Cost

Cost is often a barrier to many things that we want in life. Some things are, unfortunately, out of our price range, but when it comes to growth and learning, there are many low-cost opportunities available.

To make use of these, you need only save a small amount, perhaps monthly, or even weekly if you can. As with many of the activities we look at, the trick here is to start small. Once you get into the habit of saving and not having access to a set amount of money each month, you will find it easier and easier to set this money aside.

Keep track of your daily spending. Being aware of where your money is going can be a great way to see where changes need to be made. There are simple steps that you can take too. For example, do you eat out for lunch every day? Why not try making lunch instead?

Distraction

Growth and learning is, for many, an extremely challenging factor to add to our lives. As humans, we naturally resist change, as well as anything that throws us out of our comfort zone.

Because of this, we will often find things to distract us from doing what we know we really should be. Rather than beat yourself up for this, or try and force yourself to do something that you aren’t mentally ready for, below are some useful habits which can help to get you into the right mindset.

Firstly, let’s start with something simple, such as tidying your room. This will help you feel a sense of achievement, a useful feeling to have when you want to grow and learn. A tidy room is also conducive to a tidy mind; important if you want to learn in the right way.

If at all possible, it could be worth turning off your computer screen too. Often the allure of news articles or the Facebook news feed can be enough to distract even the most concentrated of people.

It may very well be that you need your computer for growth and learning, and that’s fine. Instead, let’s move away from the screen and try some light exercise. Distraction can often be caused by the fact that we simply need a physical break.

A great form of light exercise is brisk walking outdoors, as this helps to get the blood pumping, the mind focused and the endorphins flowing. Or, if you want to do a light form of exercise from within your home, why not try standing and stretching? While this might not seem like the most strenuous form of exercise, it will help to wake your brain up, ready for growing and learning again.

Organisation

If we want to grow and learn, then we must be organised, particularly if we’re looking at opportunities outside of our busy working hours. Keeping notes is one of the best ways to stay on track with your organisational skills. Try creating or updating a to-do list. It’s been psychologically proven that we’re more likely to stick to tasks if they’re written down in front of us.

Also, start keeping a note of the various things you’ll be doing in a calendar or diary. Again, by separating this event from simply a thought in your mind, you’ll be more likely to attend it. Looking for things to populate your diary with? Have a look at events or classes near you that will aid you with your growth and learning.

Procrastination

Procrastination is much like the nastier sibling of distraction. While distraction may be temporary and accidental, procrastination is where we deliberately put off the things that we know we ought to be doing. And as growth and learning often involves us getting outside our comfort zones, you’ll find procrastination is never lurking too far away.

Here we’re going to list some simple habits that can help to tackle the problem of procrastination. Start by updating your to-do list, or creating one if you haven’t already. List the things that you need to do in order to achieve the growth and learning that you desire. The best trick here is to not make these grand aims, but smaller, bitesize goals that you can tackle.

Rather than writing “learn German”, break it up into things such as “register for a German course” or “learn three new words”. Getting into the habit of celebrating these small wins will help you to achieve the larger, overarching goal.

Tidying your room is another great way to tackle procrastination. To grow and learn, we need to be in a tidy, clean and calm environment, as this gives us a calm mindset. Finally, don’t forget to breathe! Conducting a short breathing exercise will help to not only get the blood flowing, but also to focus your mind ready for some all-important learning.