Follow the Path of Continuous Learning

We live in the age of information revolution, in which lots of information comes our way every day in various forms like emails, chat messages, web pages, TV programs, conversations etc. Let us take the example of email. Email brings us incredibly huge amount of information we have to deal with every day. At first, most of us get overwhelmed with this information overload and do not know how to cope with it. With some practice we learn to successfully handle our emails but very often it threatens to take up all our available time, leaving us hard pressed to do the real work.

At the same time the jobs today have become more demanding and expect us to deliver outstanding results with very high productivity levels. Everyone is facing the need to deliver more with less. Being knowledgeable and informed is a prerequisite in such a scenario. While the job requires us to read all our emails and react to any urgent messages, it does not allow us the luxury to spend adequate time on this activity.    

In an earlier post, Sharpen the Saw, I talked about the need to sharpen our mental ability by reading and learning new things. This can help us be more productive at job since we will have a deeper understanding. However, it is not very often that we get an opportunity to take a break to learn, again due to our demanding jobs.

  

Thus we find ourselves in the midst of a conflict between information overload that threatens to consume all our time, productivity demands from our job, and need to find time to sharpen the saw. There is not enough time and we end up making a trade off in one way or other. We may choose to concentrate on the work, or sharpening our mental edge, or going through the emails, neglecting others in the process. Is there a way we can manage this conflict better? There may be many different ways to answer this question, I will discuss here the approach that I have found most helpful.

My proposed answer is based on the common wisdom that what you do every day builds you up. Do not wait for an ideal opportunity to sit down and acquire knowledge. Instead, learn on the way as you go about doing your work. Make sure to sharpen the saw daily. During the day, use the information that you receive from various sources including emails to gain knowledge. Then as you go about doing your regular tasks, go about collecting any additional knowledge necessary. Internet has made available a vast treasure of information just a few mouse clicks away; so make a habit of utilizing it whenever needed. This is also known as Agile Learning. This way, you will be keeping yourself up-to-date with the required knowledge and skills.  

There will be times when you may need some dedicated reading time on a specific topic to fill some knowledge gaps. You may not be able to spare that much reading time at work, so make it a regular practice to spend an hour every night before going to bed for such reading. This will be quiet period, so you can concentrate better without interruptions. 

However it needs you to develop an essential skill of efficient handling of information. Learn to go through your emails very quickly; this is one time saver skill that can multiply your productivity. Master how to rapidly search or browse the internet and find the information you need, which is another vital skill for the information age.

Remember learning does not stop when you leave school or college. Learning is a lifelong gradual process that has no short cuts. So, let us make a conscious effort to develop a routine of positive actions to learn on a daily basis. Do not let a single day pass without learning something new and soon you will be on the path of continuous learning.