Way Too Busy To Learn? Here’s Why It’s Crucial To Make the Time In 2019.

Most industries develop and change at an alarming rate. The only way to keep up is to engage in further learning and education. Nevertheless, some business owners still believe they know it all, not updating their knowledge, until sadly, their business falls apart as a result of not keeping up.

First, a mini quiz. True or false to the below:

1. My current ideas and insights are based on experiences from over a decade ago.
2. I have no intention of learning something new in the next 12 months.
3. Since finishing my education, I haven’t read a book unless absolutely necessary.
4. I haven’t learned any new topics within the last 12 months.
5. I learn for survival rather than for future preparation or to deal with present situations.

If you have answered TRUE to any of the above, read the below now.

5 simple steps to success.

1. INVEST IN YOURSELF.

Do you have long term plans for your business? You’ll need to get out of survival mode pretty soon! Surviving on limited knowledge will only go so far and you will eventually reach a point where your business will no longer evolve as a result. Future-proof your business by continually investing in new skills and knowledge through continual education.

2. MAXIMISE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME.

The number of valuable topics available to study is mind boggling, making choosing one a real headache. The solution is easy: think about your market, role and business plan, then start the below 2 step process to create the optimum learning plan for you.

Step 1. Think of one long term goal and then work on developing five ways that will allow you to work towards and achieve this.

Step 2. Aside from your business interests, learn things that appeal to you personally. Your mind will be sharper and more engaged which furthermore will help improve performance in your business.

3. LEARN IT YOUR WAY.

Everyone learns differently, which is why it is so important to choose a learning style that is well suited to you, allowing you to retain the most information possible. For general business knowledge, audio books and conferences are easily digestible formats. Contrastingly, if you would like to learn something more specialised, bring in the experts who can deliver a succinct and tailored session opposed to a slower paced course that can leave many in sheer boredom with the prospect of losing all interest.

4. IF YOU MAKE IT A PRIORITY, IT WILL FIT.

With such hectic lifestyles nowadays, it comes as little surprise that most people will be unwilling to learn in their spare time or even say that they don’t have enough time for this. Thankfully, there are a number of ways this can be achieved. Listen to audiobooks on Audible when travelling to a client or read a chapter from a book before going to bed. You do not have to embark on an MBA Program to learn something new! Finally, we also recommend booking all your conferences and workshops for the following year to keep you fully organised.

5. LEARN ONLY WHAT YOU NEED.

Do not make the mistake of learning lots of information you are never going to use in your business. Instead, learn what you need, and use this straight away. Make notes and implement from day one. If you find that you are not practically applying what you learn to make positive changes to your business, consider taking a break from learning for a six month period. Giving you time to implement your existing knowledge to your business, rather than wasting time learning but not implementing it.

Try these tips to get your team involved in learning.

• Involve your team and make learning practical through reading books every quarter. Think of it like a work based book club!
• In a year, get your team to repeat read 8 books and 2 new over 5 years. Keep everyone on the same page.
• Get conference attendees to present key findings to senior management. A great way to share the knowledge and get ultra clear on what they have learned.
• Hire an expert rather than booking a conference (if you find them boring).