How Much Time Do You Dedicate Each Day to Learning New Skills?

[accelerator]

Learning new skills is important, but how much time do you dedicate to it each day? Personally I say to myself I should spend at least half an hour doing this, but it often doesn't happen. How about you?

 

[RobM]

Why would you spend 30 mins per day learning a new skill when it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in one. You think you'll learn to play a piano 30 mins per day? Golf? Swimming? Sounds like rubbish to me. You'll never be any good at anything with this mentality.

 

[RobM]

It's still going to take a phenomenal amount of time to learn anything useful. To succeed you have to know about what you want to do - the phrase 'jack of all trades master of none' springs to mind. That is fine I suppose if you never really need to understand fully what you're doing. I just can't see why you'd waste your time halfheartedly trying to learn new skills as the original post said at only 30 mins per day. I would think you're far better picking a couple of areas and spending hours per day getting to grips with them.

 

[Edwin]

Generalism is fine if you plan to use it as a stepping stone to make intelligent use of experts. By which I mean, if you acquire enough skills to know whether the service somebody is providing is good or bad, and are able to have a "sensible" conversation with them about what you expect them to do for you, then you're going to get much more out of hiring work out than somebody who hasn't got the first clue about anything. But in the web arena alone, there are so many separate elements to success that it's hard to imagine any one person being able to master them all (and that's more and more true as the web evolves and websites become more complex and dynamic).

As Rob points out, there's probably still mileage in becoming an expert in something if you're really willing to put in the hours (30 mins a day won't cut it) and if you have a conscious plan for putting that expertise to commercial use at the end of the process. Otherwise, it's just a glorified hobby (nothing wrong with that, but I think that's not what we're talking about here).

 

[ian]

Become an expert in telling the future of digital technology and success will follow; the web industry is just too fluid to master anything through learning something new for 30 minutes per day.

 

[monaghan]

I tend to pick a new system, framework etc... and do a small project during quiet times that's on my to-do list to learn the new skill and then take it from there, some things then are added to the portfolio others are scrapped and I try something else.

I try to keep learning, but I don't set a particular amount of time per day otherwise it can become a chore rather than building skills

 

[RobM]

Edited because my post was misconstrued. Just not how it works in the business.

 

[ian]

I'm guessing most likely click bait

^ this

 

[accelerator]

The key thing in learning something new is keeping up the momentum. That is why it can be a good idea to have a daily task list, and add in half an hour of time to learning something new. You can then just check this off every day, and you will start making more progress.

If learning something tech related, you also need to have a good system of recording how you do things. It is not good enough just to work out how to do something, you need to write yourself notes that you can refer back to. Otherwise, three months down the line when you are trying to do the same tricky thing again, you won't have a clue. At the time writing good reference notes can seem like a burden, but it's essential if you are going to get really good.

 

[dee]

I spend 30 mins a day trying to remember old skills.

 

[scottmccloud]

@accelerator, I'm not quite sure why but lots of your posts read like you're answering a question on a GCSE Business Studies exam.

 

[Edwin]

I spend 30 mins a day trying to remember old skills.

I probably spend the same amount of time bemoaning what I've forgotten...

 

[ChrisMM]

The key thing in learning something new is keeping up the momentum. That is why it can be a good idea to have a daily task list, and add in half an hour of time to learning something new. You can then just check this off every day, and you will start making more progress.

If learning something tech related, you also need to have a good system of recording how you do things. It is not good enough just to work out how to do something, you need to write yourself notes that you can refer back to. Otherwise, three months down the line when you are trying to do the same tricky thing again, you won't have a clue. At the time writing good reference notes can seem like a burden, but it's essential if you are going to get really good.

But how do I learn how to write good reference notes?

 

[accelerator]

Sorry I don't mean to sound preachy, but the point I was trying to make is that when learning a technical computer subject, it is not enough just to work out how to do something, you need to make yourself a note of how you did it. For example, over the last year, I have learnt Adobe Illustrator. However, unless I make good notes, when I try to do something again, a few weeks later, I will have forgotten it. So, I create or reference detailed Illustrator tutorials whenever I learn something new, so that I know for next time. I find it doesn't matter how much you "practice", you will still completely forget very techical software usage procedures unless you have made a note.

 

[scottmccloud]

So, I create or reference detailed Illustrator tutorials whenever I learn something new,

And there it is.

 

[ian]

And there it is.

LOL it was only a matter of time.

 

[accelerator]

And there it is.

Yes, I am illustrating my point. I'm sure some people will find it interesting and of value.

 

[dee]

Should I be writing this down ?

 

[martin-s]

The spam link was always coming sooner or later.

 

[accelerator]

If anyone likes this thread, plus the link I posted about Illustrator tutorials, please post in the thread. Otherwise, I just end up having to argue with the resident Acorn haters who wrongly assume I am just posting for SEO purposes, and seem to have nothing better to post themselves.