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Today, I’m sharing the second and final part of my mini-series on lifelong learning. In Part 1, I considered the character traits of lifelong learners and discussed the benefits of being a lifelong learner. In Part 2, I’m going to be identifying different habits to adopt for continual learning and also sharing a range of ways to be a lifelong learner. I hope you find both of my posts useful and they help you think about the value of continued learning, your preferred learning styles, plus little tweaks you could make to your daily life and schedule so that learning is both a priority and a joy.

1. Consider your learning styles

We all have preferred methods of learning and, as adults we can develop our understanding of the different styles, decide which of them work best for us personally, and then use our knowledge to tailor our learning experiences appropriately. Here are some of the most common types of learner:

• auditory – learns by listening e.g. through music, lectures, podcasts, and talks
• visual – prefers to use visual aids such as pictures, photographs, videos, charts and diagrams, they may also draw their own illustrations to help them remember key information
• kinesthetic – learns by doing and often described as ‘hands on’ learners, likes to use different senses to take in the information
• reading / writing – learns through seeking out written information in books and magazine articles, prefers to write things down in words rather than using pictures or graphs, also likes to underline key points, colour code information or write notes in the margin when given a handout
• logical / analytical – learns by processing data and solving problems, often looks for patterns to connect different aspects of the information in order to make sense of what is being presented
• naturalistic – learns through investigating the natural environment, particularly enjoys outdoor and environmental learning opportunities. Enjoys carrying out field studies, watching wildlife documentaries, keeping nature journals with own sketches, photographs, observations etc. and finding out more about different environmental issues such as climate change
• interpersonal – this type of learner functions best when they engage in group activities like quizzing one another, becoming involved in discussions or brainstorms and forming study groups
• intrapersonal – this type of learner prefers a solitary learning style and finds self study particularly effective

You may find that from the list above, you prefer several of the different learning styles and this can help you to explore particular approaches to learning. However, it’s also important to recognise that some types of learning are more pertinent to particular topics of study or aspects of learning than others. For example, if you want to learn how to play a musical instrument, auditory, visual and kinesthetic (hands on) activities may be more helpful than reading or writing about the skills involved.

2. Identify your passions and interests

As an adult, you have lots of choice in terms of what you’d like to learn about and the skills you’d like to develop. You’re also free to explore and follow your passions and interests in any way you choose or even decide that you’re not as interested in something as you thought you were! Here’s some ideas for identifying specific passions and interests:

• reflect on your past experiences and activities you’ve particularly enjoyed – does anything stand out in your memory that you’d like to become involved in or try again?
• think about your particular set of skills and abilities – are there any particular ways in which you’d like to put them to good use?
• consider your core values – this will help you establish what matters to you in life and then you can create learning experiences which reflect this. There are lots of resources online with lists of core personal values but you might find this article particularly helpful as it adds a little detail to each item on the list
• consider favourite topics of conversation with friends and family members or what you like to teach others about
• try out new things and discover what sparks your curiosity and interest
• write a list of things you’d like to get better at e.g. cooking, gardening, playing guitar, drawing, singing, applying make up – give yourself plenty of time to see what comes up!

3. Read every single day

Developing a habit of reading each and every day is a great way of learning new things. To make it stick, try habit stacking by pairing it with an existing habit of yours. So, for example, part of my morning routine is breakfast, filling in my journal and reading a book or article of my choice for 5, 10 or 20 minutes depending on the time I have available. I also always read a novel on my Kindle each night as soon as I get into bed.

Any form of reading is an opportunity to learn, but varying your reading material is the best way to gain new knowledge and different perspectives. In a month, you might read several novels (choosing different genre such as crime thriller, romance, historical fiction and fantasy), a collection of love poetry, an article in a magazine which is full of self care ideas, a few blog posts on topics that interest you such as a particular creative pursuit or easy vegetables to grow in your garden, the definition of a previously unfamiliar word in a dictionary, a newspaper article about an environmental issue and a few chapters from a non-fiction book about creating a well-organised home.

4. Set realistic and meaningful goals

A great way of setting learning goals and pursuing them is to use the SMART framework. Taking time to identify the specifics and draw up small and achievable steps is crucial if you want to make meaningful progress and enjoy the outcomes of your learning.

5. Manage your time effectively

If you want to make learning a priority, you need to dedicate time to it on a regular basis and ensure it becomes a key part of your routine. Good time management is such an important skill to develop (and might be something you want to learn about first before pursuing your passions and interests). Key ways to manage your time well so you can create opportunities for learning include:

• keeping yourself organised – make sure your calendar is up-to-date so you know your commitments and when you might be able to carve out some time for learning
• maintain a tidy environment where everything has its place – so you don’t spend precious minutes or hours looking for things you need but can’t find
• prioritising – making decisions about the best use of your time today, deciding what’s important for you in your life right now and making those things a priority (don’t forget to add time for breaks too)
• scheduling – try ‘time blocking’ by first adding in regular tasks and activities such as eating meals, sleeping, going to work etc. and then fitting in other priorities around these
• avoiding time and energy drainers such as scrolling social media, excessively checking your email, phone notifications (especially sounds and pop ups which draw your attention straight away), negativity whether that’s from people, watching the news or doomscrolling
• set short term goals for learning that help you take steps towards your long term goals and regularly evaluate your progress to check you’re heading in the right direction

If you want to know more about making time for your current priorities and developing time management skills, I highly recommend ‘Make Time: How to focus on what matters every day’ by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky.

6. Make use of free online resources

Follow a small number of podcasts, blogs and vlogs on a topic of your choice, hosted by people you find interesting to hear from and schedule some time each week to check in with them and explore new content or older uploads that you might have missed. Also look for online tutorials for beginners (there’s loads to choose from on YouTube or within blogs) or introductory courses so you can give things a go before committing to them financially. Alternatively, to develop your knowledge of a subject in general, you might like to join a group (for example on Facebook) where you can follow interesting topics of conversation, start a thread to discover different opinions or ask a question of someone with a higher level of expertise in the field.

7. Don’t forget to rest

Although making time for learning is important if you want to explore your passions and interests, equally valuable is taking regular breaks for rest and relaxation. This might mean meditating, listening to a favourite album or piece of music, spending time in nature or engaging in creative activities such as drawing, painting or papercrafting. Ensuring you get adequate, quality sleep is also essential for good cognition so be sure to make this a priority too.

Final words…

I hope today’s blog post has given you a few new ideas on how to be a lifelong learner. Ultimately, you are looking to cultivate a growth mind set where you are always looking for opportunities to learn, aren’t frightened to try new and challenging things, seek out new perspectives as a way to see the world in a different way, view mistakes, failures and setbacks as learning opportunities, find value in constructive criticism and believe that, with effort, you are more than capable of developing both your knowledge and abilities in order to reach your full potential.

I wish you well on your various learning journeys and remember every day is a new opportunity to be who you want to be,