I really like getting groceries.
But, I also like to do it at 7am on Saturday morning, with earphones in and an old school hand-written shopping list in my pocket. I talk to no one as I’m usually buried deep in my own internal conversation or lost in an idea.
Why on earth would I get groceries at 7am on a Saturday?
It’s built in learning time and its systematic.
You see, getting groceries is a somewhat passive or attention-lacking action for me (just ask my wife when I come home with the wrong stuff! Haha!!). In reality, the act of getting groceries is 30-45 minutes of uninterrupted learning time for me to digest a podcast or a recent audio book.
It’s also hard to run into people with my cart when I’m the only when there and not paying full attention!
Even if my week is a complete disaster of a nightmare, there is always Saturday morning and it usually comes with the need to get groceries. I’ve even used this quiet time to listen to a recorded presentation delivered by yours truly. You’d be amazed what you pick up on when you take the time to listen to yourself present!
Don’t have enough time?
Bullshit!
I’d recommend you start to get groceries. Or mow the lawn. Or find one of 10 other mostly passive activities you engage in on a weekly basis to build in some learning time. Here are a few more I’ve been able to build in education time.
- Daily Exercise
- Your commute (car, train, bus)
- Folding the Laundry <—– I HATE folding laundry…but this helps pass the time
- Travel – if you have any work travel you have dozens of hours at your disposal
- Doing the Dishes
- Lunch Hour
- Shoveling Snow (for you Northern climates in the winter)
Lastly, the choice is entirely up to you on WHAT you listen to. I get everyone needs the freedom to unplug from time to time or to take in a little entertainment. But you can’t always be looking to unplug, while simultaneously complaining you’re not advancing in your career the way you should.
ACTION ITEM: Prioritize what goes in your ears to feed your brain! Next stop, the grocery store.
