Over the course of the last three years, I’ve witnessed my life pass by in a whirlwind. Mostly, I find things happen quickly when you’re having a) fun and b) in a rapid fire period of learning. As the minutes, months, and eventually years whirr by in a frenzy, I find that for myself and those around me, we seem to adopt new skills, take on new emotional challenges, and we’re always surprised by the insurmountable learnings that seem to take place. It’s wild, really.

So, I promise I didn’t click bait you (too hard, anyway). Here are a few ways that I’ve seemed to learn most things that I dared to do (such as learning to manufacture and market a product, work with new platforms like Shopify, Wix, Square Space, any new app, blah blah blah):

Yeah, there’s Google alright.

I’m not the biggest fan of “just google it” because it often throws you down a thankless rabbit hole. HOWEVER, I will say that often times it pulls up strange forums and threads that just by reading, you’re able to find the answers you’re seeking. Google has its place and time, but usually it’s been best suited for technical questions. Oh, and YouTube counts in this point too, definitely YouTube anything home repair related (I’ve found it particularly helpful when it comes to laundry machine unclogging, ahem).

Be shameless and ask questions relentlessly

If you’re on a new job, onboarding a new client, or just generally in a new setting, you’re allowed to ask questions. Scratch that, you’re allowed to ask a lot of questions. Frame it up as curiosity or just wanting to do an effin good job, ’cause you’re definitely allowed that.

The old fashioned way – phone (err, facebook, IG stories, or LinkedIn) a friend.

When most things fail, there’s always reaching out via online (or if you’re born in the 80’s like I, there’s nothing wrong with punching in a few numbers into your phone and waiting for it to ring anxiously). Post your questions in relevant social groups online, or just go free ball it everywhere in your networks. Whether you have 18 followers or 18 thousand, you’re bound to get some kind of useful answer. People like to chime in, trust me.

Ask your parents, or some mentor figure.

Older and wiser, that’s what they say right? I do believe that there’s information that comes from those more senior, which can be extremely useful. If you’re looking to inherit new information when it comes to cooking, repairs, maintaining a house, or traveling, usually you’ll find someone in your extended friends and family have tried it. Go for it.

Find Free Webinars

I’ll say that it’s rare to find a good webinar out there with information that isn’t just…vague and self serving (so many of them are for pitching products / brands that they work on). Sometimes though, you’ll find detailed and tangible webinars that just require you to surrender your email. Plot some time into your week to learn and get ahead, your future self will thank you for it.

Leave it alone for awhile

Often things don’t get solved while stressing over it, so just let it be (let it be…let it be…let it be).

cheers,