Last week, I asked what readers would like to learn outside their fields, and why.
This week, I have another question: What keeps you from learning what you’d like to? How might you overcome those obstacles? To use a baseball metaphor, we won’t get on base if we don’t swing the bat. So, what keeps us from swinging?
For a lot of us (certainly for me!) a lack of sufficient time is a major obstacle. When that seems to be the main problem, I end up asking myself:
- If I really want to learn this, what can I let go of in order to make time for it?
- I may genuinely want to learn this, but given my other commitments and responsibilities, is now the best time? (Deciding that it isn’t and that I should put it on hold may be the best option in some cases.)
- Sometimes, I find that the issue isn’t primarily time. Instead, it’s that I really don’t know where to begin. There may or may not be a class nearby. Maybe it doesn’t fit my schedule, even if there is a class.
I’ve found that if not knowing where to begin is the primary difficulty, a Google search may turn up some resources. Asking around also never hurts—sometimes friends have connections to resources or we don’t know about. And sometimes, helpfully, a colleague might post a link to something very helpful, as Ryan did this week.
For the time being, both the learning goals I mentioned last week are on hold, not because they’re not worthwhile, but because other things have to take higher priority right now. When I’m ready, though, I’ve got some ideas about where to begin.
What about you? What’s getting in the way of learning what you want to? What resources might be available to help you meet those learning goals when the time is right? Let us know in the comments!
[Image the author / Creative Commons licensed]