As someone who loves learning and wants to inspire others to learn every day, I use a variety of tools and resources to help. If you want to inspire others to learn, or just want to kick start your own learning, think about the resources that you have available.
Here are my current top five:
1. Blinkist
As a reader, I love to learn from books. I enjoy reading, but don’t always have the time to read as much as I’d like. I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction and try to get a balance between the two, but there’s a lot to choose from. Sometimes it can be tricky finding the right non-fiction book when you want to learn about a particular subject. Also, sometimes I feel like non-fiction books contain a lot of waffle that I don’t really need. So, I’ve been using Blinkist for years! I love that it includes more than 6,500 non-fiction books that are expertly summarized so that you can read them in less than 15 minutes. If reading’s not your thing, you could listen to them instead.
2. Pocket
Books aren’t the only useful resource when it comes to continuous learning. There are so many insightful articles online that you could easily spend whole weeks browsing and reading the internet! One way to keep track of all the articles you want to go back to read is with Pocket. If someone sends me a link that I really ‘must read’ or I start reading something that’s going to take a little longer than it should, I just save it to my pocket. Then, I can go back to it and read it later. It’s so simple, yet, so effective.
3. OneNote
With all of that reading, there’s a danger of ‘content overload’! There’s no point absorbing content if you’re not going to do anything with it. I love taking notes. I always have OneNote open on my computer all day long! That way, I can take notes all the time. It’s great for jotting down ideas when they come to me or keeping track of ‘how to’s for work. If you already have Microsoft 365, you’ll have OneNote.
4. Personal Learning Network
People are a fantastic resource when it comes to learning every day. Although I work alone, from home, I talk to people all day long! I network with people all over the world through social media groups, email, Teams chats, Skype and Whats App. This means that if I have a question, or want to find out more about something, I know who to ask. It also means that I pick up lots of ideas and tips from people working in similar fields to me.
5. Journal
As a note taker, I love a journal! If I attend a workshop or take an online course, I’ll save a new journal to fill with all my notes. It’s more than just a blank document though as it includes some questions for me to answer before I take the training to help me focus on what I want to get from it. It also includes space for actions. Again, there’s no point taking lots of notes if you’re not going to implement them or do anything different. The journal also asks some questions at the end, so that I can reflect on what I’ve learned and help me identify what’s next.
Tools for your Continuous Learning
What are the tools you use to help support your continuous learning? Leave a comment to share your favourites.