Finding willingness to study
How I am understanding my limits and trying to focus on what really matters.
Introduction
Hey guys! After some time, I am here to explain why I did not post new articles on my blog and how I am working to fix that.
Three months ago I started working at an amazing company, which develops a very helpful application for managing condominiums. I already love working there, but I had to deal with a personal problem: I was not having more time to study (or, at least, that is what I was thinking).
Well, first I looked for some tips on other blogs. I also asked a friend how he deals with the same problem. Then I discovered that this situation is very common and that I could change my mindset to adapt to my new routine.
Today I will be sharing with you the tips that are helping me to find the willingness to study again and to become a better developer. May these tips be so useful for you as they are for me.
1. Find the best time for you
Many people get worried about the time they spend after work, thinking about how much it is hard to focus on studying after a tiring day. But it is not your obligation to read and learn after work. You must find the best moment of your day to do that stuff.
My father, for example, is used to waking up early every day to study. But I prefer to do that at night because it is my best moment in the day to get focused on reading a book or improving my knowledge of a programming topic.
If you try to force yourself to study in a moment that you are always tired and unwell, you may fail at it.
2. Remember things you already learned
After some time without reading anything, it may be really hard to do this again. My friend Victor gave me a tip for what to do in these moments.
He told me to write about something I read some time ago. It can be anything: a good book, an article like this, or even a post I saw on social media. Why?
When you write about things you have learned, you remember how understanding them made you satisfied and helped you to improve professional and personal skills. It will give you the force you need to keep on studying and giving yourself the time you need to conquer more knowledge.
3. Avoid anything that could disturb you before you get disturbed
If you do not want to get disturbed by less important things, such as messages on your phone, you must avoid paying them attention before it is too late. After getting distracted by those things, you may lose the will of thinking deeper about something.
There is a way to do that: turn off notifications or shut down your phone (if it is the cause of your distraction). Do not allow anything to ruin your plans.
4. Determine what is important
You may wish to learn how to use a specific language or how to create an application using some famous framework. But the question is: will learning those features put you closer to your life targets?
In some cases, it is better to pay attention to a feature instead of a skill. So try to use most of your precious time to learn fundamentals instead of very specific things.
It will make you get encouraged while learning because you will see results that may help you for the rest of your life.
5. Always keep your life target in mind
What do you want to become? Who will you be from here to some decades? Do you often think about it?
It is very important to keep in mind what you want to be, to discover, to understand deeply, in your future. Thinking about these things will help you to remember how making some effort now will make a difference later.
You do not have two lives: enjoy this one to learn what you want to know.
Conclusion
Studying is a continuous process. You cannot stop reading, trying new things, and knowing more about yourself. When you start getting tired to do that, remember these advices:
- Find the best time for you (you do not need to study only after work, at night)
- Remember things you already learned
- Avoid anything that could disturb you before you get disturbed
- Determine what is important ("will learning that feature contribute to my life targets?")
- Always keep your life target in mind ("what am I doing to reach my purposes as a developer?")
These are only some tips I am still learning how to apply in my life. Do you have another one to share?