Singaporean workers are insanely busy. We are busy living up to unreasonable expectations from our bosses, rushing for the next train home, and struggling to pick up our children on time. Time is a luxury that most of us do not have to spare. Upskilling is a journey and is unlikely to be a one-off event or one-day class. For most of us, it can get difficult to get started on our upskilling journey, let alone stay on it.
Here are some tips that can motivate you to stay on your path to upskill:
Create a fixed schedule
The key to upskilling is having discipline. Having a fixed schedule helps you to achieve this. However, do keep your goals realistic and schedule some downtime to recharge yourself as well. We all know how easy it might be to slip into a downward spiral. Once we miss the first scheduled session, it somehow just becomes easier to miss the next few.
Besides, scheduling some downtime also helps you to clear your mind and have something to treat yourself with!
Sign up for in-person courses
Unable to stick to your self-imposed schedule? Try to sign up for physical classes. That would be harder to bail out of. For all you know, you might even make some new friends in classes and look forward to going to class. Of course, the networks you create may even open up new job opportunities!
Pay for courses
Everyone loves free stuff, but when things come free, we tend to take them for granted. For example, if we enrolled in a free class, we might not think twice about not following through with the study plan. When the course is paid for, suddenly we become much more involved in trying to make sure we get our buck’s worth. So yes, sometimes you just need to fork out some money and feel the pain to ‘motivate’ yourself to upskill!
Be intentional about your skills upgrading journey
Try to tie in your upskilling goal with a personal one. Could it be that you want to find a new job after the course? Or that you want to complete a new project at work that can impress your boss? Making your skills upgrading journey a part of your larger life goal can help to spur you on when the going gets tough. Stay focused on your end goal!
Positive reinforcements
Been wanting to visit that great omakase place? Want to take a short road trip? Or how about that new Apple Macbook that seems to be calling out to you? Make the treat even more meaningful but incorporating it into your plan. Plan a reward for yourself when you complete the course and this can motivate you to complete the new course you are taking.
With this, hopefully, you will finish the next course you started!
