@habitsguy
20
TIPS for Effective
SELF EDUCATION
Independent learning is a journey
that requires great commitment.
The online world is full of
distractions, so you need to
remind yourself of your purpose
and work a lot on your discipline.
The following 20 tips will help
you adopt the right attitude that
will get you through a successful
journey for self-education.
Prepare a studying
environment
Create your own studying space:
organized desk, a comfortable
chair, a laptop, the books and
notebooks you need, and some
pens/pencils/markers.
Get a dictionary
Use an online dictionary like
Merriam-Webster or
Dictionary.com or an actual
dictionary that you’ll use when
you’re studying from books.
Highlight!
Get some markers for the prints
and use the highlighting feature
on your eReader to put an accent
on the crucial elements of the text.
Learn from different
mediums
Don’t limit yourself to a single
source of knowledge; make sure to
experiment and benefit from
information in all forms.
Follow up on the references
When you’re reading serious
materials, you’ll find references
from books, scientific articles,
statistical sources, and other types
of publications that helped the
author support the facts.
Talk to experts
Find people who are experts on
the topics of your interests and
ask questions. Nothing beats one-
to-one communication with
inspiring people.
Study every day!
Routine is important! Organize
your learning schedule in short,
frequent (daily) sessions that will
keep you focused on the material.
Don’t assume everything
you read is true
When you use different studying
materials, some of them may be in
contradiction to the things you
already know. Make sure to get to
the bottom of the issue by
conducting an in-depth research.
Join online communities of
learners and methods
You don’t want to study in
isolation, so make sure to find the
right subreddit communities and
LinkedIn groups that will connect
you to people you can learn from.
Make learning your lifestyle
As you gain more knowledge and
you start understanding how
things work, you might lose your
ability to wonder. Don’t allow that
to happen! Ask more questions
and discover new things every
single day!
Search for online courses
Many reputable universities are
offering free online courses on
websites like Udemy, Coursera,
edX, and other popular websites.
Get information from
news aggregators
Instead of checking different
websites, you can stay updated
with the trends if you follow
news aggregators like Fark,
Google News and Feedly.
Don’t just read. Review!
Make sure to make a summary
of the things you’ve learned that
day. Take notes and review them
once you finish the learning
session to help you to absorb the
material much more easily.
Set goals
It’s important to develop a
habit of learning. Set monthly
and daily goals, and give
yourself a motivation to
accomplish them.
Write essays and research
papers!
Pick a great topic and write a
detailed essay or research paper
on it. Publish these papers on
your own blog and get into
discussions with the community
of followers you attract.
Teach!
If you want a proof that you’ve
gained enough knowledge – start
teaching. You can become a
private tutor, but you can also start
offering your own online courses.
Have a schedule
Self-education should be a
commitment, not a pastime. Make
sure to fit it in your schedule as a
regular activity with deadlines and
responsibilities.
Take notes!
You need to maintain a
journal that will remind you
of everything you love about
learning. Write about all
realizations and goals!
Every obstacle is a
chance to expand
You’ll face disappointment,
discouragement, confusion and
lack of inspiration. If you make
an effort to surpass all these
obstacles, you’ll grow into the
committed person you always
wanted to be.
Say YES to new experiences
Since you have the liberty to
develop your own learning
style, you have to infuse some
practical experience into this
journey. Find a way to
implement everything you
learn into your traditional
education or the job you have.
Struggling with building an
effective study habit
Grab your FREE
copy of…
23 Anti-
Procrastination
Habits
Grab your FREE
copy of…
23 Anti-
Procrastination
Habits
Click to access!
About the Author
Julie Petersen is a content
marketing specialist and a
private language tutor. At
present time she is running
her essay writing blog
AskPetersen.com.
