It all started with the BIG question on the table.

How do we actually build a habit of learning—for ourselves?

This Coffee Chat tackled a challenge we all share: making time for our own growth when everything else feels more urgent. We kicked off identifying the barriers—time, distractions, guilt, and too many deadlines. Someone admitted they schedule learning time, then say yes when someone else's issues come up. Another confessed they're consistent at letting themselves down. The group nodded hard at the reality: we hoard articles, bookmark everything, and tell ourselves we'll get to it later. Later never comes.

The conversation shifted to practical solutions. One participant blocks lunch on their calendar every day (and tells their boss "it's not just lunch") to watch webinars and share takeaways with the team. Another uses Asana to forward emails directly into task lists so learning doesn't get buried. Someone shared a 30-day behavior change cohort where they committed to just five minutes of reading daily—and gave themselves a nine out of ten for sticking with it. The key? Making it easy to do the next right thing.

We explored workflow integration instead of breaking ourselves out of the day. Listen to a podcast on your commute. Read an article in the doctor's waiting room. Replace mindless scrolling with something brain-nourishing. One person shared a standard work spreadsheet to track daily, weekly, and monthly learning habits. Another talked about breaking goals into 5% of your work week—just two hours across five days. When you frame it that way, it's a no-brainer.

The group also talked about curating versus hoarding. Taking pictures of articles and saving them to Apple Notes. Pinning emails in Outlook. Creating project folders in ChatGPT. Organizing materials so you can actually find them again. And recognizing that clarity matters more than motivation—knowing what you want to learn and making the first step easy.

The takeaway? We need to stop making learning so heavy. It doesn't have to be an hour-long commitment. It can be five minutes. It can be part of your existing routine. And most importantly—you're worth 5% of your work week to sharpen your saw.

So what's one small step you can take to build your learning habit today?

Stay curious! -Shannon

Video

Transcript Summary

Transcript

Chat Box

Resources:

Notebook LM

Training Magazine Network

Trello 

Asana 

Pomodoro Technique

Getting Things Done (GTD) Crucial Learning 

Shannon’s LinkedIn Post 

SHA Leader Standard Work Template

Daily Learning Habit Checklist 

Books:

Atomic Habits

Full Focus Planner

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

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Host: Shannon Tipton 

Podcast produced by: Obsidian Productions