How to Make Learning More Automatic Page 1 of 5

MANAGING YOURSELF

How to Make Learning More

Automatic
by Gretchen Rubin
JANUARY 06, 2016

The new year is here, and for many of us, that means resolutions. At work, it often
translates into a vague desire to broaden our horizons or learn new things. But to
really make consistent progress, we need to make learning a habit. Habits are
freeing because they save us from the difficult, draining business of making

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decisions and exercising our self-control. Because about 40% of everyday life is
shaped by habits, if we have habits that work for us we’re far more likely to be
happier, healthier, and more productive.

In my book Better than Before, I identify 21 different strategies that we can use to
make or break habits in all facets of life. But there are a few that are especially
helpful for making a habit of on-the-job learning.

FURTHER READING
Identify what you need to learn.
1. Take time to think big. In the tumult of
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on Managing Yourself everyday life, it can be hard to step back
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and think about what matters most.
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Maybe you want to take 30 minutes once
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a week, or take a personal day, or go for a
long bike ride. Where do you want to be
in two years? How could you develop
your skills to make your work more
interesting and yourself more valuable? Some people prefer to do this kind of
thinking alone, with just a pad of paper; others prefer to talk it out with a few
trusted coworkers or an old friend.

2. Take time to think small. Sometimes people get overwhelmed when they try to
make grand plans or ask huge questions, so it’s also useful to focus on small,
manageable steps that you can incorporate into your life immediately. To make
your work easier or richer tomorrow, what do you need to learn or get better at
today?

3. Ask yourself: whom do you envy? Envy is an uncomfortable emotion, but it’s
instructive. If you envy someone, that person has something you wish you had.
Do you envy your friend who gets to travel all the time — or the friend who
never has to travel? Do you envy your coworker who’s taking night classes
toward getting an MBA, or who gets to make lots of presentations? Envy can

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help show us how we want to grow and change. Once you’ve figured out what
you need to learn…

Make learning habitual.

4. Be specific about what you’re asking of yourself. Resolutions like “read more”
or “learn new things” are too vague. Put your resolution into the form of a
concrete, measurable, manageable action, such as “Every month, go to at least
two events with learning opportunities” or “Spend two hours every Thursday
afternoon reading all the articles I saved during the week.” Being specific helps
you figure out what to do, and it also makes it possible to…

5. Monitor your habit. Monitoring is almost uncanny in its power. Research shows
that simply by monitoring a behavior, we tend to do a much better job of it,
whether it’s how many daily steps we’re taking or how many cold calls we’re
making. The same is true of how many instructional videos we’re watching or
how often we make time to practice a new skill. Keep track, and you’ll push
yourself in the right direction.

6. Schedule time for your habit. Something like “Research such-and-such” is a

goal that can keep getting pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. Even if it’s
important, it’s just not urgent. So schedule a specific time for research and
learning. But it’s crucial to remember to…

7. Recognize that working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination.

When you schedule time to do certain work, you should do that work, and
nothing else. No filing, no cleaning, no checking emails. Do the scheduled work,
or stare at the ceiling. Otherwise, you may work and work and work, and never
get around to doing the very thing you set out to do.

8. Spend time with people who have the habits of learning that you want to
emulate. Studies show that we tend to pick up habits from the people around
us, so choose your company wisely. If you know that some of your coworkers

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make on-the-job learning a habit, go out of your way to spend time with them,
and you’ll more easily pick up that habit yourself.

And the most important thing to remember about habit change? We must shape
our habits to suit ourselves — our own nature, our own interests, our own
strengths. When we understand ourselves, we can apply habit-forming strategies
with the greatest chance of success.

Gretchen Rubin is the author of Better Than Before, as well as the

bestsellers The Happiness Project andHappier at Home. Rubin began her career
in law, and was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when
she realized she wanted to be a writer. Her new podcast is Happier with
Gretchen Rubin.

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Joseph Makuyana a year ago

Great Article

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