Probably, everyone sometimes wants to learn something new - to play the drums, to speak Spanish, to master effective self-defense techniques. Here are the 10 most desirable skills and options for self-study.
How many times in various circumstances have you said to yourself: “It would be great if I could ...” But then life flowed along its usual course, and you forgot about your desire to acquire a useful skill.
With the vast amount of knowledge that is available to us online every day, the only reason you haven't done it yet is because you haven't thought about it seriously. Maybe it's time to do it?
10. Fix something at home
Of course, to fix something at home, you don’t need any special skills - you can just call a specialist, and everything will be ready. But there is no ingenuity, no skill, much less interest in this.
In addition, a specialist in any case will cost you more than self-repair of simple things.
If you have a desire to do manual labor, learn how to fix household items or create home furnishings with your own hands. This is a particularly rewarding skill because you can use the results of your labor right away.
Where to learn it? Millions of videos on YouTube and Videojug at your service. There you will find many videos on how to repair something in the house or in the yard, how to fix something from plumbing and electrics.
For complex repairs, you will still need a professional, but you can do some small manipulations yourself. In any case, you will understand that you always have a choice - to call the master or try to do it yourself.
9. Develop creative skills: drawing, illustration, photography
Victor Bezrukov/Flickr.com While these skills probably won't help you make big money, they are very attractive because they introduce you to the technical possibilities to create something beautiful.
You will have to find inspiration and objects for creativity yourself, but mastering the chosen subject depends only on technical capabilities and practice.
If you want to learn how to draw people, pick up an anatomy book and learn how to draw different bones and muscles. Drawing grids on photographs will help you become familiar with the rules of perspective.
Of course, it's not as easy as it sounds, but drawing one thing, like flowers or human hands, will give you an idea of how it works and how it looks in perspective, as well as add hours to your practice.
If you decide to learn how to create illustrations on a computer, here are a few lessons. And here are tips, useful resources and free books for those who decide to become a photographer.
The main thing is to devote 15 to 30 minutes a day to mastering the chosen skill. Whatever you decide to study: drawing, creating illustrations in the program, photography, hamburger sculptures, break the study into many small parts and work through each of these parts every day.
This is a great way to relax and unwind at the end of the day, and your hours of practice will slowly but surely add up.
8. Learn self defense
Fort Bragg/Flickr.com If you don't want to be beaten up by an unexpected attack, it's worth learning self-defense. Some tricks can be learned from tutorial videos and practiced with your friends. Here are some more video tutorials on self-defense and self-defense techniques from MMA fighters.
It would be nice if these skills were not useful to you in life, but in any case, you will feel more confident returning home late at night.
7. Level up in design and develop a sense of style
Andreas Nilsson/Flickr.com Design and style is not an exact science as tastes vary and change over time, but there are a few general principles that will make your work, home or anything else more aesthetic and appealing.
If we are talking about classic design, first of all we need to learn the basics of types and combinations. These are skills that you can improve in your daily work to make it look more attractive.
This may seem like a useless skill, since tables, for example, are not judged according to the canons of beauty, but if something looks attractive, it is always judged better. Aestheticism will always be an advantage of your work.
A sense of style is important even in such things as, say, choosing wallpaper for a room or creating a clean and rationally organized desktop on your computer. If your home looks boring, here are some ideas to spruce up your design.
And here are articles for those who want to learn web design: how to influence through color and where to learn web design online.
6. Master any subject you missed at university
It can be some kind of science, finance, mathematics, humanitarian subjects, law or something else. If you were not able to master this skill at the university, you can study online.
What's great about this kind of learning is that you are motivated only by your own motivation. No exams, tests and nerves. You learn as much as you want, and the reward is just getting a little smarter. Here are 50 resources for free education - there you can find a lot of useful items.
5. Create and remake hardware
Kevin Savetz/Flickr.com We all love modern technology, and the more technology can give us, the stronger our love. Probably, there is no technique that could not be improved, but first you need to acquire a few skills.
Learning how to build a computer is a great way to start. You will need soldering skills and the basics of using an Arduino to create some really cool stuff.
The best way to learn this is to start a project and learn all the tricks in the process of working on it. If you don't know where to start, take a look here.
4. Play an instrument
There are many sites for learning to play musical instruments online. In this article, you will find several useful resources, forums, and apps for learning to play guitar, drums, and piano.
