One of the terrible traps to fall into is the belief that at
a certain point, it’s okay to stop learning, or even worse, that one can no
longer learn. Being a student shouldn’t end when you finish 12th grade
or even after attaining a college degree. In fact, I would argue that learning
should accelerate after those milestones as now you are hopefully armed with
some of the tools and habits necessary to make learning even more effective.
We are surrounded by opportunities for personal growth, increases
in knowledge and educational development like never before and it can happen
without even leaving your chair. And it’s not just ebooks, TED Talks and
podcasts. In the hyperconnected society we live in, we can learn from each
other far easier than at any other time in history.
So, here is my challenge: For the rest of the year, every evening
before you crawl into bed, write down one thing you learned that day. That’s
it. You might learn all kinds of things, but you must remember and record one
thing. Put it in a diary, in the notes on your phone, in a word document, etc.
How you record it doesn’t matter as much as that you record it.
What this process does is two-fold. First, by actually writing
down a fact, tidbit or even a medical marvel that you picked up throughout the
day, you are more likely to remember and retain it as your mind stores and
consolidates that new information while you sleep. But number two, as you begin
the next day, your mind will be looking for the “one thing” in that new day. You
will become more aware of the lessons out there and primed to engage learning opportunities.
I believe it could literally shift how you see the world.
Comments
Post a Comment