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How to find time to learn after work (2017)

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Re: How to find time to learn after work (2017)

#51

Post by CalRobert »

Transpire7487 wrote: post #39

Get up at 6am. Get kids ready for school. Help my wife with any chores around the house for a bit. Start working. Lift on my lunch break in my home gym. Back to work. Kids come home. Feed them. Help with homework. Do something with them outside weather permitting. Put them to bed, read to/with them. Get lunches ready for tomorrow. Load the dishwasher. Load the laundry. My turn to walk the dog. Be mentally and physica…

Same. Though at least biking the kids to school in a cargo bike helps with exercise (but not as good as lifting).

I understand now how people stagnate in midlife.

Re: How to find time to learn after work (2017)

#53

Post by CalRobert »

xattt wrote: post #23
Decabytes wrote: post #16

I’ve found that if I really want to learn something, I just get up an hour early, makes some coffee/tea and get to it. It’s the only thing I can control with any certainty. The quiet time while everyone is asleep provides a distraction free environment. I also like giving my most productive/energetic time to my own projects/learning, as opposed to work, but that is just me. After work time is for dinner, family, and…

Waking up early works but only if your kids don't have a variable time range, say 5:30 - 7:00, when they get up :)

Not to mention that any noise louder than a whisper and they wake up (happily) screaming about how daddy's up and is it time for breakfast and what are we doing today and can we [go to space/get an elephant/move to Paris/...]?

Re: How to find time to learn after work (2017)

#55

Post by pluijzer »

Transpire7487 wrote: post #39

Get up at 6am. Get kids ready for school. Help my wife with any chores around the house for a bit. Start working. Lift on my lunch break in my home gym. Back to work. Kids come home. Feed them. Help with homework. Do something with them outside weather permitting. Put them to bed, read to/with them. Get lunches ready for tomorrow. Load the dishwasher. Load the laundry. My turn to walk the dog. Be mentally and physica…

"Help with homework", I have seen this in movies. Is this a cultural thing? I don't know any parents that help there children with homework.

Re: How to find time to learn after work (2017)

#56

Post by criddell »

brightball wrote: post #40
Decabytes wrote: post #16

I’ve found that if I really want to learn something, I just get up an hour early, makes some coffee/tea and get to it. It’s the only thing I can control with any certainty. The quiet time while everyone is asleep provides a distraction free environment. I also like giving my most productive/energetic time to my own projects/learning, as opposed to work, but that is just me. After work time is for dinner, family, and…

Yep. Motivation will make you find time.

I'm tempted to do this but I also know that the extra hour of sleep is likely a more productive and healthy use of that time. I'd probably take the time from just about any other part of my day.

Of course, YMMV.

Re: How to find time to learn after work (2017)

#57

Post by BaseballPhysics »

dlisboa wrote: post #24

Companies should devote actual work time for studying, because relying on personal time is not just unethical, but inefficient. It's way cheaper to pay people to study in-house than paying for outside training or bootcamps. Not everyone can (or want) to study this way, but devoted focused time give you far more benefits than one hour a day randomly whenever you can squeeze it. You can read most books (even technical…

Totally agreed.

This was my policy with my staff. I straight up told them they can and should take a couple hours a week (tried to start small to make it achievable) on personal development, whether that's reading books, taking courses, etc. I'd even try and brainstorm with them on ways to spend the time.

Funny thing is, with one or two exceptions, few did it because they always felt something else was more urgent during the day...

Re: How to find time to learn after work (2017)

#58

Post by [deleted] »

dlisboa wrote: post #24

Companies should devote actual work time for studying, because relying on personal time is not just unethical, but inefficient. It's way cheaper to pay people to study in-house than paying for outside training or bootcamps. Not everyone can (or want) to study this way, but devoted focused time give you far more benefits than one hour a day randomly whenever you can squeeze it. You can read most books (even technical…

[deleted]

Re: How to find time to learn after work (2017)

#59

Post by sanderjd »

DoingIsLearning wrote: post #32
xattt wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waking up early works but only if your kids don't have a variable time range, say 5:30 - 7:00, when they get up :)

Haha First thing I thought when I read this. Waking up early to have some free focus time is what I _used_ to do. Now I can sometimes squeeze some late nights but not as productive cause I am half dead by then.

To some extent it works for me to take like an intuitive estimate for the rolling average of earliest kid wake up time over the last couple weeks, and then subtracting an hour and a half. But this doesn't work with infants or for like a month around both daylight savings time switch.

Re: How to find time to learn after work (2017)

#60

Post by BaseballPhysics »

Just gonna say: my god I hate productivity hacking culture.

No, I am not going to optimize in additional professional learning in my off hours.

I have a life. And I'm allowed to have idle time where I spend it just being instead of doing. My existence isn't to be maximally productive at all times, and this type of hyper optimization isn't going to make me wealthier or happier.

If you're learning for work, learn during work hours. Anything else is just free labour.

Edit: as a random ranty example, I recently discovered sites specifically for music that supposedly increases productivity. We can't even enjoy art anymore. It's gotta be art that makes us better little cogs.

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