Best Ways to Upskill Your Professional Skills and Boost E-Learning

This unexpected lockdown has put us all in a position like never before. It has drastically changed our routines. We are unable to do all the outdoor things that we were used to and are stuck inside our houses with just the internet, computers, and smartphones. (God bless the technology). To be truthful, I personally enjoyed the first two weeks massively as I was able to browse through social media or play videogames 24/7 without any interruption. No work, no study, just me and my computer or phone until eventually, it started getting boring. (Something I never imagined could happen.) This made me realize how important is keeping our mind occupied with something productive. So I realized, it could be an opportunity for me to learn something new, so I began learning Spanish.

It does not have to be Spanish, nor it has to be language. It could be anything you want; anything that interests you. The possibilities are endless. You can learn web designing, programming, literature, art, fashion, entrepreneurship, you name it and the courses are available, for you to access online through different e-learning institutes like Udemy, Skillshare, eDx, Coursera, Udacity, MIT Open CourseWare.

Why E-learning and Why Now?

During this lockdown, E-learning has to be the best option to stay productive as it is accessible from your homes and is the opportunity to boom in anything that interests you. E-learning provides you with the facility to fit learning around your lifestyle, effectively allowing you to further a career and gain a new qualification or just learn anything for fun.

But starting it might not be the solution. As we have never experienced such a situation, it is equally important for us to take care of our minds as well. We might have a hard time coping with the situation and being productive. We might have trouble focusing. Or we might not be getting proper outcomes as expected. There are completely normal and we all are in this together. For such situations, we have a few tips that can assist you with your E-learning journey.

Make a Plan

Every journey begins with a plan and this is no different. Figure out your destination (i.e. what you want to learn specifically), and start your journey (i.e. learning.) Let’s start with your hobby; does it require learning? Awesome! Let’s get to it. Anything you’re passionate about? That is even better. Let’s get to it. Anything that could be useful for you in the near future? Stop wasting your time and get to it. It is a perfect time. Make a plan, set your goals, and write it down in paper. Set the steps that are necessary to get to the goal.

Self Discipline

As easy as it is to learn online, it is equally hard as there are many distractions like constant notifications of new email, new messages, social media, or whatsoever. To get beyond this, self-discipline is of utmost importance. You can try turning off notifications if that works for. If still, you can’t seem to focus, there is a digital wellbeing feature in phones. External apps also can be used. Or you can even put your phone away when you’re learning. Try to stay away from distractions.

Take Notes

Every learning requires a commitment and focus so don’t forget to take notes. Take notes of the key elements of your course, that you can revise later to strengthen your knowledge.

Schedule Breaks

Learning continuously might get boring and too hectic so don’t forget to schedule a break, here and there. James Clear in his book Atomic Habits says that “if you want to learn a new habit, the secret is always staying below the point where it feels like work.” So the point is if you’re trying to learn something, don’t force it. If it is getting too hard, take a break and come back later when you have your focus.

Participate in Online Forums

It would also be a smart move to participate in online forums as conversation can never feel like work and in the meantime, you can expand your knowledge, while discussing with fellow members. Also, it helps to expand our perspectives over anything. It makes knowledge sharing more fun and also it helps us out in the times while we might feel stuck on something.

Here are some of the online resources that you can use:

• Udemy
• Skillshare
• eDX
• Coursera
• Udacity
• MIT Open Course Wave

These might be some of the ways to make E-learning more effective. However, a different person has their own way of learning, so you can go through as per your comfort. Happy learning!

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