Don’t make your goal too lofty to start. If you want to learn to cook, don’t start with the initial goal of a 3-course meal. Instead, focus on learning how to make 1 dish really well. After you learn basic skills, you can learn more recipes and build up toward that meal.
Think about your steps like lessons. Each step should be small enough that you can achieve it in 1-2 lessons, but not so small that it’s not enough for a lesson unto itself. Remember, each step builds toward your goal. They may feel small now, but they’ll accumulate. For example, if you’re learning photography, a good step would be learning how to adjust the settings on your camera. This can usually be learned easily, but it’s a bigger task than just learning to turn the flash on and off, which can usually be done in just a few seconds. Then, you can learn how to use light in photography, take still photos, take action photos, and edit photographs, for instance.
If you’re a visual learner, for example, try video tutorials instead of reading a text-only book or listening to a podcast on the subject. Think about what is most conducive to your new skill, too. Learning a new language using only books, for example, may not be the best choice because the text alone doesn’t give you a good idea of word pronunciation and accents in everyday speech.
In some fields, mentoring is a formal process, while in other fields, it’s more organic. Do some research online to see how others learning your desired skill found a mentor. For example, if you want to learn to use Microsoft Excel, ask a friend or family member who is familiar with the program to help you learn how to use it. If you want to learn to windsurf, you can hire an instructor with a lot of experience to teach you how to do it.
If, for example, you say you’re going to be able to conjugate 10 verbs in Spanish by next week, reward yourself when you accomplish your goal. For instance, treat yourself to lunch or spend 1 hour doing something you love without feeling guilty. If you want to make an external commitment for your deadline, you could try something like signing up for an open mic night to hold you to your goal of learning to play a song on the guitar.
You can also check with professional organizations, hobby groups, local businesses, and other organizations to see if they offer workshops or tutorials in your skill. These are usually 1-2 day events that help you focus on building a single aspect of your skill. For example, if you are learning to cook, a local specialty food store may have a workshop on learning to cook make-ahead meals or cooking for college freshmen. Try to learn as much for free as you can! YouTube is a great, free resource where you can learn just about anything. [8] X Expert Source Adina Zinn, MPACertified Career & Life Coach Expert Interview. 30 March 2022. You can also check out some online educational forums, which are really good for learning new skills inexpensively. [9] X Expert Source Adina Zinn, MPACertified Career & Life Coach Expert Interview. 30 March 2022.
For instance, if your goal is to learn to type, begin by learning the home keys. Once you’ve mastered those, move on to the keys you type with your right hand, then the keys you type with your left hand.
For example, if you’re learning to play the piano, set aside an hour a day to practice: 30 minutes to review chords you’ve already learned and an additional 30 minutes to learn new chords. The exact amount of time you’ll need to practice each day will depend on the skill your learning, as well as your personal learning style.
Skills that many people find useful for their education and career include learning a new language, programming, photography, writing, public speaking, data analysis, and cooking. Try to identify the gaps in your skills and abilities to focus your efforts. Some practical skills can be learned with courses and classes. Others are more foundational — as is the case of building confidence or elevating your interpersonal relationships skills. These can be developed with the help of a coach.
For example, have you always wanted to make your own scarf? If you have, then knitting or crocheting may be an enjoyable activity. Or, perhaps you want to learn how to play a new sport or take up a hobby like doing card tricks.
Pick a skill that you actually have time for right now. Picking a difficult skill and hoping you can learn it when you don’t have much time to practice is more likely to lead to you abandoning the skill.
This doesn’t mean you can’t learn lots of new skills. Just take the time to thoroughly learn the basics of one new skill before you move onto the next one.
