>
</ul>
Research shows that learning-oriented people showed greater improvement in the number and quality of ideas than people who see their abilities as fixed.

Primed to learn

<ul>
<li>Businesses could invest in more training for their teams instead of assuming that creativity will happen naturally. They should also create the right working environment where failure is treated as part of the process.</li>
<li>If a leader is not aligned to creative-thinking skills, the impact is lessened.</li>
<li>Even some guidance can be beneficial. Training employees to separate idea generation from idea selection can produce more creative thought.</li>
</ul>

The creative life

Feel everyone else comes up with all the smart ideas on your team? Data show that, with practice, we can all be bright sparks.

creativity

Creativity

Can you 'programme' your brain to think of genius solutions?

There are two main types of decision-makers:
<ul>
<li>Maximisers: They want to ensure they get the most out of their choices.</li>
<li>Satisficers: They tend to adopt a 'good enough' approach.</li>
</ul>
Each one has its benefits and drawbacks. Understanding which one you are can help improve your choices.

Maximisers vs Satisficers

A maximiser will weigh choices carefully to find the best one. On paper, their decisions look well-informed, logical and efficient.
But there are drawbacks. They have trouble making the perfect decision and take a very long time finding the best solution. Once they do find a solution, they may experience regret about their choice.

Maximisers: make it perfect

Satisficers are people who prefer to make decisions quickly by weighing fewer choices and then go with their gut. They opt for what's acceptable, not for the 'best' option.
A drawback is that they may not get the 'best' outcome that will give them the maximum return.

Satisficers: It's good enough

Most people fall somewhere between maximiser and satisficer. The perfect mix would be to satisfice most of the time and only maximise a decision when the stakes are high, such as buying a house or choosing a job. 
However, after the choice, you have to return to thinking like a satisfice to prevent feeling dissatisfied with your decision.

Maximisers and Satisficers: Most people are a combination

<ul>
<li>Satisficers: People who are too impulsive should avoid hasty decisions. They should spend more time thinking about the decision and the pros and cons of each possible outcome.</li>
<li>Maximisers: If you find yourself maximising too much, try to limit some of your options.</li>
</ul>

What to consider as a maximiser and a satisficer

There are two main types of decision-makers, experts say. Understanding which you are could help improve your choices.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

Do 'maximisers' or 'satisficers' make better decisions?

Preparation steps before a note-taking session:
<ul>
<li>Try to get familiar with the topic that is going to be discussed, beforehand. This leads to better understanding. </li>
<li>Make sure you have adequate notepaper and writing material.</li>
<li>Stay hydrated and consume caffeine moderately.</li>
<li>Don't go in hungry, opting for a wholesome snack.</li>
<li>Have a positive attitude, and a willingness to pay attention.</li><li>If something is getting repeated in class or is indicated to be important, pay attention.</li>
</ul>

Note Taking - Starter Tips

Taking a structured approach to note-taking is the best way. Put the outline notes by choosing four or five key points of the lecture, followed by in-depth sub-points. One way to review is to use the Cornell Method, which divides the note sheet into three sections:<ul><li>Cues: It includes key questions and main points. </li><li>Notes: Which you write during the class using the outline method. </li><li>Summary: Which you can write after class while reviewing.</li></ul>

Outline Method

The mind map is a visual diagram of abstract concepts.It works best in subjects like chemistry, history and philosophy, subjects having a neural network like interlocked and complex topics.

The Mind Map

<ul><li>Simply Write on PPT Slides: An easy method to take notes is to just write on the slides of the presentation. The PPTs have note-taking space in them and if you are able to get them in advance, the whole process becomes simple.</li><li>Bullet Journaling: Turn a blank page into a beautiful representation of your thought process. You can go crazy and include mind maps, flow notes, colorful design styles, making the note-taking process a delight, and learning in the process.</li></ul>

 Slides and Bullet Journaling

Using a laptop is not an ideal way to take notes or to learn, during a lecture.<ul><li>A laptop distracts and impairs the learning process, as you might be tempted to play games or multitask with it during lectures.</li><li>In the old-school hand-written method, you are processing the information, leading to better understanding and learning.</li><li>How you use the computer also matters, and many students can use the internet to learn or re-check information on the fly.</li></ul>

Using a Laptop

C.I.G. is supported in part by its readers. If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here. Prepare Well Before You Get to Class The 6 Best Note-Taking Systems Should You Use Your Computer to Take Notes?

writing

Reading & Writing

How to Take Better Notes: The 6 Best Note-Taking Systems

It is important to understand the basic structure and content of the text you are reading.
<ul>
<li>Consider the purpose for reading, like gathering information.</li>
<li>Think about the title. What does it tell you about what the book or essay is about?</li>
<li>Reflect on what you already know about the topic. Do you have a preconceived idea of what to expect?</li>
<li>Skim the opening sentence of each paragraph under the headings.</li>
<li>Read carefully, marking the places you find confusing or significant.</li>
<li>Identify key arguments the author makes, along with important terms and interesting ideas.</li>
<li>Make notes in the margin or on a separate sheet of paper.</li>
<li>Question the sources cited by the author.</li>
<li>What is the one question you would like to ask the author?</li>
<li>What did you like best about the work as a whole? What bothered you?</li>
</ul>

Steps to becoming a critical reader

<ul>
<li>Reading critically can aid you when studying for a test, preparing for a discussion, and more.</li>
<li>If you have unanswered questions about the text, ask your professor or discuss the text with others.</li>
<li>Consider keeping a reading log to help you track your perceptions about reading.</li>
</ul>

Reading critically and preparing for exams

These concepts and tips will help you become a more critical reader, whether you are reading for school or for pleasure.