If you are an aspiring polymath, you probably have a lot of irons on the fire. And in addition to the many time-consuming learning activities you are involved in, you probably have other things to deal with: a job, a family life, hobbies.
So how can you keep doing these many things in parallel and not overwhelm yourself?
In this article, we are going to discuss time management for aspiring polymaths.
I am going to expose what worked for me, and how I managed to consistently study despite a full-time job.
1. Make a Weekly Learning Plan
Committing to self-learning is a demanding activity in itself; you don’t want to overwhelm yourself more by improvising your schedule.
I highly recommend making a weekly learning plan. I have tried multiple time windows for planning, and the week seems to be a good tradeoff between flexibility and discipline.
How should you proceed?
Choose a calendar. Google or Proton Calendar are perfect for this.
Dedicate a few hours a week for planning. I am personally a fan of planning on Sunday morning since it’s the end of the week.
Start blocking time for your weekly obligations. Add time slots for your work, duties, and everything you have to honor this week.
Set weekly learning goals. Make sure they are realistic, depending on the time you have this week. How much time can you dedicate to learning? What can you finish this week? Also, set some time slots in advance for your learning.
For example: for learning Russian, I make sure I dedicate at least 4 hours a week to it. I have 2 mandatory lessons per week (we’ll get back to that later), and a daily routine of around 15 minutes per day, during which I practice flashcards and do the exercises my teacher gave me. When I know my week is going to be calmer, I usually add 1-2 more hours to watch a video or practice writing.
Review and adjust every week. Your first weekly planning will probably not be satisfying enough. And that’s OK!
Did you plan too little time for a task? Or too much time in general?
Were you too exhausted?
What time of the day did you study better?
After each week, use your weekly planning time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Listen to yourself, and adjust week by week.
2. Make Learning Inevitable
It\’s not a scoop that learning in itself consumes a lot of brain power. Researchers even state that the harder learning is, the more efficient.
But if you have a busy schedule and time constraints, you probably don’t have as much brain power to consume in learning as you would like to have.
Therefore, let’s see how you can trick your mind into learning without burning yourself out.
Make it straightforward to study
Especially if you\’re a busy person, you don\’t want to waste your brain power on useless activities.
And in order to make the most of your learning sessions, you must eradicate your strongest enemy: multitasking.
As we learn in many books such as The Organized Mind, multitasking is the worst way to do anything and consumes a lot of brain power for nothing.
How can you diminish multitasking in your learning sessions?
Set goals per session and have a precise plan before each of them. This helps you split your time into planning and doing the task (and maybe evaluating it in the end).
You could make use of your weekly planning to prepare the resources you need for studying and the actual plan for your learning sessions.
Cut off distractions. Try studying in a quiet place, and put your phone away. Take only the necessary items with you.
When I study languages, I personally print my written exercises in advance whenever I can. Then, all I have to do is take them and study.
And some more tips :
Do the most difficult task first. Use your energy wisely.
Design ways to practice during “dead time”. Take advantage of commute time, or waiting somewhere, to practice whatever you can.
Flashcard systems are perfectly suited to make us of dead time. You could finish a learning session by making some flashcards in your favorite flashcard app, and then all you have to do is take your phone and practice.
Another solution is to print some homework or have it available with you.
Commit
No matter the topic, no matter your passion for it, there will come times when you don\’t feel like studying.
Therefore, you will find great benefits in committing to your learning in front of other people.
Here are some ideas.
Get a teacher. No matter the topic, there are teachers from every topic nowadays.
I have a language teacher, but I used to study with a personal history teacher when I started to find interest in the topic.
Even in the information era, having a teacher has many benefits.
In addition to accountability, they reduce your brain load, since they are responsible for making a learning plan for you. Not to mention that having an expert you can ask questions to is still very valuable.
Find some learning partners. You could join a local club, or find like-minded partners online. The possibilities are endless!
3. Respect Your Limits, and Find Enjoyment
To conclude, I think it was necessary to emphasize the importance of respecting your abilities while learning.
The Renaissance Man journey is not an easy one. It is time and energy-consuming.
Don’t overwhelm yourself. Your brain can only handle so much in a day, and if you put too much pressure on yourself it will do more harm than good.
Remember to set boundaries and find time to rest. For instance, you could set a rule for yourself to stop studying after 8 pm.
Gamify your learning. It is not a shame to learn by playing; in fact, game as a way to learn has been around in the animal world for millions of years.
As a history learner and a fan of the Roman era, I enjoy digging the internet to find unknown TV shows about this civilization. It’s fun, makes me dream, and motivates me for more serious learning later.
Find ways to make learning fun and regain motivation! No matter the topic, you can always find ways to make it fun.
Stay flexible and compassionate towards yourself. Missed a lesson? Make it your priority to come back on track next time, but don’t blame yourself. Remember that learning is a marathon, not a sprint.
Let’s wrap it up
How to optimize your time as a Renaissance Man :
- Set a weekly learning plan. Decide in advance what to study and how.
- Make learning easy and inevitable. Reduce brain load by avoiding multitasking, and committing to other people to trick yourself into learning.
- Be kind to yourself, rest, and play. Learning need not be a chore. Find the right amount of discipline. Not too much, not too few.