Learning. It's Worth the Investment

Oh.
my.
goodness.
I should’ve done this six months ago—not that I had time, but hey, better late than never.

I planned on setting September or October aside to learn how to use my very annoying computer (six months ago I was moved onto a mac—not my choice—and I’ve been going crazy ever since), and other things because I’m so sick of banging my head on the wall. I figured four weeks invested in learning all I could would eventually be saved in time wasted hunting and pecking and all the accompanying frustration. Since I found the classes I wanted faster than anticipated, AND I had a window of days open unexpectedly (God is so good!!), I started early, never dreaming how fast my frustration would end.

Last week I broke the piggy bank I’ve had in hiding and bought Joseph Michael's video course on learning Scrivener. It was worth it. I am in awe of all this program can do. But the part that currently has my mouth hanging open is the project statistics and settings. It not only keeps track of your word count, but you can set targets, specific DAILY targets, and it will track it for you. It even gives you a bar graph to show where you are in reaching your goal. No more mental math for me! A quick glance will tell me if I’m even close (cuz the bar graph is color coded: red to yellow to green).

No more clip boards and stray pieces of paper for me! I now understand why people rave about this program and say they’ll never go back. I'll tell you more about this tool as I dig into it more and gain more experience on it.

I’m taking other classes and I’m finally learning how to use my Mac, too. No more making applesauce with it! WOOT!

If you’re frustrated by things you don’t know, it’s more than worth taking the time to LEARN them. It’s worth the investment of the time and money. The return on your investment is often surprising. I know mine sure is!

So tell me, what's something that has you frustrated because you don't know how to do it?

10 comments:

  1. Great post Patty! Did you know the average adult will embark on approximately 2 learning projects per year? Sometimes it's because we are frustrated about something and other times it's because we are interested in a particular topic or thing.

    We are constantly learning and growing. Occasionally these learning experiences are formal - taking a class like your Scrivener class. Other times they are informal, like doing Bible study or talking to a friend about how to make a new recipe. But the fact is - we are always learning new things - it's how God made us/ Praise the Lord!

    For example - when I was diagnosed with my microvascular heart disease last year, I began to research all I could to understand and cope with what was happening to me. In the process I found a support group and have been learning even more = a learning project.

    When I began to seriously watch my salt intake, I researched recipes and ways to lessen the amount of sodium I ate. Yet another learning project that is ongoing. If you sat down and started writing down all the new things you learned this past year - both from formal training and personal interest research, you would be amazed. Ii bet just from your summer of "monkey business" you have learned enough to write a small book!

    Anyway, congrats on your achievement! You're doing great!

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    1. That is such a cool stat, Bonnie! I don't know how often I dig into a topic I'm interested in--I LOVE it. =]

      And yes, I've learned a ton this summer. =] Different kind of stuff. LoL.

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  2. Love Scrivener! And I love learning how to do new things! I'm a novice woodworker and I spend more time watching Youtube videos than I do actually making things!

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    1. hehe. I KNOW I'm spending more time watching the videos than actually doing things right now, but that's okay. There's a time to pay attention and soak in the teaching and there's a time to apply what you've learned. Too often I think some of us like the learning part of the equation better than we do the applying end of it. Why is that?

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  3. OH - the learning is MUCH more fun for me!! And then it goes in one ear and out the other. So I relearn - but it isn't until I apply it that it sticks. GREAT post (and so glad you're learning!)

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    1. LoL, yes, Jo, I need to learn something several times before it sticks, too. And there's that word again: apply. It's making me think...

      What good is learning if it's not applied?

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  4. Just added Scrivener to my learning list! I love my Mac!! <3

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    1. Oh yeah. Scrivener is great, Rita. But you might want to do the tutorials on it, too. They save a LOT of frustration and help you use more than a tiny bit of the program. Today I'm diving into a new branch of it's capabilities and I'm SO excited about it. =]

      My Mac...Yes! I'm learning to love it. I finally see the things that make it great, and even better, how to use the thing. What a learning curve! LoL

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  5. Scrivener. I've heard of it. Heard its name mentioned in passing. BUT haven't taken the time to investigate. Funny, how things that might aid in making our lives a little more organized, less frayed, get put to the warming tray rather than searched out and utilized. Thanks so much. :)

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    1. That's how I was too, Karls. Then Tom and Karla started talking about it with Karen Wingate, on Linda's client loop, and while they chatted I checked into it and was very impressed. Okay, so I drooled. A lot. LoL. =]

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