education – Keeping it creative

I’ve seen a lot of YouTube vlogs recently about creating your own personal curriculum, and, as I consider myself very much as a lifelong learner, I was eager to give it a go. However, with limited free time, a variety of goals in progress, and a vision board that identifies my priorities for 2026, I wanted to start really small by focusing on just one subject and a particular element I want to learn more about. If, like me, you already have a busy life but want to carve out some time to learn something new (and enjoy benefits such as enhanced brain function, improved emotional and mental wellbeing, personal growth and increased life satisfaction) read on to find out how I designed my personal curriculum for Summer 2026. Also, if you’re not sure what a personal curriculum even is, I’ve also covered this below too.

What is a personal curriculum?

A personal curriculum is a self-designed and self-lead learning plan that enables you to create your own educational journey, developing your skills and knowledge in an area which interests you. Unlike at school, college or university, you play the role of teacher, selecting your own subjects, assignments and, if you wish, learning objectives. You also get to choose how many topics you will cover (I would suggest no more than two or three to get you started), your methods of learning (e.g. books, videos, movies, podcasts, trips, experiences etc.) and the time scale for completion (e.g. one month, one season, one term or one semester). You can also plan study times around other commitments and think about how deep an understanding you wish to have by the end of your ‘module’.

The topics of your personal curriculum can vary greatly but could include academic subjects such as environmental sciences, philosophy, British Classics, Fine Art or Creative writing, hobbies such as baking, photography, knitting or watercolour painting, practical skills such as budgeting, gardening, basic car maintenance or computer literacy, or personal development such as time management, mindfulness, communication skills, learning a new language, emotional resilience or goal setting.

Choosing my focus for my learning plan

I have many, many hobbies an interests which made it difficult to decide where to start and what I wanted to work on. So, I figured that it might be a good idea to make a list of things I enjoy doing in my spare time. These are what came to mind straight away:

Creative journalling and memory keeping
bullet journalling
walking in nature
vegan cookery
drawing
watercolour painting
photography
blogging
fitness related including yoga, Pilates and Zumba

Some of these topics, I feel like I know quite a lot about already and so I’m happy with my current explorations of them and how much time I dedicate to them. Others, I want to learn more about but tend to explore them every now and then when I feel like getting creative (e.g. watercolour painting and drawing. The topic that I decided that I really want to focus on learning about right now was DSLR photography. However, as I’ve done a beginners course focusing on basic techniques and Photoshop, I wanted to explore a very specific type of photography which would uplevel my skills. I know I would love to concentrate on wildlife photography but I’m very aware that suitable zoom lenses and a camera upgrade would be required and I don’t have the finances for this at the moment (if ever!). What I do have though, is a macro lens which I really haven’t got the hang of yet and a love of photographing insects and flowers so I’ve opted for a module on Macro Photography as a good starting point.

What do I want to learn?

I grabbed a piece of paper and brainstormed all of the things I wanted to learn about the topic of macro photography. Then I worked in my bullet journal to made a spread called An Introduction to Macro Photography finalising my ideas by identifying a rough order of action points. I started with the theory behind this style of photography, including tips and tricks, then moved on to practical experiences and opportunities to evaluate my learning and progress. I kept it pretty simple, using stamps and black ink, but if you wanted to, you could set out learning objectives or expected outcomes at each stage and go to town with the decor.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

Finding resources to support my learning

There are plenty of resources online about macro photography so I made the decision to stick with web-based information for the whole of my ‘module’. I don’t want to buy books on my chosen topic as these can quickly become outdated or might involve equipment which I haven’t got (e.g. the newer mirrorless cameras) and, although I could go to the library, I like the idea of dipping in and out of online resources when I have a spare few minutes and don’t want to carry heavy books around with me.

To ensure I (almost) always have access to the wealth of webpages, blog posts and YouTube videos I’ve come across, rather than writing them down in my bullet journal, I’ve opted to paste the links into Notion so I can click on them whenever I want, and as long as I have my phone or my computer accessible (which is pretty much all of the time), I can do some self study. Now, I’m not an expert on Notion, so it’s not a fancy set up with items pertaining to different aspects of my curriculum but the titles in the links are enough for me to gauge what the pages or videos are about helping me to establish when they might be useful, and that’s enough for me!