And, of course, always to the aid of YouTube.
3. Cook like a chef
There are so many recipes and sites with tips on cooking different dishes on the Internet that anyone can become a great cook without learning anywhere.
Try different recipes, develop a "sixth sense of the dish", subscribe to YouTube cooking channels and just have fun cooking.
For example, I love the Afisha-Food app - there are a lot of new recipes that you can save yourself. Moreover, it is not necessary to cook exactly according to the recipe, you can fantasize, add other ingredients and skip what is not in the nearest store.
2. Learn a foreign language
If you ask people what they want to learn, "Learn a new language" will be the most popular answer.
Here are some useful lessons, books and resources for learning different languages, websites for learning with different methods, a strategy for learning a language in 90 days, courses and apps, tips from an experienced language hacker, tips for those who want to quickly learn several languages and become a polyglot.
1. Make a website, build an app, or just learn how to code
For those who have never programmed, but have always wanted to try, there are many useful resources. Here are 30 sites for those who want to learn how to code from scratch. There are sites with paid courses and teachers, as well as resources for free learning of different programming languages.
There's also a selection of free books and online courses, and five free resources for those who don't mind learning in English.
Just keep in mind - programming lessons can be really boring if you're not working on a specific project. If theoretical knowledge is constantly supported by practice, you are more likely to not give up and achieve success in programming.
What skills do you want to master?
How many times in various circumstances have you said to yourself: “It would be great if I could ...” But then life flowed along its usual course, and you forgot about your desire to acquire a useful skill.
With the vast amount of knowledge that is available to us online every day, the only reason you haven't done it yet is because you haven't thought about it seriously. Maybe it's time to do it?
10. Fix something at home
Of course, to fix something at home, you do not need any special skills - you can just call a specialist, and everything will be ready. But there is no ingenuity, no skill, much less interest in this.
In addition, a specialist in any case will cost you more than self-repair of simple things.
If you have a desire to do manual labor, learn how to fix household items or do it yourself. This is a particularly rewarding skill because you can use the results of your labor right away.
Where to learn it? Millions of videos on YouTube and Videojug at your service. There you will find many videos on how to repair something in the house or in the yard, how to fix something from plumbing and electrics.
For complex repairs, you will still need a professional, but you can do some small manipulations yourself. In any case, you will understand that you always have a choice - to call the master or try to do it yourself.
9. Develop creative skills: drawing, illustration, photography
Victor Bezrukov/Flickr.comWhile these skills probably won't help you make big money, they are very attractive because they introduce you to the technical possibilities to create something beautiful.
You will have to find inspiration and objects for creativity yourself, but mastering the chosen subject depends only on technical capabilities and practice.
It would be nice if these skills were not useful to you in life, but in any case, you will feel more confident returning home late at night.
7. Level up in design and develop a sense of style
Andreas Nilsson/Flickr.com Design and style is not an exact science as tastes vary and change over time, but there are a few general principles that will make your work, home or anything else more aesthetic and appealing.
If we are talking about classic design, first of all we need to learn the basics of types and combinations. These are skills that you can improve in your daily work to make it look more attractive.
This may seem like a useless skill, since tables, for example, are not judged according to the canons of beauty, but if something looks attractive, it is always judged better. Aestheticism will always be an advantage of your work.
A sense of style is important even in such things as, say, choosing wallpaper for a room or creating a clean and rationally organized desktop on your computer. If your home looks boring, here are some ideas on how to.
And here are articles for those who want to learn web design: how to influence through and web design online.
6. Master any subject you missed at university
It can be some kind of science, finance, mathematics, humanitarian subjects, law or something else. If you were not able to master this skill at the university, you can study online.
What's great about such training is that you are motivated only by your own motivation. No exams, tests and nerves. You learn as much as you want, and the reward is just getting a little smarter. Here - there you can find a lot of useful items.
5. Create and remake hardware
Kevin Savetz/Flickr.com We all love modern technology, and the more technology can give us, the stronger our love. Probably, there is no technique that could not be improved, but first you need to acquire a few skills.
Learning how to build a computer is a great way to start. You will need soldering skills and basics, with which you can create really interesting things.
The best way to learn this is to start a project and learn all the tricks as you work on it. If you don't know where to start, take a look.
