How to master the system of lifelong learning and every day to acquire new knowledge

If you look at successful people you will notice that many of them have achieved heights not because of talent and luck, and thanks to continuous personal growth and education. They took the time to think what they want to learn and how best to plan this process. And then emphatically we started the practical part. It turns out that everyone can succeed.

Over the past three years, I took the time to understand what I'm wondering: Grose from marketing and to bitcoins blokcheyna. Also developed skills UI / UX-design and front-end development, useful for my career. This helped me to lifelong learning.

1. Make a list of topics or skills you want to master, and arrange them in order of priority

Work on the right things, perhaps even more important than work hard.

Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr

The main step in the creation of a suitable environment for learning - to know where to start. So you need to make a short list of topics and skills for the development of the next few months.

Of those you can choose, for example, the same cryptocurrency, health and fitness and mental health. Of skills - programming, design or learning a foreign language. In general, be guided by their own interests.

Once compiled a list of all the items in it is necessary to place in order of priority. Based on the essential criteria for you. For example, if it helps your career, whether you are enthusiastic about how hard you will learn it. The list should consist of two or three very specific items, so you can concentrate when you start to learn.

You can draw a table and evaluate criteria for each subject or skill on a scale. Or just trust intuition - do as you prefer.

Ideally, you want to remove from the list of items that do not help your careerNot particularly interest you and difficult to implement within the given timeframe.

2. Find out which method of training works best for you

The next step - to define the style of your training, so that it passed as quickly as possible.

Among the classifications of learning styles very popular model of Neil Fleming VARK. According to her, there are four learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, as well as reading and writing.

• Visual - students perceive images, graphs, charts, and the like. If you enjoy watching training videos you a visual.
• auditory - audialy better absorb information at the hearing. If you are well remembered everything that was told in class, then you should find a tutor or try to listen to podcasts.
• kinesthetic - kinesthetic need to gain practical experience.
• Reading and writing - learning occurs most effectively during reading. Added value bears fixing important points.

Of course, in the real world, most studies immediately in accordance with several styles. And you are likely to also get knowledge in different ways. So, before I was as a visual: I needed to see online courses to learn something. But since then, I also began to listen to podcasts and audio books, read articles and other printed materials.

Think about what style of training is more convenient for you. Many people prefer video, however the audio listening and reading are also effective.

3. Get the best sources of information

Once you've figured out what and how you are going to learn, it's time to find resources. The first thing you usually do - open up Google and pierce in the search box something like "the best book on UI / UX-design" or "the best course in JavaScript". However, Google - is not always the best solution.

The strategy is better - to find an expert in the area you plan to study. Lucky if I can make it through their contacts, but can be accessed and the internet. Ask an expert to recommend the free and paid sources, which he enjoyed and was pleased.

Or, instead of scroll general lists of online courses, read expert articles indicating one or two sources that they like. It is best to find a resource, which is recommended by various experts in the desired area. What works for one another may not be suitable. Look, as long until you find the source - an article, a book, a video or podcast - to be credible, interesting and informative.

4. Make a training schedule

One of the most important steps - planning study time. If you are a student or working, the graph you already stressful, so the time for additional knowledge may not remain.

But, whether it's 20 minutes or one hour a day, we are still able to carve out a little time. You just need to minimize unimportant and useless things - scrolling tape in social networks, for example. Instead, enjoy a training.

I always listen to podcasts until breakfast. I read a book while waiting for the start of classes in front of an audience. I spend most of my free time to study. I think, as you can.

5. Find a partner to train or mentor

If you want to elevate himself, help elevate someone else.

Booker T. Washington, educator, orator, politician, writer

Dive into the new theme is better with a partner. You will be able to control each other and discuss the strange moments. Or is he just going to motivate you.

Even better - to find someone who will be able to monitor your progress and give advice. When I studied the UI / UX-design, I was lucky to find a mentor - he was my friend Alexis. He wrote an articleWhy you should stop asking "Can you be my mentor?"Which is likely to help you find a mentor.

While I was working on a project, Alexis see my designs and pointed out the error. Gave advice, I suggest what is missing and what needs to improve. Timely feedback is greatly accelerated the learning process, so advise you to find a like-minded team or coach.

6. Make social networking also helps you learn

Of course, even if I'm focused on productivity, social networking anyway I go. Watch for updates at friends, news and channels necessary for the main study. So I made it so that useful content to appear in my social networks.

I signed up for informative accounts, such as TechCrunch, which tell about the technologies and news in the field of IT. I read, or add to your favorites all articles about design, especially those that Alexis repost on your page. I also subscribe to the YouTube-channel and The Verge Vox - they publish a very cool and informative videos.

7. Share knowledge with your friends, or write an article

A man who says he knows, what they think, but can not put it into words, he does not usually know is thinking about.

Mortimer Adler, philosopher, teacher, promoter of liberal education

The best way to fully master the knowledge - transfer it to another, teach. This method is called Feynman technique - in honor of the Nobel Prize in Physics.

The method consists of four steps:

• You choose a topic that has recently mastered.
• Write her explanation, paying attention to the problem points.
• You are looking for resources that will help you better to talk about the topic.
• Explain it again, to simplify the presentation and make it more understandable.

Repeat the second, third and fourth steps until the report is sufficiently simple and accessible to your audience.

I noticed that at the seminar speaker or just explaining something to another person, memorize information best. For example, in the internship I had to map the way the consumer (Customer Journey MappingWhat Is Customer Journey Mapping and How to Start?). I learned as much as possible about it, took notes and made it. A few days later a friend of mine offered me a master class. What a happy coincidence!

I considered a master class as an opportunity to consolidate the knowledge and agreed. I prepared as soon as he could, writing down everything that I tell, pay attention to the points which should be paid more attention. And after the show I became much more confident in their knowledge of the subject.

8. Again go through all the stages

When it was quite good with a question that began to study, can you tell us about the theme of the other and pass on their knowledge, time to move on. Go back to the first step, open the list and do the same thing, to learn something more, or add to the list new objectives. Get pleasure from it!

9. Do not look for excuses not to learn

In the end, no excuse for that. But there are many ways of teaching to which you will need only 20 minutes a day. If you belong to those who need a "kick", sign up for the online or offline course that was an incentive. Or take an internship, take a project that will help you learn a new skill.

If you are too busy or on the basic studies theIt also does not justify you. Listen to the podcast or watch informative video until lunch or on the go.

If you want to relieve stress, look at the transfer that simultaneously entertains and gives useful information. For example, I love the series "Silicon Valley."

In general, there is no excuse. While not used to spending so much time on the self, take one or two days off to relax. Soon you will be able to learn continuously and understand how it's actually nice. Take the first step on the way to new knowledge and you will find that it can be very fun.