Really…
Have you ever thought about how teachable you are?
I know you may think, I am teachable, I can learn anything.
It’s not a trick question…
Learning something new that you are interested in is easy, right.
Signs You are not Teachable
But, is it easy to stay interested and focused?
Consider this, when you start a new training course…
In the first few minutes, you are engaged.
But what about 15 or 20 minutes into a training video?
Like the video, audio or written content goes on and on,
your mind tends to wander.
What if you already have some knowledge on the subject…
and the training starts at the very beginning?
Do you just breeze over it thinking, I know this?
I don’t need to pay attention to it.
There are times when you may start daydreaming…
staring out the window focused on nothing.
When you are learning something new, do you go over it once…
and then assume that you have it down.
There’s no need to go over this material again.
These are all symptoms of not being teachable.
How do You Know if You are Teachable?
We are all teachable at times, but not all the time.
At times learning something new, you will hit a wall.
Your mind is overloaded and you may believe that you are still learning,
but there is no capacity to absorb more information.
Then there are the times when you assume you already understand the material.
You close your mind to it and are no longer teachable.
I used to think that I could push through when I was tired…
but didn’t get anything out of the time spent.
How Can You Ensure You Are Teachable?
Nowadays, I will spend about 30 to 45 minutes studying and
then get up and do something else for a while.
The longest I will go to is an hour.
There is a nifty little tool that I have found helpful.
It’s the Tomato Timer. Here’s the link.
The Tomato Timer is a free tool that you can use to set
The amount of time you focus on the subject…
this could be study time, writing time or anything else,
and you can set the amount of time t to relax.
Believe it or not, your mind needs time to unwind and
the more you push it, the less you get.
When I am using this timer, I will set it and then abide by it.
During the break time, I will walk around, stretch, grab a quick snack or coffee.
I just make sure that I walk away from my computer and,
forget about what I am working on.
An amazing thing will happen…
Your subconscious mind will percolate and bring new ideas to the surface.
I’ve found that I am more productive and creative when I do this.
You should try it. Shutdown, turn off and let your mind relax.
I think you will find it invigorating.
I would love to know what you think.
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