Talk with most people who know me, and they’ll probably agree that I’m a learner.  My top two “strengthsfinder” strengths are “learner” and “input” (a third is “intellection” which kinda goes along with this as well).  I love to ask questions.  My office walls (and a few walls in my home) are lined with bookshelves.  The one piece of artwork in my office is a picture of a guy reading.  I constantly invite “referrals” to good sources of information and each week get a few emails with websites I can visit and where I can soak in learning.  My iTunes downloads a number of podcasts that “re-fill” each day or week with yet more chances to learn.

There’s just one problem:  I don’t have time to spend sitting and learning for 40-50 hours each week (or even a fraction of that).  And even if I did, that probably wouldn’t be enough time to satisfy my love of learning.  In fact, the time I have to devote to learning seems to be shrinking as my kids get older and other responsibilities (understandably) demand my attention.  What’s a philomath (“lover of learning”) to do in this situation?  Here are some of the ways I’m learning (pun intended) to answer that question:

• Just because you can’t learn everything doesn’t mean you can’t learn something.  Don’t let the volume of learning you can’t get to keep me from whatever learning you are able to find time for.  This mindset is an important place to start.

• After you’ve decided that you’re going to make time to learn, the next decision is “what will I learn?”  This is where we need to be intentional about what we learn.  I can spend all my time scrolling through and reading results brought up by a google search for “Madagascar,” but that probably wouldn’t be the best way to use the limited time I’ve slotted specifically for learning (even though I really like Madagascar).  Instead, we’ve got to focus on certain areas.  If you’re able to slot aside time for reading work-related material, make sure that’s one of the categories you include.  (Don’t use work time for reading unrelated stuff.)  If you’re reading and learning entirely for leisure, choose a hobby that’s grabbed your interest, dig more deeply into something you learned at church, or land on 1-2 areas of personal interest and dive in (these areas of personal interest will likely change over time).

• Be realistic about what you can accomplish given the time and budget you have available.  How many hours will you have each week for learning?  Will you devote a little time each day to learning, an extended chunk once a week, or some mixture of both of these?  Your answers to these questions will likely need to be flexible, as they’ll change depending on seasons of life and many other circumstances. Similarly, how much money can you spend on learning (books, audio downloads, etc.)?  Budget in an appropriate amount given your income, and don’t go broke trying to feed your “learning habit.”  If your budget for books & learning is pretty small, remember – there are lots of free ways to learn (something called a library, free online resources, etc.).

• Set goals.  Keeping all of the above points in mind, how many books do you want to read this year?  What new areas do you want to learn about?  How do you want your learning to shape your life?  These questions – and many others like them – are good ones to ask (and answer) to keep us moving in the right direction and stretch ourselves a bit.