If you are anything like me, I love to learn! Twitter became an instant attraction to my curious mind with the endless supply of a multitude of topics. The social side of Social Media is obviously always entertaining and a fabulous way to connect, but I find that the constant flow of interesting articles and statistics coming from so many fascinating people and various walks of life is definitely what has solidified my love for digital. I find myself floating off into the sea of information, eyes glazed, mind open, losing myself down the rabbit hole seemingly never to return…

Combined with the ever growing list of books I would love to be reading, podcasts to be watching, webinars to be interacting with and every new tech product under the sun offering endless solutions to problems I sometimes didn’t even know I had, I often feel as though my ship is sinking under the weight of it all. I have this overwhelming feeling that despite being exposed to so much knowledge, very little of it is actually filtering through and becoming skills.

Perhaps some of it is. Perhaps each new blog or book I read builds on the last in accumulative knowledge. But I do have a niggling feeling that there is a hole in my boat, and if I don’t patch it up now, I will never reach any kind of personal growth – my continual journey and destination. So, what to do with myself?

Strategise… My solution when confronted with majority of challenging issues in my life.

Breathe… A good idea on any occasion really.

Problem solve… If you are an entrepreneur, this will come naturally. For all others, find a great buddy to chat to and brainstorm with!

Discipline yourself… No one ever seems to like hearing that word anymore, but it still wins most of our battles.

So I have started plotting a route to navigate my way across this ocean. Here it is. Feel free to tell me what you think once you have read it:

Create a Personal Growth Plan

List everything that has been at the forefront of your mind lately that you feel you lack knowledge in. Number the list from very important to just slightly interesting. Set targets for your personal growth and categorise them to help refine your research.

List all of the people that you currently enjoy following on Social Media platforms and the types of content they regularly share that you find interesting. There are some fabulous apps that you can use to help you filter this list so that you can refine your following. Check out Hootsuite or Buffer (my two favs).

List the books that are currently on your reading list and give yourself some “read by” dates.

Use an app such as Pocket to quickly file any blogs or websites that you would like to get back to reading, or use for future reference. There is nothing more frustrating than reading an amazing article online and then in the middle of a conversation with a colleague a few days later wishing you had it handy to pass on to them… File it now! Don’t forget to tag your files too for easy access.

Set yourself a challenge – I draw inspiration from Nicole Chiu-Wang (@theNicoleCW) who has completed a 30 days of TED Talks challenge. This kind of goal setting is priceless for refining your focus and your learning.

Write it down

Write about what you are learning. I know you have heard this so many times. But it is always a good reminder. When you are reading, keep a notebook handy where you can jot down some of the concepts or quotes that are coming to you from the flow of information in front of you. This is essential when listening to podcasts and engaging with webinars. You think you will remember, but our busy minds do not. There is plenty of scientific proof also that backs up the physcial action of handwriting as opposed to typing. You can read about it here: “Handwriting vs typing: Is the pen still mightier than the keyboard?”

Give Yourself Some Rope

When you find yourself floating off course as often happens in the ocean of digital media, allow yourself a moments to drift. I find that occasionally my mental wanderings lead me down much more obscure paths than what I would have decided to take if I had been true to navigation. These moments connect me with thinkers who challenge my mind, and content that introduces me to totally new concepts.

Reset your GPS with Self Discipline

The first and best victory is to conquer self. – Plato (Greek Philosopher)

Discipline is a necessary partner to achieving goals and personal growth. There is no easy way around it. Complete abstinence from moments of distraction never really works (despite how many times you tell yourself you can stick to the plan), but regular intervals of self-reflection and allowing time to reset your educational compass will accumulate and lead to increasing success. Maybe you are the king of commitment and these things come naturally to you? Great. Well done 🙂 If thats you then you probably don’t even need to be reading this. For the rest of us however…

Climb back in the boat. Fix the leaky hole. Reset your GPS. Get back on track.