No matter what kind of business you run or how astutely you do it, there are always new things you’ll need to learn. Learning is part of building your business. There will also be changes in the market, industry, or world that you need to stay on top of. There will be new technologies, new tools, new platforms, and other new things that will require you to adapt and learn.

Some people seem to pick things up more quickly than others. But actually, learning is a skill just like any others. People who seem to have a knack for new things are simply good learners. If you can “learn how to learn,” you’ll be able master new skills easily.

Practice Learning

Learning requires practice, just like any other skill. If you “practice learning” in your everyday life, this will make it easier when you have something you need to learn for your business.

It doesn’t matter so much what you learn, just that you’re challenging yourself to do something new. Learn a language, or take an online course in your free time. Free online courses are available from Udemy, edX, Skillshare, and Khan Academy. Choose something you’re interested in and start learning, but make sure it’s engaging and fun. You don’t want to add more stress to your day.

Read

Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, “Books are the training weights of the mind.” Many studies have borne this out, but it’s generally accepted that people who read find it easier to learn new things. As you read, you’re stretching out your mind and preparing it for the exercises to come.

If you set aside some time each day to reading, you’ll find it easier to learn when you need to. Again, it doesn’t matter what you read. Choose a subject that interests you.

Quell the “I Know That Already”

One of the greatest barriers to learning is the instinct to say, “I know that already.” This is how people shut their minds to new information. Instead, the right mindset for learning is to approach everything as a complete beginner. Try to forget what you know about something and you’ll see it from a new perspective.

Ask Questions

Ask questions at every opportunity. If you don’t understand something completely, ask questions until you do. If you think you understand something, ask questions just to clarify. Get in the habit of being the one in the class who always has a question to ask.

Repeat What You Learned

We often feel that what we just learned goes in one ear and out the other. If you don’t use what you’ve learned soon after learning it, it’s easy to forget. You need to repeat what you’ve learned in order to retain it.

The best way to do this is to teach someone else. Failing that, you can just tell someone what you’ve learned. If you don’t have any coworkers or family members who are receptive to your rehashed lessons, talk to yourself or a pet. Even better, start a journal and record what you’ve learned after each session.

Turn Mistakes into Learning Opportunities

A good learner can learn from any experience. Mistakes and failures provide some of the best lessons in life. Whenever you make a mistake, get over your frustration and try to see it as a learning opportunity. Why did you fail? What could you have done differently? When will you try your new approach?

Set Learning Goals

Learning is a process that’s slow and gradual, but there are times when you hit milestones. Set goals for your learning and track your progress. Decide when you’ll finish that book or how many pages you’ll read per day. Pick a deadline for you to finish your course. Wherever possible, test yourself to get feedback on how much you’ve learned.

Leverage Resources

enever you’re learning something, you have to do the heavy lifting, but you don’t have to do everything on your own. Take advantage of tools, technology, and the Internet to help you learn. Seek help wherever appropriate from employees, coworkers, friends, or contacts.

Be Persistent

Einstein once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” It’s a safe bet that he was indeed quite a smart guy to begin with, but the point is that it’s persistence that pays off.

Think of a friend who is “good with cars” for example. How did he or she learn about cars? They learned from constantly tinkering with them. What do you do when something goes wrong with your computer? Many of us would throw up our hands and do something else (or call our IT expert friend), but people who stay and solve the problem end up learning form it. The same is true of anything you learn.