When choosing your resources, it’s important to firstly establish what type of learner you are. Learners can be broadly categorised into the following (bear in mind that you’re likely to be more than one type):

visual learner – prefers images, diagrams and charts
auditory learner – learns best through lectures, discussions and audio materials such as podcasts and audiobooks
kinesthetic learners – prefers hands on learning through physical experiences and practical activities
linguistic learner – excels in reading, writing and verbal communication
logical learners – enjoys solving problems and logical reasoning
social learners – thrives in group settings and prefers to learn through collaboration
solitary learners – prefers to study alone and is self-motivated to learn, keen to independently reflect on own learning

Should I record my learning?

Whether you take notes on what you read or explore is entirely up to you, but for me, writing and journalling is part of the fun, so I absolutely want to do plenty of recording even if it’s just me writing that I spent ages trying to get the perfect shot of a butterfly and just as I fully depressed the shutter it flew off to pastures new and left me feeling a tad frustrated. Also, as a stationery lover, it was the perfect excuse to go notebook shopping! I got three slim notebooks for £3.50 and as long as I ignore (or get over) the fact that the word ‘notes’ is slightly off centre (grrr), I’m sure I’ll enjoy using one of them for my Macro Photography learning!

Now I just need to decide which design to use. I’m thinking the bright and sunny yellow colour?

Top tips for keeping it fun and interesting

Now you’re no longer studying at school or college, you get to choose exactly what you focus on and the pace of your learning. To ensure you have fun and maintain interest in your personal curriculum, I have the following suggestions and tips which should help:

embrace fluidity Whether your employed, run your own business, or are currently not working, there will be times when you have lots on your plate, times when you have a lighter schedule, times when you’re full of energy and times when you simply need to rest rather than adding more to your to do list. For your personal curriculum to be successful, I think it’s really important to ‘go with the flow’, accepting that your learning can and should flow with the rhythms of life rather than being a rigid set of actions to be completed at a set time or by a set date.

give yourself grace Similarly, if you do carve out a specific time to do a specific activity such as reading a chapter from a book, watching a video or making notes on your learning, if it doesn’t get done, don’t be hard on yourself, instead, spend time considering and questioning why. Maybe you got distracted by social media. Perhaps a more exciting opportunity presented itself that you didn’t want to miss. Or maybe you had low energy that afternoon and didn’t think it was a good time for you.

release perfectionism Strive to do your best with your personal curriculum study rather than demanding flawless results. When you were at school or college, you had particular grades to aim for and may have felt like other people were placing high expectations on you. However, you were probably also told that ‘as long as you try your best, that is all that matters’. Embrace the present and recognise that you are doing the best you can with the energy and resources you have available and that is totally okay.

avoid comparision The term ‘personal curriculum’ is a bit of a buzz word or phrase at the moment and there seem to be plenty of people talking about developing one and often sharing theirs on social media. I’ve seen examples where individuals have picked about four or five topics in a single month and set around six learning objectives or foci for each. Just the thought of doing this, my part time work, housework and spending time with family and friends (which is also a big priority of mine) stressed me out. But, then I came to realise that, although looking at what others are up to can get your creative juices flowing or give you ideas about the scope for your self study, it can also be pretty dangerous for your own wellbeing to compare yourself to others. If, like me, you want to start slowly and dip your toe into setting yourself a personal curriculum, you could try picking a single topic of study and a small part of what might be a vast and open-ended subject. It’s also worth remembering, that these same people who have been sharing their in depth curriculums, might not have done half of what they set out to do, and might be drowning in their own self-directed learning program behind the scenes and wishing they hadn’t set themselves such lofty goals! Remember, learning in your adulthood should be fun and light-hearted and if it stops being these two things, it might be time to reconsider your choices.

Ultimately, when designing your personal curriculum, ‘you do you’ as the saying goes, choosing your own resources and learning styles rather than adopting ideas from others that you’ve seen on social media. And remember, the beauty of learning as an adult, is that you can always tweak bits along the way or completely miss out parts where you feel like you’re not enjoying yourself or that it’s all getting a bit too academic (or formal) for your liking!

Wishing you lots of happiness in your learning, whatever you choose to do,

I left formal education a long time ago now, but I still enjoy learning new things and thrive on deepening my knowledge of subjects which interest me. In today’s post, I plan to discuss some of the many reasons why being a lifelong learner is good for you. Then, in a second blog post, I’ll consider different ways in which you can become a lifelong learner or continue your learning journey long after you finish your formal schooling.

What is a lifelong learner?

