Open Thread: How Do You Stay Sharp?
Posted October 27, 2008 in Lifestyle, Open Thread 24 Comments »
Learning is one of those things that’s almost always critical to your success — especially as a freelancer.
From keeping up with new programming standards, to following the latest design trends, we all need to stay sharp in order to be competitive and provide valuable services to our clients.
It takes time though, all of that learning, and sometimes it’s a lot of time and often it’s hard to fit in. Also, it’s not like we have all of the needed resources at our fingertips (at least not always).
So, this week’s open thread is three-pronged:
How do you stay sharp?
How do you fit learning into your schedule?
Where do you find the best learning resources?
(we’ll continue in the comments…)
About the author: Mason Hipp is an entrepreneur, marketing guru, and writer. He blogs about life and business at FreelanceFolder.com and is co-author of the Book The Unlimited Freelancer. Follow him on twitter @MasonHipp
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24 Comments
Mason Hipp
October 27th, 2008 at 11:08 amI’ll kick things off with my personal routine. Basically, I do a few things regularly to make sure I’m up to date.
– Read industry blogs and magazines (only enough to keep up, can’t spend too long)
– Frequently spend way too much at the bookstore (for fun? learning? I’m not sure..)
– Always take on new projects that require some learning (best thing you can do)
That’s about it I think. Other than that I’m pretty dull :-)
Selene M. Bowlby
October 27th, 2008 at 11:10 amHow do you stay sharp?
By constantly reading web sites and blogs, and trying out new techniques as frequently as possible.
How do you fit learning into your schedule?
It’s tough – there just aren’t enough hours in the day! I’ll often do it by working on my own projects (updating my own web site or blog, etc – learning and adding new features as I go).
I admit I will sometimes stretch myself on client projects to learn a new technique, but of course always taking the learning curve into consideration when pricing. A client shouldn’t have to pay for my learning curve, so I figure out how long it “should” take and bill for that (as opposed to how long it would take me just learning). Win-win :)
Where do you find the best learning resources?
Through many of the blogs I read and through tweets on twitter. I’ve come across some amazing posts through things people have posted on twitter. It’s an amazing community on there! Also many of the css design galleries will have some incredibly beautiful designed sites that inspire you to create better design (often with better function) as well!
Colin Wright
October 27th, 2008 at 11:53 amI agree with Mason and Selene, but wanted to add that taking online courses at a local community college can work wonders. I’m all about taking advantage of the many free resources on the web and everything you can learn by taking on a project with components you aren’t as familiar with, but taking a few classes per semester will set you back under $200 and take about 5-10 hours per week, with the added benefit of moving you a step or two closer to getting another degree, should you choose to do so.
Also: listening to everyone you talk to can help round out your general knowledge. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been locked in a discussion about foreign policy, finding out a new tidbit of information, only to use that very same tidbit in the next discussion. Knowing a lot about a lot has been vital to my business, and I’d say listening as much or more than talking is a key component to finding out more about more.
Joost
October 27th, 2008 at 12:02 pmLike Selene said, there’s just not enough hours in a day…
Luckily I too get a chance to try out new things when working on projects.
Every morning, before work, I spend an hour or so with a cup of coffee going through my feeds. Reading the articles that interest me and saving interesting tutorials and coding examples for when I have downtime.
Also, I like to spend some evenings and a few hours in the weekend practicing new stuff. But that’s mainly stuff I don’t feel comfortable enough with to use for real projects: python is on the menu these months.
Alexis
October 27th, 2008 at 5:16 pmI was actually thinking about the first question last night, I think that the best way to learn is by doing (that doesn’t apply to everyone). So what I’ll do is, read something I’m interested on when I take breaks, or I’m waiting (I try to bring a book with me most of the time, just because you never know when you will have to wait). And when I have some of time on the computer, or I’m taking another break, I’ll do those tutorials I booked marked.
I used to just read blogs/magazines, and occasionally I would buy a book. Recently I found out that my local library is by far one of the best resources out there. I don’t know about your library, but my local selection of computer related books is very small,but it turns out that I can order books through my library from other libraries, expanding my collection by a lot. If you are like me and rather read a book than something that’s on the screen, http://www.half.com is a great site.
Nicole LaMarco
October 28th, 2008 at 9:29 amHow do you stay sharp?
With coffee…lots of caffeine filled coffee. OK, and by reading blogs like this one. I also read the latest news on just about everything.
How do you fit learning into your schedule?
