All kinds of courses, for all tastes, libraries, apps and services are designed to help us learn something new every day and keep our minds flexible in a world that is getting too fast. Only a dozen years ago, it was hard to bet online and impossible to watch any recent movie from home. But today we have a mobile live betting website in Kenya and Netflix. And here are 10 tips to help squeeze the most out of self-education.
Create an Environment for Learning
Most people don’t have the ability to set aside a separate room in their home as a study space where it would be a pleasure to study, but that’s not really required. What is needed? That you have a little personal space to study – say, a desk – where you can put your notebooks, books, laptop, and other items you’ll need in the process. Everything unnecessary should be removed from sight, add a comfortable chair and quiet lighting, which will nevertheless provide enough light.
Use Different Formats
Of course, reading a textbook runs the risk of becoming a very boring activity that you will want to quit. This is where the time comes again to recall the charms of technology, and see what else the Internet offers. For example, studying, you cannot only read articles on the subject but also watch relevant documentaries or video lectures, listen to podcasts or audiobooks, and enroll in a course. Or go back offline again and attend some kind of workshop.
Combine different formats, and self-study becomes a little more effective and not boring, and you’ll be pleased with the results. As a bonus with this approach, when you collect information from a variety of sources, you will be comparing it purely automatically, assessing its adequacy and reliability. Trust, but verify!
Don’t Forget About Sources and Experts
Articles on the Internet are accompanied by links to sources – do not ignore them. It’s in these inconspicuous links at the end of a huge text, hiding a huge reservoir of information that will help you penetrate into the subject in more detail. It is in the sources that even more facts, graphs or charts are hidden, so we recommend that you follow the links more often.
If you feel that after browsing the sources there is too much information, and it becomes too difficult to make sense of it, try to find someone who can help you break things down. You can find such a person through acquaintances. If you do not know anyone who does, an excellent and affordable way to find an expert on the Internet is to start communicating in specific groups and communities on social networks. Most likely, you will find either the very same expert there or someone who can put you in touch with him or her.
Learning as a Way of Life
Self-education will make sense only if you devote time to it every day. The main thing here is not to overdo it and find a balance. In order not to get bored, do the following:
- Set goals, but do not make Napoleonic plans. In small steps, you will achieve big results.
- Challenge yourself by reading and doing more and more each day/week/month. But try to do it gradually and slow down when you feel the first symptoms of burnout.
- Write down thoughts and ideas that you find interesting, unusual or new, and reread them regularly.
- Listen to podcasts while you drive to work, school, or home.
- Rotate activities so they do not get boring, learn something new every day.
Keep a Diary
In the diary, you need to write down all the interesting and new information for you, as well as monitor your progress. How exactly to do it, you choose yourself, here you are limited only by your own imagination. The main thing is that the entries should be understandable and nothing should interfere with them – only in this case, the daily diary will turn from a heavy routine duty into a simple and interesting activity.
You can keep a diary either on paper or electronically on special services. Simple notes on your phone will also do, but only if you are used to this format. Otherwise, the notes may simply get lost.