{"id":1285,"date":"2017-04-18T17:31:39","date_gmt":"2017-04-18T17:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rachel.we-are-low-profile.com\/blog\/?p=1285"},"modified":"2017-12-07T11:58:01","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T11:58:01","slug":"5-step-self-directed-learning-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rachel.we-are-low-profile.com\/blog\/5-step-self-directed-learning-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Step DIY Self-Directed Learning Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a new learning challenge? I have put\u00a0this guide together to help you design your own self-directed learning journey…<\/p>\n

#1: Understand your motivation<\/span><\/h2>\n

Start with <\/span>why<\/span><\/strong> you really want to learn a new skill – understanding your own motivation for learning will stand you in good stead when you feel like giving up (which will probably happen at some point in your self-directed learning journey!).<\/span><\/p>\n

Define what you want to accomplish, what you are working towards, and what you\u2019d like to achieve. You can start to do this by asking yourself some questions:<\/p>\n

What am I curious about? And what would I like to understand better?<\/span><\/pre>\n
How would I like to challenge myself by learning something new? <\/span><\/pre>\n
What is important to me about learning X, Y, Z? <\/span><\/pre>\n
How does learning X, Y, Z relate to other things I\u2019d like to achieve in my work \/ life \/ relationships with others?<\/span><\/pre>\n
In what ways will learning X, Y, Z allow me to feel more confident \/ better equipped for my work \/ life \/ relationships with others?<\/span><\/pre>\n
How could I use my new knowledge or skills to help other people \/ contribute to new projects?<\/span><\/pre>\n
How does learning X, Y, Z help me to feel more in control of choices I make around my work \/ my environment \/ other aspects of my life?<\/span><\/pre>\n
How might my accomplishments in learning X, Y, Z be recognized by others?<\/span><\/pre>\n
You might find it useful to write some notes for yourself around these questions – these can be useful to look back on as you work your way through learning something new, as you\u2019ll start to see how far you have come, and to remember where your thinking was at the start of the process.<\/p>\n
Now that you have a better understanding of the purpose of your learning, you should find it easier to stay motivated in the long-run, and more quickly lift yourself out of situations where you feel frustrated or distracted. Remind yourself that \u201cWhat I am doing is important because I am working towards X, Y, Z [insert your motivations here]\u201d<\/p>\n
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#2: Be clear & S.M.A.R.T. about what you are planning to learn<\/span><\/h2>\n
To help structure your learning, try using the S.M.A.R.T. framework to be more clear about what you are setting out to do.<\/span><\/p>\n
Get <\/span>Specific<\/b> about what you want to achieve. Write down what it is you are committing to learn in one sentence. If the topic \/ subject is too broad, drill down and get more specific – break it up into different areas if necessary and choose one to focus on first. It is worth taking some time to do this before starting to search online, to really understand your focus and save time in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n
You need to be able to <\/span>Measure<\/b> your learning. This could be about spending a certain number of hours a week on your self-directed learning activities, or it could be about being able to achieve a particular thing – for example, \u201cI want to be able to successfully use the Lasso tool in Photoshop\u201d, or \u201cI want to be able to write a 300 word blog post about Radical Pedagogy\u201d or \u201cI want to be able to sew a patchwork cushion following an existing pattern\u201d. Making your goal measurable means you will know when you have achieved it, and gives you milestones to work towards and celebrate.<\/span><\/p>\n
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Ask yourself whether your planned learning goal is actually <\/span>Achievable<\/b>. You might need to put certain things in place to make sure that you have enough time to focus – including having a suitable space to work \/ study in, that you make time in your schedule to give over to learning, or you might need to arrange childcare or have other resources in place (eg internet access, headphones, or a device that you can use when you need to). <\/span><\/p>\n
If you have found online learning difficult in the past, start small – with a low level of time commitment that you build up gradually and\/or involve other people in your commitment to learning. Work out what you need and put this in place. You can also adapt and alter the Specific \/ Measurable parts of your goal to make the whole thing more Achievable (eg choose a smaller initial area to investigate or master).<\/span><\/p>\n
You need to make sure whatever you are learning is <\/span>Relevant<\/b> to you. This relates back to really understanding your motivation – if you are learning something *for* someone else, you will be less likely to actually follow this through. If you are learning something feel you *need* to understand because it will allow you to do X, Y, Z you will find it much easier to commit your time and energy.<\/span><\/p>\n
Set a <\/span>Time<\/b> by which you aim to have completed your first learning goal – this could be by the end of this week, within 2 weeks, or within a month. It is best to set short-term goals for self-directed learning as you will be regularly setting and re-setting new Specific goals. Your S.M.A.R.T. goals will probably relate to larger \/ longer self-directed goals which are less specific (ie your overarching motivation) and have an unknown timeline (as it stretches beyond 30 days, for example).<\/span><\/p>\n
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#3: Get organised with your time & tracking your learning<\/span><\/h2>\n
Part of the attraction of learning in a self-directed way or learning online may well be that you can engage with learning at your own pace and on your own terms, rather than the more structured classroom-based educational settings. However, to get the most out of your learning, you are still going to need *some* structure and <\/span>you<\/span> are in charge of deciding on what form this takes.<\/span><\/p>\n
You might want to make a regular appointment with yourself – for example \u201cI am going to spend 1 hour learning about [X, Y, Z topic] on a Wednesday after work, between 5-6pm\u201d, or \u201cI am going to listen to a podcast on [X, Y, Z topic] on my morning commute and take notes\u201d – set yourself an alarm or use Google Calendar appointments, Trello tasks or features in a similar app as a reminder.<\/p>\n
If you find it hard to be disciplined with yourself, try combining or chaining your learning task with a regular activity that you already undertake (like the examples above), or as a direct replacement for another activity or associate with an activity that you really enjoy – eg \u201cI am going to watch 2 x 10 min learning videos rather than (or before) watching [X, Y, Z television programme] on Thursday evenings\u201d or \u201cI am going to listen to a podcast on [X, Y, Z topic] while I go out for a walk in the park\u201d.<\/p>\n
You will gradually work out how long your blocks of learning time will need to be – you might need to block out 2-3 hours in a row, or you might prefer small short bursts of learning activity that you fit into your daily schedule. You can use a Pomodoro timer to check in with yourself on whether you are still focussing on your topic, or to remind yourself to take a break.<\/p>\n
To track your learning, it is worth quickly recording the following things (in a notebook, or easily accessible document):<\/p>\n