You know that you need to regularly digest content to help you learn something new and grow, but the day continues to get away from you and the book or article remains unread for weeks or months. Don’t allow your own blade to rust or dull while you focus on constantly sharpening the saws around you. Ensure there is a set amount of your schedule carved out for personal growth and development and be consistent about that allocation.
Pick good content
Your own personal situation is a key factor in how much time you can and should invest in yourself but at a minimum you should find two hours per week to spend introducing yourself to new ideas and content. This may be a TED talk, catching up on an insightful YouTube channel, or reading another chapter in a recommended book. Choose the type of media that’s going to be most engaging to you, but make sure the source is of high quality. This means scrolling through your Four You page on TikTok does not count! Think about the most recent conversations you’ve had with your leader, mentor, or team. What opportunities did they help you uncover? Did you make sure to ask for direct feedback? Were you as impactful in that last meeting as you wanted to be? Picking content off the shelf will never get you the quality of result as starting from recent feedback to find a current opportunity for self-improvement.
Block the time
I promise you will not make this a habit without blocking off the time in advance. Help yourself out by picking time blocks that are generally less in demand. If you know that Monday mornings are when your boss schedules staff meetings or Wednesday afternoons are the only time you have with your full team, then avoid those times and minimize conflicts. Scroll through the past few weeks of your calendar to see when you tend to have fewer meetings or only things that come up ad hoc during the week and then set a recurring calendar block. Having this in place will discourage others from scheduling in that window. You may still have the occasional conflict but then you’ll find that shifting the block around but 30-60 minutes for the occasional conflict is much easier and more sustainable than sitting down each week to find open space.
Pace yourself
In your brand new time block make sure you designate a period to digest new material and then a short recap period at the end to jot down notes or ideas that came to mind during your session. Particularly if you’re busy, taking time to write a few notes will help you maintain some continuity in these sessions and can maximize your gains. And when the block is over, stop! Don’t burn yourself out on these sessions by making it a chore. Especially as you get started, budget your time and leave yourself energized and looking forward to the next session. If it’s a light week and you’re on a roll, create a few more blocks later in the day or on additional days to take advantage of the opportunity. Just make sure you continue to come up for air, think about what you’re learned, and consider how to apply it to your current role or projects. Learning requires reflection.
Navigating Ambiguity 