The Importance of Learning Daily

We spend the majority of the first 20 years of our lives in a constant state of learning - all in an effort to get *THE* job. 

But, once you’ve landed that role, you’re pushed to focus on your output - build that marketing campaign, analyze the data, code that program. With only so many hours in the day, your own learning & development can quickly fall to the wayside.

Not only is it important for your own satisfaction and development, proactive and adaptive learners are assets for companies. Plus, by investing in your own learning, you are investing in your long-term career goals. 

You may be thinking, “Okay Meredith, I get it, but you don’t get that I work 40-50 hour weeks (or more!). Plus, I have family responsibilities. And I want to have some fun. When am I supposed to fit learning in?” 

So glad you asked! Here are our tips for learning daily: 

Tips to Learn Daily

1. Self-reflect.
   We know, it sounds cheesy and it’s not always fun, but you should recognize 2 learning opportunities: what you want to learn and what you need to learn. Whether it is personal, professional, or both - think about the areas where you excel, areas where you need some improvement, and the fun stuff you want to learn. Write those down and track your progress as you learn - more on this in a bit.
   

2. Figure out what inspires you.
   You don’t have to necessarily focus on learning for your career. For instance, if you’re an analyst, you don’t have to just learn about new ways to read and interpret data or the latest technology. While it’s important to learn things that are relevant to your career, it’s even more important to learn from things, people, and places that inspire and interest you. Maybe this is art, music, travel - you name it. What sets you on fire? Spend some time filling your cup by focusing on that.
   

3. Listen to a podcast or audiobook.
   Once you’ve found a genre or topic that inspires you, search or ask around for suggestions on audiobooks or podcasts that pertain to that. You can listen to these while you’re getting ready in the morning, while you’re working out or on your lunch break, or during your commute. You’ll be surprised as the lessons that you’ll learn from unexpected and seemingly unrelated topics and how that will help you grow - personally and professionally. My desk is littered with podcast quotes on parenting that tie into my professional life (or vice versa!)
   

4. Connect with challengers.
   It’s easy to connect with people who think, act, and interpret situations just like we would ourselves. But, that’s not where the growth happens. Don’t be afraid to seek out individuals who have a different perspective or experience than you do. Ask them how they would approach a specific situation or challenge or what their point of view is. And if the idea of having these conversations live is too much for you, take a training or listen to a podcast from someone with a different viewpoint to give yourself some space to hear them out.

5. Keep a journal.
   We’re sure you’re imagining your twelve year old self writing in a diary and hiding it under the mattress…but truly, get a journal and write down what you listened to, watched, or read; how did you apply those skills; how did that pay off? Where can you continue to improve? What successes can you celebrate? Think of your goals - this quarter, this year, 3 years, 5 years, and so on. What you are learning today can and will help you achieve those goals!

We don’t know what the future holds or the twists and turns we may experience in our careers, but taking the time to invest in learning daily will increase your readiness for whatever life throws your way!