A lifelong learner is an individual who continues to seek out opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills beyond their formal education and throughout life. The learning may be formal such as taking a CPD (Continued Professional Development) course for work, attending an accredited night class which follows a set curriculum e.g. photography for beginners, or working towards a further or higher education qualification in person or via an online platform. On the other hand, it could involve informal learning such as reading a book on a topic you are interested in, watching online videos to improve your DIY skills or chatting with people in a Facebook group focused on a particular hobby or interest e.g. bullet journalling or Syrian hamsters.

The character traits of a person who is a lifelong learner include:

showing a curious mind
having a thirst for knowledge
always seeking new opportunities to grow
being an avid reader
a tendency to be open-minded about things
having the motivation for self study and continued personal development
believing it’s never too late to learn something new (you can teach an old dog new tricks!)
being a goal setter / goal getter
saying yes to new opportunities and things which push them out of their comfort zone
recognising that change is an inevitable part of life and often leads to opportunities for personal and professional growth
developing daily habits that encourage them to learn such as setting goals each month and writing a plan of action, dedicating twenty minutes each morning to reading a book on a particular topic of interest or scheduling half an hour each evening to learn macrame.

What are some of the benefits of being a lifelong learner?

Being a lifelong learner can bring so many benefits to both your personal and professional life. In fact, research shows that overall, individuals who continually seek out new learning opportunities lead a happier and more fulfilled life so after you’ve read today’s blog post, make sure you look out for part 2 which considers different ways in which you can improve and expand your knowledge and skills.

Seven main advantages of being a lifelong learner:

Sharpens your mind – learning new things stimulates the brain and enhances our cognitive abilities. The benefits of this include improved memory retention, enhanced problem solving skills, longer attention span, better reasoning skills and more effective communication skills. Continued learning also reduces the risk of cognitive decline and age related cognitive disorders such as dementia.

Gives you better job prospects or career opportunities – keeping up-to-date in matters relating to your field and developing useful employment skills (such as communication, teamwork, time management, active listening etc) can increase employability, work efficiency and likelihood of promotion. Also, knowing your stuff can make you feel much more confident in job interviews or one-to-one meetings with your boss.

Can help you stay connected – lifelong learning offers many opportunities to connect with others. For example, you might join an art or craft class where you get to meet and chat to other creatives, become a member of an online community which enables sharing of ideas, experiences and knowledge on a particular topic, or attend a CPD event with others who work in the same professional field. Engaging in social learning can also be a wonderful way to get out there and find your tribe, in other words, people who share commonalities or possess traits you aspire to adopt.

Boosts your confidence and self-esteem – Learning a new skill, refining your existing ones or developing your knowledge in a particular subject area is guaranteed to make you feel good. In fact, research from The New Economic Foundation (NEF) concluded that there are five ways to wellbeing and that one of these, which can give you a sense of achievement and new confidence, is to keep learning.

Better management of physical and mental health conditions – If you visit a health professional and receive a diagnosis of a particular health condition, finding out more about it can really help to improve your understanding and self management. Keeping up-to-date with the latest research, for example, through reading health and wellbeing articles in magazines can also prove to be particularly useful too.

Helps you to keep up with a constantly changing world – Our world is constantly evolving and changing and sometimes it can be difficult to keep up. Being a lifelong learner is essential for keeping yourself informed and making sure you have a relevant skills for both your personal and professional life.

You can share your knowledge and skills with others – Sharing your expertise with others can be incredibly rewarding and also helps you to consolidate your learning. There are so many ways to do this in either a professional or personal capacity including teaching, mentoring, coaching, workshops and training sessions, starting or joining an online or in person group, creating a blog, vlog or podcast, volunteering, writing a book, talking to friends or family about your interests and answering any questions your children ask (or using your research skills to help them find out if you don’t know!). Also, don’t underestimate the power of children seeing you learning and reaping the benefits of your new knowledge and developing skills.

Final words…

The most common reason why people read or follow blogs is to learn something new, so the likelihood is, if you are reading this, you are already a lifelong learner. However, I think it’s important to think about the benefits of continued learning and explore the different options for furthering our knowledge and skills so we make time in our busy days for such activities.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this week’s post and don’t forget to look out for Part 2 where I consider different ways of being a lifelong learner.

Category: education

Monday Matters: Creating a personal curriculum by starting small (with just one topic)

Monday Matters: 7 key benefits of being a lifelong learner (Part 1 of 2)