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How to Start Learning Again: A Guide

The insurgence of Covid-19 around the globe and the depredations that it brought along in the socio-economic fabric has reiterated the significance of gaining new skill sets in order to survive and thrive in an intensely competitive job market. It is, therefore, absolutely essential to upgrade your capabilities in a competitive and constantly evolving market environment. However, to start learning again after years of not actively learning, can seem to be an extremely daunting task. You could be someone who is working towards ameliorating your professional competency or someone returning to the world of learning to pursue a new direction or a change in your career. Whatever the reason, beginning the process of learning might come across as the most arduous endeavor.

In order to start learning again after many years, you need to re-orient yourself with the process and change your mindset. Here are steps you can take that break down the process of readying yourself for the process and to be a student again.

Guide: How to teach yourself to learn again

1. Plan and strategize

The fact that a well-defined plan amounts to half the job being done, cannot be overstated. Before you start learning again, it is extremely crucial to have a proper plan of action in place to ensure that you fulfill your goals. While it might not be everyone’s go-to for planning, it really does help to get yourself a journal or a digital planner. Begin by jotting down everything you might need to do, in whatever order they occur to you. Then time-block your day while also taking into account your daily activities so that you have a time-table of sorts and you know exactly what you will be doing and when. Don’t forget to schedule in some you-time and periodic breaks. Remember to also chalk out a schedule that is realistic, yet productive.

A proper timetable will help you utilize each and every day to its fullest potential. The process of going back to learning requires ardent efficiency and only thorough organization, on your part, is the key to make sure that you consistently put in efforts towards achieving your objective.

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2. Say no to procrastination

Once you have set your mind to learning a new skill, it is on you to make sure that you follow through on your promise and make it a habit. Initially, investing a certain number of hours, and concentrating on something repetitive might seem tiresome.

Using a vision board can be a great driver. Be sure to remind yourself as to why you wanted to restart learning in the first place. The more you delay and defer, the harder it will be to orient yourself with the process and to get on track.

3. Avoid distractions

While distractions are unavoidable, especially while working from home, learning anything requires consistency above everything else for you to get back into a learning mindset, and for it to become a routine and eventually reap subsequent results. So, it is mandatory for you to manage the distractions that interfere with your daily learning schedule in order to start learning again. The number of hours that you have planned on devoting every day towards developing a particular skill should be non-negotiable and it is extremely important, therefore, to prioritize. Anything that might interfere with your habit must be curtailed or adequately managed if you want to fulfill the goal that you have set for yourself in due course of time. Using that time-blocking system discussed earlier will help.

4. Strike a balance

While it is important to remain focused and consistent when it comes to learning something, it is also equally crucial for you to strike a healthy balance. Overburdening yourself while going back to learning is sure to induce excessive stress and anxiety and might end up demotivating you, in the long run. Therefore, the key is to reward yourself with short breaks and to also do the things that you love to rejuvenate yourself. Once you complete an assignment that was due or you finish revising a module well before time, reward yourself with something significant. This helps enhance the feeling of accomplishment and drives you to want to keep learning. These little indulgences act no less than incentives and are sure to reinforce your positive behavior and aid the process of learning in the long run.

5. Curate the right ambience

In order for you to concentrate and put in efforts consistently towards achieving your goal regularly, it is important for you to curate a personal space or corner specifically for this purpose. Your study table or corner should be your niche of comfort; one where you feel positive and productive. Since your surroundings are likely to influence the state of your mind, choosing a brightly lit spot for you to sit and learn is wise. Further, a neatly organized table with all the components that you need for learning is also sure to boost your spirits and make you want to start learning again, work harder, and lend to accomplishing your long-cherished goals.

Summary

For the majority of us, studying wasn’t an easy endeavor the first time around, so it is foreseeable that going back to learning might bring about much of the same feelings yet again, especially since it is years later and without continuous practice. But, with the right effort and the simple yet effective steps mentioned above, you can embark on your journey to reacquaint yourself with the process of learning somewhat easier, so that you can achieve the goals that you have set for yourself.

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