Learning, how do I do that?

Motivation

There has got to be a reason why you want to learn. You are the only one who can bring about a transformation. It's much harder to change the way you think or behave, when you are not the one initiating it. You really need to say, 'I want to learn....' Because you are the only one who should take action to set goals and achieve them. And because you've decided to work on changing yourself, it's more fun to work on your goals. 

What's your mindset?

When you like to learn, are open to development and believe you can change, you will learn more effectively than when you do not believe those things. What is your mindset in regard to learning? 

Make life and work easier

Utilizing New Heroes really will make your life and your work a whole lot easier. You will have less stress, out-perform yourself or never miss a deadline again. But change also requires courage. To speak out and share your learning goals with others. To step out of your comfort zone. See, had it been inside your comfort zone, you would probably already have done it a long time ago. So, being courageous is a must. Do you want to find out for sure if you want to invest energy in a certain learning journey? Then watch the 'Let's start' video, which you will find at the start of every learning journey.

Setting goals

But do understand that motivation alone is not enough. Researchers have discovered that being specific about what it is you want to learn (your learning goal) makes your chances of actually achieving it three times more likely. In fact, by writing down your learning goals, your odds for success are more than 90%. Sounds good, doesn't it? Our advice: work with learning goals as much as possible. Need advice on how to formulate a learning goal? Have a look here.

Supporters

Good intentions are great, but without real action they are pretty useless. That is why motivation is so important - someone who can remind you of the goals you've set. Invite a supporter to your learning journey. Ask yourself how your supporter can help you. For instance, how often you would like your supporter to remind you of your learning goal.

Feed your motivation

You will notice that some days you're more motivated than others. Studies show that our motivation fluctuates strongly even within the course of one day. When your energy level is low, you're a lot less motivated and the chances are you won't feel like working on anything. You disappoint yourself and this will cause your motivation to sink even lower. Therefore, start by taking small steps. Make your new behavior so small that you will not even need motivation. For example, if you want to learn how to perform better, start by concentrating only on the use of your voice. Once you've got the hang of that, move on to body posture, use of hands, etc. More tips on how to motivate yourself? Have a look here. Slow, steady progress leads to big, permanent change. New Heroes helps you with this too. First you get to practice on the platform, before your put it into practice.

Plan short learning moments

Although, it might seem satisfying to learn everything all at once, that's not the best way to go. We simply need time to digest information and store everything in our memories properly. Luckily, New Heroes has thought of that too. Information is offered in bite-sized, little chunks. Twice one hour is better than once two hours. Therefore, plan 10 or 15 minutes every day, preferably first thing in the morning or right after lunch. After each of these bloks, do something that has nothing to do with learning, such as moving around a bit. This helps to digest the information better.

Practice

Practice, practice and... practice. Indispensable to improving your performance. But you don't get to be good at something and to shine by just 'putting in the hours'. It is very important how you practice and how you deal with feedback. So, practicing attentively, with focus and especially with purpose, and to make improvements based on the response you get. Every time you repeat new behavior, you strengthen the paths in your brain. And those will eventually see to it that new behavior becomes a habit. And once your behavior has become a habit, it'll cost you no extra effort or energy ;).

What do you know about your brain?

Want to learn more about your brain? Increase your knowledge here.

Top of mind

An active posture helps to retain information. When you read and hear/see something only passively, it will register less than when you actively go to work with it. This is why we have included all kinds of tasks in the learning journeys.

Keep your practicing top of mind by thinking about the new behavior every day. Have you planned it in your calendar yet?

A summary

Okay, we've shared a lot of tips and tricks with you by now. Here is a list of the most important ones:

• You yourself must want to learn or change.
• Dare to step out of your comfort zone.
• Write down your learning goal and share it with others.
• Focus on new behavior (not on un-learning old behavior)
• Involve a supporter in your learning journey
• Begin by taking small steps
• Plan short learning moments, often
• Practice, practice and keep at it

Ready for the next step? Start a learning journey.

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