How Learning New Skills is Like Having a Baby

Are you a parent? Do you remember those first days of having a baby? Were you prepared for the complete and total demand of your time and attention? I wasn’t.

My vision of life with a newborn included picnic lunches in the park. Leisurely walks with The Baby in a stroller while birds chirped and flowers bloomed. I had two months free from full-time employment to enjoy The Baby.

Then, The Baby arrives.

Nothing prepares parents of a newborn for living in a state of perpetual readiness.

All the books and magazines tell you about the sleepless nights and the disruption of your routine. The words and concepts are meaningless until The Baby demands your attention at 3am. At 6am. At 9am. There is no snooze button. “Oh, now I know what they mean.”

Learning social business skills demands similar attention.

Reading books, scrolling through your blog feed reader, and following Twitter links does not prepare you for the onslaught of time required to learn social business strategy in a short amount of time. When you are in the early stages of parenting, or learning social media skills, you don’t have the luxury of time. There is just so much stuff to learn that 3 hours of learning a day is critical. But we resist.

“Isn’t this just a waste of time?” Yes, if you are not  going to spend at least 20 hours a week learning social business development, it’s a waste of your time. Yes, it’s a struggle to “find” the time. And yet, the struggle is necessary for learning, developing and growing. The struggle is a sign your brain is forging new patterns. So, you find a way to work the required time into your routine.

You learn to work around The Baby.

You find teachers and mentors who guide you through the struggle, yet not rescue you from the pressure. Without the pressure you are not really learning. Sure, you’re going to make mistakes and lose sleep. Learning takes time. With perseverance and a good teacher you will move from infancy to competency.

My work around is to work late into the night and sleep less hours several days a week. Are you an early riser? A night owl? How do you approach learning social media and networking skills? What workarounds have you discovered? Share your experiences and practices in the comments.

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