Continuing Professional Development is a lifelong learning process that keeps you updated on new industry advancements.
Engaging in relevant CPD is important as it allows you to keep your skills sharp and enhance your subject expertise.
In the long run, these activities make you credible and confident enough to apply for a new position or adapt to a new job role without a hitch.
But, balancing your continuing education with work and personal life can be taxing; therefore, you need to strategise your moves and prioritise your tasks accordingly.
In this blog post, we have mentioned a few effective strategies which will help balance your work, life and continuous learning amidst your busy schedule and professional life:
Goal Setting & Prioritisation
A goal without proper planning cannot be achieved; therefore, you must know what your aspirations and ambitions in the long run are, and what measures you can take to achieve them.
One way to achieve it step by step is via SMART criteria – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Utilising this technique makes sure that your goals are achieved within a certain amount of time.
It also keeps you focused while ensuring that you are choosing the right objectives which ultimately helps you attain your goal.
Another great way to prioritise and manage your tasks effortlessly is by using the Eisenhower Matrix. List your personal, work and CPD activities in its four categories. Urgent and important tasks must be tackled first and eliminate any unimportant task that would deviate you from achieving daily objectives or activities.
In doing so, it will help you keep your work balanced, focus on your commitments and achieve the desired results in the end.
Time Management Technique
Time management simply refers to taking control of your time and making sure to make the most out of it.
When you manage your time effectively, you reduce focus on non-essential activities, reduce stress, become more productive and achieve success ultimately.
So, whether you do it for personal or professional reasons, you can achieve the desired results; but the question is how?
Some time management strategies can be used to fulfil this purpose:
Time blocking
Time blocking is a time management technique where you schedule every part of your day. Consider it as a to-do schedule instead of a to-do list; you break your tasks into bite-size pieces and laser-focus on a task without any interruptions.
For instance, you can block out as:
- to exercise daily from 12-1 pm,
- write/research from 1-3 pm,
- check your emails from 3-3:30 pm
- and plan for professional development or networking until 5 pm
Planning your day like this will allow you to organise your daily tasks, keep you focused, boost productivity and stop you from context-switching.
Pomodoro Technique
Another great time management strategy is the Pomodoro technique. While working or engaging in a CPD session/activity, we all face multiple distractions which leads to a shorter attention span and unwanted procrastination. If you face such issues, then this technique is for you.
Pomodoro technique refers to short time intervals usually 25 minutes followed by a short 5-minute break.
To apply this technique:
- Pick one task, set the timer and focus on it for 25 minutes,
- When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break; ensure that the break is productive– you can relax or take a walk
- After four Pomodoro take a longer break for about 15-20 minutes
You can use Google Calendar, Trello and Asana to manage and balance work and increase your productivity effectively.
Utilising this technique will help you to keep engaged, and improve and maintain concentration on your CPD commitments.
Microlearning
Conclusion
Balancing work, life, and CPD can be a challenge, but with the right strategies, you can achieve it. By setting SMART goals, prioritizing tasks with the Eisenhower Matrix, and managing your time effectively using techniques like time blocking and the Pomodoro Technique, you can give dedicated time for CPD without neglecting your work or personal life.
Microlearning opportunities like short online modules, podcasts, and webinars can also be a great way to fit CPD into your busy schedule.
Remember, a little bit of learning each day adds up to a lot in the long run.
By following these tips, you can stay on top of your professional development while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