4. Play an instrument
gwen roolf/Flickr.com There are many sites for learning to play musical instruments online. You will find several useful resources, forums and applications for learning to play guitar, drums and piano.
And, of course, always to the aid of YouTube.
3. Cook like a chef
sharynmorrow/Flickr.com There are so many recipes and sites with tips on cooking different dishes on the Internet that anyone can become a great cook without learning anywhere.
Try, develop "", subscribe to and just enjoy cooking.
For example, I love the app " Afisha-Food» - there are a lot of new recipes that you can save yourself. Moreover, it is not necessary to cook exactly according to the recipe, you can fantasize, add other ingredients and skip what is not in the nearest store.
2. Learn a foreign language
If you ask people what they want to learn, "Learn a new language" will be the most popular answer.
30 sites for those who want to learn how to code from scratch. There are sites with paid courses and teachers, as well as resources for free learning of different programming languages.
There is also a selection of free ones for those who do not mind studying in English.
Just be aware - programming lessons can be really boring if you're not working on a specific project. If theoretical knowledge is constantly supported by practice, you are more likely to not give up and achieve success in programming.
What skills do you want to master?
What useful things can be learned in 10 minutes?
Arvind Krishnakumar
Quora user
“Understand the difference between the CE and C buttons on a calculator.
I didn't know this for a very long time, I only realized it recently, and it turned out to be quite useful. Many of us think that the CE and C buttons on a calculator perform the same function. But it's not: the C key erases everything you've ever entered, while CE only erases the last number you've entered."
biologist
“Learn to navigate in space.
I started learning this a few years ago so I could camp. I never thought it would be so easy. Now, when I watch shows where people wander in the wilderness, or read about wanderers making circles in the desert, I am very surprised. Don't they know there's a huge compass in the sky? I will talk about the basic principles of orientation in space, which can be easily learned in 10 minutes. They will come in handy in an unfamiliar city, and while walking, and in emergency cases, when this knowledge will help save your life.
How to determine where the north, south, west and east are? If you are in the southern hemisphere, the sun is in the northern part of the sky; if in the northern hemisphere, it is in the southern part. Wherever you are, the sun will rise in the east and set in the west. If you have a watch and the sun is visible in the sky, then you can easily understand where the north is. Those who are in the northern hemisphere need to point the hour hand towards the sun: south will be in the middle between it and 12 o'clock. Those who are in the southern hemisphere need to point 12 hours towards the sun: north will be in the middle between them and the hour hand. Just remember that if you switched to daylight saving time, then you will have to mentally rearrange the hour hand an hour ago. And if you don't have an analog clock, you can imagine where 12 o'clock and the hour hand would be right now.
What if you don't have a watch with you? Find a flat area and a straight stick. Stick a stick into the ground and place a stone at the end of the shadow cast by the stick. After that, do something else (for example, look for water or food). Returning to the stick, place another stone near the end of the shadow that has moved to the east. If you draw a straight line between two stones, it will run from east to west. Spread your feet on two stones, and if you are in the northern hemisphere, you will face the south, if in the south, then the north. This method works not only during the day, but also at night, when the moon shines brightly enough. If it's too cloudy or dark outside, look for rocks or trees that have moss or lichen growing on one side. This usually happens in humid conditions, and therefore the sun does not shine on the side with them. This way you can find out where north and south are - as in the previous examples, depending on the hemisphere.
Even if you have never been far from civilization, now you'll know how to choose the right path
In addition to the cardinal directions, roads, rivers, railroad tracks, valleys, and power lines can be used to navigate in space. These are objects that cannot be crossed. Let's say there is a city that is to the north. If you go due north and you have no other references, you may accidentally pass by the city (for example, if it is over a hill or in a forest). If there is a road leading from east to west through this city, then you can go north until you come across it, then turn and go until you come to the city. But how do you know where to turn - left or right? Very simple: from the very beginning of the path, deviate to the left or right, and when you see the road, go out onto it and turn in the opposite direction.
