Choice overload is a real thing. I feel it. My clients feel it. My friends and family feel it. Modern-day society offers us soooo much choice that deciding what to turn our attention to and in what order, is a task in itself. As an aside: Thanks for reading this blog post as I know you could have read a million other things.
Personally, I have a growing list of books to read that have either been recommended to me or I’ve stumbled across. I know that I’m not alone. Something I hear often from my clients is that they’d like to dedicate more time to their professional and personal development. But too often these areas of life get pushed aside as less of a priority. Yet the nagging feeling that we are missing out might be quite valid as learning and growth are key to an individual’s life satisfaction.
Out of a recent conversation with a friend of mine, who has just started learning a language using the app Duolingo, some commonalities for committing to our learning surfaced. I thought I’d share them because these tips can be applied to pretty much anything.
Layer your tasks
My friend and I marry up our learning with another item. I’ll often listen to the audiobook version of a book while cleaning, getting ready in the morning, or doing some Crystal Art (my new thing and I love it!). My friend does a Duolingo lesson over coffee and uses her morning walks to listen to the additional podcast to increase her language learning. Killing two birds with one stone this way is not only doubly effective but feels great because of the progress gained.
Make your downtime count
Quit scrolling on social media and pull out that book or hobby instead! If a book has really grabbed my attention, I look forward to sitting down and reading it and I intentionally plan time to relax with it. Same for my friend who fills in moments of downtime between clients with language lessons instead of scrolling. Why waste what time you have on things that won’t matter in a year or so?
Strive for consistency
Duolingo is big on encouraging participants to not break their ‘streak’ and the same goes for reading (or any other hobby). A client of mine aims to read 15 minutes a day. This way they make progress through a book, sure it’s slow but it gets done. I’ve read elsewhere that some people will read for simply ONE minute a day. It may seem silly but that one minute a day adds up. As long as you’re consistent, you will build on what it is that you are learning.
If you feel overwhelmed by choice and aren’t sure how to fit in all the fantastic options available to you – pick that first book on the list, or on the pile, or that idea that keeps nagging you and apply the above steps. If you need support, happy to be your cheerleader. Get in contact!
