#3 Wish to learn a new skill but can't get yourself to start?

Let's make the learning process interesting!

New Year’s Eve celebrations are overrated.

Ok, probably not the best way to start the first issue of 2021. But seriously, I feel it’s overrated because one day you make merry and the (very) next day, you’re back to ‘reality’. And this time, the reality will hit even harder.

I do appreciate the finality that comes with December 31st though. A fresh start. An opportunity to reinvent ourselves in some way - make amends, change old habits, learn new skills.

I want to be a better version of myself. I want to upskill. The only problem is that it will require me to go through the slow and painfully long learning process. But how do I get my dopamine-hungry brain to accept it? And where do I even get started?

So let me tell you about this article I read, by James Clear titled Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, But They Were Laying Bricks Every Hour. Where he rightly points out, ‘the problem is that it can be really easy to overestimate the importance of building your Roman empire and underestimate the importance of laying another brick.’

Persistence is important. And getting past the initial barrier and initiating is even more important.

Let’s start by laying the first brick?

Well, this did give me hope, honestly. So here’s what I wish to do —

New skill I want to learn: Hula-hooping (a form of Flow arts) | New habit I want to cultivate: Read every day

Which new skill/ habit do you want to build?

Takeaway

If you put 20 hours of focussed deliberate practice into something, you’ll be astounded by how good you get at it!

45 mins per day for about a month

It’s easier said than done right? Let’s make it interesting.

Here’s a fun tracker that I have created that will help you track your daily progress.

Here’s how it works:

1. Click on the above image and Download it (you can also take a print out).

2. Decide on a new skill you want to learn (Hooping for me) or a new habit you want to cultivate. Fill it in the New Skill/Habit section.

3. Carefully decide a date from when you want to start learning the new thing. Fill it in the Date section.

4. There are 30 fairy lights for 30 days. The exercise asks you to put in 45 min. of focussed deliberate practice into something. Every day for a month.

5. For each day that you devote 45 min to learning and practising it, fill the light with a color. Leave it blank for the days you couldn’t. You can be creative about this too!

6. Continue this process for 30 days. Be sincere!

I will also be using this tracker for my learning process. Let’s do it together? We could also evaluate and discuss our performance by the end of the 30 days.

Explore More

1. This issue was inspired by a TEDx talk by Josh Kaufman. He also talks about 4 simple steps to rapid skill acquisition (at 9:25)

2. If you don’t have a Pentablet/ iPad. You can use apps to upload the image and fill your tracker or maybe use the built-in editor on your laptops

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This is the first issue on ‘Productivity’. I want to make it as actionable and useful as possible for you.

So your feedback is crucial, as it will help me stay relevant. Let me know what you think in the comment section or drop me an email!

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You can find the previous issues of the newsletter here:

Issue#1: 'Art is just not for me' says the voice inside your head?

Issue#2: Do you think you are Creative?

The next, issue #4 of the visual newsletter will be out on 30 Jan 2021. You can follow me on Instagram | LinkedIn for updates.

Till then learn a new skill and show it off, the next time we talk!

Cheers,

Monica