Learning vs. Implementing: A Simple Strategy to Start Taking Action in Your Freelance Business during the COVID-19 Pandemic (COVID-19 Series)
Like most everyone these days, we translators and interpreters are taking advantage of the online courses and training opportunities available to us right now.
An upside of in-person events having been postponed or cancelled is that we now have more time—and maybe more motivation—to put into online learning.
It's wonderful to continue gaining knowledge and honing our skills, but this can sometimes create a bottleneck in our businesses when it comes to actually implementing what we learn.
I was listening to a business podcast recently, and the interviewee mentioned how important it is to do a "learning vs. doing ratio" check-in with ourselves.
The concept, in a nutshell, is that we need to be conscious of how much learning we're doing versus how much we are (or aren't) implementing what we learn.
I think most of us can say that we often implement only a portion of what we learn in workshops, conference sessions, webinars, online courses, etc.
And with so many online course offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is easy to absorb new information, but even easier to put off taking action.
This could be due to a variety of reasons, of course, but it got me thinking…
Could one reason that we put off implementing what we learn in online courses be that we are overwhelmed, or don't think we'll succeed, or that we don't yet have all the information we think we need to move forward?
So I'd like to challenge you to start thinking about how much you're consuming or learning right now, and how much you're implementing what you've learned.
The Learning : Implementing Ratio
Think of learning and implementing as two dials.
One is the learning dial. Anytime the learning dial is turned up, the implementation dial is likely to be turned down.
In some courses and cases, the learning and implementation dials will both be turned up to about the same level. However, as most of us know from experience, this is not sustainable for long periods of time.
If we intentionally turn up one dial—let's say, learning—then we know that we will soon need to turn it down, whether the course we're taking is ending or we just need time to digest the information in smaller chunks.
Turning down the learning dial allows us time to think and time to turn up the other dial: implementing.
While we work on the action steps related to the content we've learned, it's best to turn down the learning dial a bit.
Why? Because if we're trying to implement something new while still absorbing large amounts of information, we can easily become overwhelmed and distracted.
Ideally, the best pattern is to turn up the learning dial, and then simultaneously turn it down a bit while turning up the implementation dial.
This works especially well if you are working your way through a multi-week course.
Once you implement what you've learned on a given topic or module, turn up the learning dial again as you move on to the next one. At the same time, turn down the implementation dial until you're ready to put the new content into practice.
A steady pattern like this will keep you moving forward intellectually and professionally.
On a related note, be careful not to keep the implementation dial turned down for too long while you absorb new information, especially if you realize it is a fear of failure that might be keeping you from turning it up.
If you begin a course or a series of courses (because let's be honest… there are a lot to choose from right now!) and start to fall behind a bit in the content, consider the reasons why you might not be able to keep up.
Have you taken on too much?
Are you feeling scattered in too many directions with all the learning you're doing on top of the other challenges related to the pandemic?
Have you taken some time to turn down the learning dial a bit so you can turn up the implementation dial?
Be flexible… most course content will be there when you return
There are plenty of reasons you might be feeling overwhelmed during this really unusual time we're all experiencing.
Some of these reasons may have nothing to do with the course content at all. Most people have more than they can handle right now as a result of the way their lives have changed due to COVID-19.
And for most of us, the amount of time we have to dedicate to courses can even change from one day to the next.
So be flexible and be kind to yourself.
If the content you're consuming in a course will be available once it officially ends, it might be worth setting a schedule to revisit the content later.
As long as you continue to take steps in the direction of implementing what you learn, you cannot “fall behind.”
In fact, it's best not to rush when it comes to implementing information that can enhance your business.
Just remember to turn up or turn down your dials when feasible and with the mindset that you're taking action steps to improve your business for the long term.
What are you learning right now, and what would you like to start implementing in your business soon?
