Why it matters to make lifelong learning a habit & how to succeed with it
As we age, our brain size decreases. Alongside structural and biochemical changes, the so-called brain-aging can cause neuropsychological changes that heavily impact how we live our everyday lives. Many older adults will, for example, notice a decline in their ability to stay focused or attentive. But also orientation and memory can be affected. Fortunately, studies have shown that there are a few activities that will delay the effects of this cognitive decline:
- Physical activity
- Maintaining an active social life with friends and family
- Having the right diet
- A high level of intellectual engagement [1]
Aging is a natural process, but we now know that people well into their late 60s or 70s can start forming new neural networks. And the best way to do it is start learning something new [2]. This is where the concept of lifelong learning comes in. It is defined as an ongoing, voluntary and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons [3]. But not only is continuous learning important for physical and mental health. Technological change imposes a higher demand on professionals. There is a constant need to acquire new skills because established ones might have become obsolete. Who would have thought that nerdy developers that used to sit in their basements playing video games by now would rule the world? A study by burning-glass showed that the demand for data scientists went up by 372% in the last 5 years [4] and Harvard Business Review even called it the “sexiest job of the 21st century“[5].
The most important thing that I learned, is that it is important to keep on learning.
— Bill Clinton at the Global Education and Skills Forum 2014
Fortunately, technology does not only impose mankind with a lot of challenges, it also offers some answers. Knowledge can be accessed by everyone who‘s connected to the internet. Platforms like Coursera and Udacity offer Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) about almost every topic, making lifelong learning possible. During the World Education Forum 2015, the UNESCO stated that opportunities for lifelong learning should be available to everyone because it helps them to fulfill their aspirations and contribute to their society.
While it is fairly easy to stick with a learning routine when you’re still in school or college, it is getting harder the more responsibilities you have. Not everyone can manage to get a couple of hours off from a busy schedule to stick her or his nose into a book to learn something new. We have collected a few tips on how you can successfully become a “lifelong learner“:
1. Develop a habit with lifelong learning
You may think that habits come naturally. Matter of fact, it is something that everyone can influence. The more often and frequently you repeat an action, the more it will turn into a habit. If you can, block some hours in your calendar every week where you will exclusively focus on learning. If you can‘t, think about if you can integrate learning into your daily life somehow. Are you taking the bus or the train to go to your workplace every morning? Why don‘t you listen to a podcast during your commute? You‘ll see that successfully developing a habit will be hard in the beginning, but at some point, it will start to feel very natural. And isn‘t learning something new truly rewarding?
2. Find your passion
Learning requires motivation. So why don‘t you spend time on something you‘re really interested in for a change. Did you never have the chance to understand what Einstein meant by his Theory of relativity? Now it is the time to start and stick with it.
3. Chose the appropriate supporting technology
Thanks to the internet and mobile apps, the world‘s knowledge is at your fingertips and you just have to leap forward and grab it. Technology can greatly help you to become a true lifelong learner. Nowadays, most to-do and task management apps like Todoist and Things 3, support features that let you add recurring tasks to your calendars. Go ahead and add a new task to remind you to study for 2 hours every Wednesday from 8 to 10. With cloud storages like Dropbox, you can carry your course material with you at all times so that you can also study from other places. Especially if some time frees up unexpectedly, it is better to read some interesting articles that you saved for later than scrolling down your Facebook timeline. Most MOOC platforms or podcast players like Overcast allow you to download video courses and podcasts so that you can also access them offline. Digesting a lot of content can be hard. This is why you should always try to take notes on it. Ideally, try taking the notes longhand. Scientists of Princeton University found out that people who take handwritten notes will be able to remember the content much better compared to people that type on their computers [6] because they will need to express thoughts and ideas in their own words rather than just copying what has been said. With the GoodNotes app, you can take your handwritten notes right on the iPad and also organize all your study material as PDFs in a single place.
Learning never stops. It is about reaching your full potential and constantly add to your knowledge. Engaging in lifelong learning activities is good for your physical and mental health and helps you to stay socially active. Further, it is an economic imperative. Stay up to date with changing and dynamic times and good things will happen to you. Exploring undiscovered fields and learning something new from time to time can be truly rewarding.
We’re at GoodNotes are lifelong learners ourselves. When we’re not busy developing one of the world’s leading note-taking and document management apps, we’re trying to become better at a few things we’re passionate about. No matter if it is coding, data analytics, photography, playing the guitar, or creating awesome latte art for coffee, we all love using our app GoodNotes, do take notes and study from them.
Sources:
[1] https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-aging-brain-affects-thinking
[3] Department of Education and Science (2000). Learning for Life: Paper on Adult Education. Dublin: Stationery Office.
[5] https://hbr.org/2012/10/data-scientist-the-sexiest-job-of-the-21st-century
[6] A Mueller, Pam & M Oppenheimer, Daniel. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking.Psychological science. 25. . 10.1177/0956797614524581.
