There is absolutely no magic behind acquiring the skills that you want. It all comes down to two things: Time and action.
We live in a very competitive society. Our jobs, education and family take away most of our time. We often don’t have the ability to interrupt our lives to learn play guitar or spanish for 3 months. The Idea that I am going to propose to you today is one strategy to organise your learning experience in a fun and productive way.
The main idea emerged from Matt Cutts’ TED TALK: Try something new for 30 days. The idea is simple: Instead of spending a huge amount of time to learn something, reduce it to a small amount of time spread over a longer period. Human are much likely to lose motivation and energy when challenged with a huge task.
I have had many conversation like the following: “I’d love to learn to play the ukulele. Somewhen. What? Now? Puh, well I got exams soon. I will start when I take holidays.”
It turns out that small steps are more sustainable and more likely to stick. If you want to invest an hour or two a day in experiencing or subtracting a habit from your life, 30 days is just about the right amount of time to do that.
I took a picture every day
Why is the 30 days challenge working?
Efficiency - The brain learns and perceives new information best during small and regular activation of your braincells. Executing a new hobby everyday for just 10 minutes is a very effective way to grow.
Low pressure - Trying something new or challenging for 30 min everyday sounds much more compelling than a 10 hour session. You will be much more open to confront your fears and realize soon that it’s easier than you think (which will boost your self confidence).
Commitment - You are more likely to continue a habit if you implement it in your daily routine and therefore make faster results. Your brain will not perceive it as a long task, but a “fun hour of the day”
Breaks - We need breaks. Especially in creative fields it does not increase productivity to work 15h instead of 12h. On the contrary. Taking time off manifests the information in your brain and brings it from short- to longterm memory
I started my first 30 days project in February 2013.
Since I started my very first project I have succeeded and failed many projects along the way. I tried to go vegan for thirty days. I was incredibly happy when I ate that bbq burger after just 5 days. I am not disappointed that some projects failed because of lack of discipline. I am glad that I tried many things. Since you get to know yourself during the proces it matters what you learn while doing it. Some of the projects I continued for 2-3 more months. And some of the projects I added to my everyday life permanently.
I learned new techniques, methods of working, I got better in working in teams, I got to know new people, and visited places I wouldn’t have visited otherwise. An “Everyday Project” can be an important brick in the self development journey of becoming a better person. (I recommend others to take the challenge as well).