Dan Morton

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

–Alvin Toffler

It just seemed fitting that I write my inaugural blog post about the skill of learning. And don’t be mistaken — learning is a skill that is too often lost the minute a person graduates from school.

The truest form of learning is born out of curiosity. It occurs when a person relentlessly searches for an answer to a question or problem and is not limited to the walls of a classroom. 

As adults, it’s important to adhere to lifelong learning, which is a self-motivated pursuit of knowledge that occurs throughout a person’s life. A lifelong learner voluntarily searches out new information and skills in areas of both professional and personal interests

Here are some tips on incorporating lifelong learning into your daily routine:

Read anything and everything

We live in the age of knowledge, at a time when you can google your search query and uncover thousands of resources. You can go on social media sites like twitter and get viewpoints, tips, and experiences from people all over the world. We are never at a loss for information. 

Find thinkers who challenge you

Surround yourself with people who make you think. If it’s obvious that you’re the smartest person in the room, then you need to expand your circle of influence.

Find people who can debate you on topics such as philosophy, foreign policy, business trends, and history.

Explore outside of your comfort zone

If you’re a print designer, challenge yourself to learn some web technologies. Make it a goal to not only improve your current skill set and knowledge base, but to develop new ones.

Set learning goals

Periodically set a list of goals that you wish to achieve. Set some goals that increase your proficiency in already learned skills and then set some in new areas that will teach you something new.

Challenge yourself

Make sure you set some lofty goals for yourself too, such as learning a foreign language or how to code a web site from scratch. Why? Because you can.

Practice new skills

It has been proven that most people retain knowledge best when they have a chance to apply it to an everyday situation. Find some way to replicate this kind of situation. A new HDR process tutorial will make a lot more sense and stick with you longer if you immediately apply it to an image.

Embrace social media

If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, now’s the time. There are some amazing resources available on sites like Twitter and Facebook. Some of the brightest minds in design are willing to share their experiences and knowledge.

Challenge your pre-conceived notions and assumptions

Question everything! I once had a Journalism professor whose favorite saying was, “If your mom tells you she loves you, get proof.”

Don’t take anything at face value. This isn’t being skeptical as much as it is just doing your homework. 

“Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every conceived notion, follow humbly wherever and whatever abysses nature leads, or you will learn nothing.” 

–Thomas Huxley

Make learning a priority

Life is always busy. There’s always something going on that can prevent you from accomplishing your goals. You have work, house repairs, kids’ sports, grocery shopping, doctor appointments… The trick is to find snippets of time throughout the day to explore. Carry a book around with you or download a series of articles to your smartphone so you can review them during those brief downtimes.

Make it a daily routine

Learning is not an event that only takes place during down times though. It needs to be a driving force that consumes you, even when you’re busy and all is going well. The only way to keep up with current trends and technologies is by seeking out new skills and knowledge.

Plan some time into your daily routine to just sit down and learn. Review your RSS feed while having your morning coffee or read an article during lunch.

Maintain a list

Keep a list of what you want to learn, whether it be a new language or how to better organize your workflow within Photoshop. Keep this list handy and refer to it often.

Understand everything you read

If you don’t know what something means, research it until you understand it. If you’re reading an article and you come across a word that you don’t recognize, use the vast resources at your disposal to find out what it means. That one word or phrase can change the whole meaning of the piece.

Go ahead and learn the “unnecessary”

It may seem pointless to research, practice, and perfect the art of origami, but the more well-rounded you are the better prepared you’ll be to deal with the unexpected. Plus, the more reference points you have in your arsenal, the more likely you’ll be able to understand new trends.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.”  

–Henry Ford

Tags: Education, Instructional Design, learning