There are a million ways you can learn these days – from group workshops and live training sessions to learning on the go whilst in the car or on a dog walk. Learning doesn’t always need to be a huge time commitment and nor does it need to cost the earth. While at Thrive our learning tends to focus on work related topics, learning anything new – in or out of work – is always valuable.
Here are some totally easy and free ways that you can start learning something new today.
Podcasts
If you haven’t got the podcast bug you’re missing out. You will find a wealth of entertainment, comedy, political and historical programming not to mention health and fitness content. In addition to all of this you will find some great shows focusing on personal development skills such as, leadership, management, presenting and communication. The great thing about podcasts is that you can listen to them whilst on the move – like dead time in the car, on a run or a dog walk. Check out the Diary of a CEO, Work Life, How to Own the Room and Eat Sleep Work Repeat for useful work related content.
Get good at Asking Questions
One of the easiest ways to learn, is to have a curious mind and ask a lot of questions.Think of that small annoying child who keeps asking ‘Why?’. Whether you are talking to colleagues at work about interesting projects they are working on, chatting to friends who work in other industries, asking your child questions about what they’re learning at school or an elderly relative about their experiences over the years. Staying curious and inquisitive makes you are 24/7 learner.
Google Alerts/Newsletters
We are big fans of newsletters at Thrive – if we read something interesting online and there’s a newsletter then we sign up for it (we even have a newsletter folder that we keep the good ones in so we can refer back to useful information and perspectives). A few we particularly find interesting on the subject of work culture are Make Work Better, Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. As well as newsletters, last year we discovered google alerts – a great way to get daily links to articles that are tailored to subjects you are interested. No need to search online endlessly to learn – the information can come directly into your inbox.
Ask the expert
In any team and organisation there are people with specialist knowledge and also people who are ace at certain ‘softer’ skills. Recognising who these experts are and getting them to share their knowledge is a really easy and powerful way to up-skill. Maybe you know someone who is particularly good at creative thinking, or someone who is a brilliant presenter. Think about ways they can pass on their techniques to you and your team. Lunch and learn sessions are one way of doing this, as are having guest speakers in your team meetings.
So learning can be easy and it doesn’t need to cost you a penny. Go learn something new!