Learning is a part of being a writer, which is one reason why I enjoy it so much. I am always learning something new, or a more efficient way to do something. Most of my learning is hands-on, because that is the way it has to be right now. For you youngins out there – go to college and earn a doctorate in something while you have the chance!
Where do you find the best learning resources?
In forums where writers like to hang out and talk. The best resources always come up in forums. I used resource links in forums to find two of my best paying clients!
Benjamin
October 28th, 2008 at 10:26 amFirst let me start by saying that I wish I was one of those people that just always gets it. I wish that I could be equally outstanding at progamming and designing. But, I am not.
With that said, I follow several steps in the effort to build skills.
1. I use NetNewsWire to manage all of the design / development blogs (RSS feeds) that I follow. This is the easiest way for me to stay on top of all of these sites each day. (I used to check out books and magazines, but they are months / years behind the information that gets posted online.)
2. I hate paying to learn. I would much rather get paid to learn. So, I have a great IT job with tons of down time which I use for working and learning. I also aim to make massive improvemets with each freelance project. I seek projects that keep me in the position to learn something new and to capitalize on skills developed.
3. I code by hand, over and over and over again. Practice makes perfect. I never just read a tutorial, I always retype them as I go, and then I try them out using an experiemntal project. If I don’t use it, I loose it.
4. In the end, I think that the most helpful part is messing up. I learn the most from not getting things to work. This process always leads me to 10 more important practices that I need to know.
5. Time and time again I’ve learned that the answer is always on the internet! It’s in the code on a site, it’s the latest news in a blog, it’s in a forum, it can be found by google, or it’s an email away.
Melek
October 28th, 2008 at 10:35 amHow do I stay sharp?
I took a class recently and decided that i need to do that once a quarter. I can’t tell you how motivated I was when I got done with the class. And I didn’t just learn about the class subject…there were all kinds of asides where we talked about widgets, plugins, and other things I can use on a daily basis.
How do you fit learning into your schedule?
I’m not very good at going out and finding info, so i have all my blogs and feeds setup to email to me. If it’s in my inbox, I’ll read it. I also spend any time in front of the TV on my laptop. I research while i watch TV, that way I don’t feel like I’m wasting time. Then I’ll bookmark or email myself articles to read the next morning while I’m eating breakfast.
Where do you find the best learning resources?
Well, Googling is a good start, but a lot of time the articles are a year or more old. I find that going to the site you need help with (ie – i’m researching social media, so i’m using FB and LI), and using their forums, Help, and discussion groups to learn.
jimbomel
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:50 pmHi people,
I recently registered to this forum freelancefolder.com and hope that anybody can
give me an advice on the forex market – I am looking for an introduction
for beginners. I have already some knowledge about shares. (Hope this is the fitting category.)
Help is so much appreciated. Most important question: can a noob make money on the forex market?
Thanks,
Jim
Jason Miller
November 13th, 2008 at 2:57 am12 suggestions on staying sharp (in no particular order)…
1. Compete
Push yourself to do something better than another person, entity or “fill in the blank.” Even its self-imposed or imaginary, create scenarios where its you vs. him/her/it/them.
2. Unplug
Get away from the computer (and other electronic devices). Go outside. Observe. Explore. Interact.
3. Do it yourself
Reading or watching is no equal to first hand experience.
4. What Would Jesus Do?
Think like someone else. Find a someone you can emulate.
5. What Would Jesus/Einstein/Barack/Jakob/Bowlby Do?
Heck, develop multiple personalities to emulate.
6. Have a mentor
This a person (a real one this time) who would agree to have you as their pet. In exchange for your loyalty and fetching things, you learn the tricks of the mentor’s trade. Ultimately, you’re released back into the wild to fend for yourself.
7. Be a mentor
Teach and you will learn.
8. Fail
Learning how not to do something gets you closer to doing it right, develops the ability to troubleshoot and can eliminate fear of failure.
9. Experiment
Try something new. Play with it. And don’t read the “How To” guide first.
10. Gamble
Take risks. Get outside of your comfort zone. Do something you normally do but try an approach that feels awkward but accomplished the desired result.
11. Do drugs
Not the pharmacological kind but caffeine, ginseng, vitamin B12, etc. can boost your brain activity while you’re learning. Just make sure you write things down.
12. Develop an addiction
Keep feeding it. If you’re truly hooked, you won’t be satisfied with the last thing you learned.
~ jason miller
Weiseeinveway
December 16th, 2009 at 6:53 amHi ya’ll!
I might be the first to say it, but probably not the last: Seasons Greetings!!!
Weiseeinveway
go 20
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