Most of us want to get ahead. We want that next promotion or a better paying role at another company. It’s normal to want and expect advancement. One of the best ways to make sure that happens? Learn something. Or better yet, learn lots of things.

We all know we should be learning. We know we could be learning. If you’re not adding to your knowledge base lately, what’s holding you back? Time? Cost? Work?

Truth time: If you’re not making a consistent effort to learn something new on a regular basis, someone else is. That someone may be your competition for the next promotion, the next client, or the next role you want. While they’re sharpening their brain, you’re falling behind simply through inaction. In the world of work, upskilling — gaining new knowledge and skills — is essential to career growth.

Learning is innate because you’re assimilating information all the time. Learning anything doesn’t have to be hard, cost money, or take long periods of time. Although it’s great to make some of your learning relevant to your work goals, all learning doesn’t need to be specific to your work or career. When you exercise your learning muscles in any topic, the aftereffects can include many tangible and intangible connections and ideas in many facets of your life.

How do you get started learning? You’re already doing it. By reading this article, you’re already onto Tip 1. Read on for more easy ways to incorporate learning into your routine.

Tip 1: Read. It’s free and it’s probably the most effective way to learn just about anything. Read books and articles from reputable sources. Do yourself a favor and instead of opening a social media app, find something to read about a topic you love or would like to know more about.

Tip 2: Watch instructional videos. It’s amazing what people record and place online for free. Learn to change a tire, hem a pant, cut hair, paint your cabinets, look good on Zoom, fix a roof, or build your own pond. Whatever you want to learn, it’s likely on the web in a video at no charge.

Tip 3: Learn about your industry. This tip is more career-focused, but you’d be surprised how few people know which organizations lead their industry and which experts are well-known within it. Learning about your industry will clue you in on what others in the space are doing, how they’re making or losing money, and what you could be doing differently for greater success within your own organization. It will also provide a window into the knowledge and skills that you should be developing for upward career trajectory.

Tip 4: Get your tech on. There’s probably no industry left untouched by technology. No matter what size or type of business, the minimum technology needed today includes website hosting, accounting and payments software, document creation, and client data management. Whether you need to brush up on Microsoft Office products or learn more about HTML, there are free resources online to help.

Tip 5: Sign up for a course. Would you be shocked to learn that there are free online courses offered by renowned universities? From biochemistry and algorithms to opera and poetry, even Ivy League schools offer free courses open to the public. MOOCs — Massive Open Online Courses — offer flexible and free options to up your game and add skills to your resume.

Tip 6: Utilize free resources at your organization. Many companies offer free subscriptions for employees to high-quality resources such as the Harvard Business Review and LinkedIn Learning. If you’re employed, chances are that there are hidden gems you can start taking advantage of today.

Continuous learning will help you be relevant and competitive in growing your career.

Learn more

If you’d like to jump-start your next career move, read our short-content book, “Work It: The One-Stop, One-Hour Essential Resource to Jump-Start Your Job Search” or marketer Seth Godin’s, “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?“.

Thanks for reading! Advice provided on this site is for information purposes only and is not intended to replace or substitute for professional financial, medical, or legal advice.