Reasons You Should Never Stop Learning

It’s easy to get caught up in the redundancy of life, learning nothing, and instead only working towards accomplishing your daily goals. Wake up. Drink your coffee. Go to the office, and try to check off a few to-dos – the routine is all too familiar. The problem with this is that though you may be accomplishing tasks little at a time, you’re not participating in becoming part of the bigger picture – for the sake of your own personal growth, as well as for that of your job and those people around you.

Adding simple steps into your routine to never stop learning will keep your mind, body, and surroundings fresh – and you’ll be surprised with some of these additional benefits you’ll gain from a bit of regular brain exercise.

BENEFITS OF LEARNING

There are many benefits to learning – aside from the most obvious “you’ll be smarter.” Beyond that, learning affects your life in many other more indirect ways that you may not have considered.

1) Happiness

Learning affects your mood and outlook on life, and there is a direct correlation between learning and your level of happiness and personal satisfaction. When people are able to spend some time in personal growth, it has a positive impact on health and happiness. An article by U.S. News World Report also links learning to happiness, stating that the pursuit of learning engagements creates a “flow” of purpose and satisfaction in oneself. And with so many individuals struggling with depression, who’s to say that we haven’t had the solution sitting in our lap the whole time. Research shows that people inclined to better themselves through personal growth and knowledge have proven lower levels of the stress hormone Cortisol, which can even help you get a better night’s sleep. Get out, set some learning goals for yourself, and accomplish them – smiles to come shortly after.

2) Health

Learning is exercise for your brain. And just like those off days when you skip the gym – avoiding brain fitness can deteriorate your brain’s functioning. More serious cases of under learning can even lead to dementia and other signs of aging. According to a publication from the National Bureau of Economic Research, “Education not only predicts mortality in the U.S., it is also a large predictor of health in most countries, regardless of their level of development.” Want to stay young, healthy, and well? Ditch the beauty crèmes and pick up a night class or start making reading a part of your daily routine. The human mind craves knowledge, and depriving it through learning starvation will have negative effects on your health, which is one powerful reason to never stop learning.

3) Relevance

And of course, it’s important to continue learning to stay relevant and updated on current news, technology, and other areas of interest. This not only helps you stay relevant on what’s going on in the world around you, it can also help you in your work and personal life – growing your skills and knowledge that can be communicated and exercised in various situations. Opening the box of communication with co-workers, family, and friends – you’ll become a part of the environment fostering education and knowledge. It also opens the doors for advancement, demonstrating your aptness for learning to potential connections that may be of value in the future. Keep yourself out of the dark, and stay relevant through learning.

HABITS FOR DAILY LEARNING

Not in a habit of learning on the daily? Now that you know the reasons you should be, here are a few tips to keep your mind at a jog.

1) Create a Routine

The best way to ensure you accomplish something everyday is to develop a habit of incorporating that into your daily routine. Set up a time when you are usually undisturbed for a bit of brain exercise. You can vary your method of input. As long as you’re learning something new, you’re reaping the benefits. Read the morning paper with your coffee, catch a podcast on your way to work, check an online news journal instead of pouring your break times into social media. You’ll be surprised at how much “free time” you truly have if you just take advantage of using it productively.

2) Get Out

There’s something to be said of learning from our environment. Surround yourself with brilliant people – and make an effort to learn something from them. The key is to listen, and make sure that there’s at least one thing from each conversation that you’ll be able to take with you and learn from. According to Entrepreneur’s article 10 Behaviors of Smart People, “One of the smartest choices you’ll ever make is to seek out smart people in your work relationships”, also pointing out that even one of the most brilliant minds of our generation, Steve Jobs, has made an effort to always include several like-minded, intelligent people in his leadership team to mesh ideas and increase learning.

3) Subscribe

There are tons of places you get learn from, and many offer the convenience of daily newsletters and blog posts. Subscribe to them. And don’t just subscribe, read those articles and posts which are relevant or interesting to you. Try scheduling in 15 min of reading time each day – you’ll be amazed how much value is in such a short time if it’s spent well focused.

RESOURCES TO NEVER STOP LEARNING

So now that you know the why and how, here’s the where. Of course there are a ton of resources that you can find on any given topic. Just be sure when you subscribe that they’re a reliable source of true, factual information. Here are some of our favorite subscriptions in various topics below. And of course, don’t forget to check back here on our Aumcore blog for relevant business and marketing news and learning resources.

1) Online Courses

A great resource for both free and paid courses, udemy is a great resource to further your learning with education. For our #1 pick of online courses, be sure to subscribe. It’s never too late to start learning.

2) Daily News

Made it a goal to stay current with world events and headliners? Google News is a great resource for the need-to-know happenings. Covering topics from entertainment to business and science, it’s a great subscription for some daily learning.

3) Marketing Tips

For all things marketing, we’re obsessed with HubSpot , and we’re sure you’ve seen more than a few articles from them shared on our social channels. From marketing tips to infographics, they offer a fun and visually stimulating information that’s valuable to your entire marketing department.

4) Technology and Innovation

Staying on top of current innovation is a priority for us at Aumcore, and for technology updates, we often rely on WIRED to bring us the biggest news updates. Subscribe for recap of new gadgets, science technology, and major technology events keeping you in the loop of all the latest developments.

What are your favorite tips and resources that help you to never stop learning? Let us know what you’re reading in the comments below.