We all know who we spend time with and around, mold, and shape our lives. However, we’ve been recently isolated and separated from conversation and learning opportunities. Unfortunately, we lean on easy things in front of us, like the news and TV, which aren’t personal or conversational.
I struggle to find shows I can learn from that intrigue me or stimulate my mind. Unfortunately, it is easy to fall into the trap of watching the news or binging an entertaining and distracting show from real life. That is not a bad thing to do, but like everything, in moderation.
Instead of conforming to the accessible information, look deeper and find better ways to spend your time more efficiently, learning and growing while you get your entertainment fix.
Some online/streaming collections of video lessons from experts in their fields are out there and are an excellent idea for spending some quality, productive time learning. These are famous & infamous specialists and thought leaders in their respective specializations, and I love learning from the most experienced and successful.
I’m also excited about the diversity, and enough lessons interest me and benefit me personally and professionally from what I’ve seen. It will keep me busy for quite a while; not saying I won’t watch popular series and movies; however, there should be a balance.
It’s funny; we tell our kids to stop watching shows they don’t learn from and aren’t educational, and then we turn around and do precisely that.
Anyway, here are the five ways that I’ve found to help:
1. Schedule entertainment time for both relaxation and growth. If you have 2 hours to watch tv at night, watch your favorite guilty pleasure show for a bit, then watch and engage with something more intellectual.
2. Plan your content. Spend time driving, in the bathroom, or whenever to plan what you want to watch and schedule. Don’t waste your entertainment time trying to figure out what to watch.
3. Stagger your Premiums. If you are paying for premium video services, consider activating only one membership at a time, watching the content you’d like, and then switching to another. The break can be a nice change and ease quite a bit in the wallet.
4. Pair with a secondary learning style. Take notes, watch twice, write jingles, practice with the instructor, and do whatever is best to retain the information. If you were going to take the time to watch, engage on an elevated level, whatever is helpful but don’t just sit and watch. You will retain much more if you employ your favorite learning style to couple with the content you are watching.
5. Share and discuss what you learned. Call a friend and talk afterward about what you learned—a great way to connect. We also discuss what we’re watching in the #brainfood channel in the Collaboratory. You can also have a virtual watch party on your own or in the Collaboratory. Order delivery from your local restaurant and watch together over dinner, then talk about it and
Ultimately, use what you’ve learned. Try a new technique and put what you’ve learned into action. You spent the time to watch; make it worth it.
Lastly, get creative. These five ways of making your time more useful are just the tip of the iceberg. How we can now interact virtually and digitally has opened up new and inventive communication methods for us all to learn more from what we’re watching and feeding our minds.
If you are struggling for content to find, join the collab space or check out some of the Keynote sessions or join the Collaboratory to discuss in our community. For private sessions, request a Consultation meeting.