It is often said that people do not have an innate ability to navigate in space. In fact, it's even worse. We have a feeling that we are oriented in space, but it is erroneous! Whenever you pass trees, climb cliffs, or simply lose sight of your target, double-check where north is. You will be surprised to know where he really is! Therefore, it is better to find additional landmarks, such as a high mountain, a noticeable tree, or a tower with an antenna. Then you don't have to constantly check to see if you're going there. Don't count on the stars if your target is far away because they change position in the sky. If you get lost at night, but you know that there is a settlement nearby, it is better to look for its lights on the horizon.
After spending 10 minutes learning, you can easily navigate the terrain if you get lost. Be careful. Stop, think, take a look around and reflect on what you now know. Where is the coast? Where is the nearest road? Which side of the huge hill are you on? Then come up with a plan. If you are caught in a sandstorm, stay where you are until you can clearly see and understand where you are. If you think that you can help yourself and be saved, then you will panic less and not lose hope. And even if you have never been far from civilization, now you will know how to choose the right path, which means you have a better chance of surviving than many other people.
Suresh Ratinam
architect
“Understand why you always put off important things.
I was an incredible slacker for a long time until I figured out why I procrastinate. All you need is a great desire to deal with this problem: the procedure that I will describe next will definitely help.
Track what you do every day. When I first started keeping to-do lists that I do all the time, it seemed like a waste of time to me. But later, after analyzing them, I realized why I have enough time for bad habits, but not enough for important things. Most of the time I spent on Facebook, where I clicked on all the links in a row. My usual route is from Facebook to YouTube and then to Twitter to see what's new. This went on again and again - an endless and useless waste of precious time.
Understand why you procrastinate. We mess around because of the habits we create ourselves. While we are working, a random thought like “Where to go on vacation?” flies into my head. And so I go on Facebook to see where my friends went. Something catches my eye, and an endless stream of clicks begins.
Learn how to develop good habits. I lived like this every day, and I never had enough time for important things, but after reading Charles Duhigg's book The Power of Habit, I figured it all out. Understanding how habits work helped me a lot. I had a random thought that led me to search the Internet for something new, rewarding myself with a moment of joy at a stressful job. It took a lot of time. The trick is to change a bad habit for a good one that will increase your productivity.
Change your daily routine. In order not to be distracted, I turned off the Internet (most of the work does not require it, and therefore I just turn off Wi-Fi for this time), I started writing random thoughts in a notebook and thinking about them only at my leisure, and also set time limits for work and even communication with colleagues, which helped me focus better.
Track new good habits. Keep track of yourself: writing down every action at a particular moment is not easy, so I began to spend 1.5 hours before bed to write down everything I did during the day. I divided the day into hourly intervals and thought about how to make tomorrow better. I also prioritized things for tomorrow (usually these are 3 things I have to do in a day) and analyzed their progress for the month and quarter to improve productivity even further.
So I learned to find more time for really important things. I hope this helps you too."
Lawrence Curniavan
Quora user
“Start making a movie about your life in a year.
You only need a few free seconds a day.
Take your smartphone out of your pocket;
Record a short video of what is happening in front of you;
Repeat this every day of the year;
At the end of the year, cut one second from each video and put them together.
So you can watch a 6-minute movie - a compressed version of your life in a year. The time machine does not exist, but this is the best alternative to it. With every second of the video, you are transported back to a day when you were younger and did something interesting. You will remember that romantic date on the beach or that boring day when you had nothing else to do but eat instant noodles, or a beautiful rainbow after the rain.
Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thanks for that
for discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
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We are constantly learning something - at school, college, at work ... It is a pity that not all knowledge comes in handy later. I wish I could learn something useful and quickly, for example, in 10 minutes, and apply it to my joy for the rest of my life. website talk about these skills.
1. Use "hot keys"
There are many keyboard shortcuts that you can use to quickly perform the same actions. They are used when working with windows, in text editors. in browsers, etc. Fortunately, we do not need to remember 350 combinations to quickly type and send text to print. About 10-15 is enough, but even they can make life easier. Select the ones you use the most (this will take about 5 minutes), and then try them out and memorize them (another 5 minutes). If memory fails, you can set the hotkey scheme as wallpaper on your desktop.
2. Master "advanced" search engine
Formulate the query correctly, and the search engine will quickly give you the exact answer. Operator commands that help refine queries are different for each search engine. If you prefer to "google" - Google search operators will help you, if you support a domestic manufacturer - get acquainted with Yandex operators. It will take at least 10 minutes to highlight the main thing in the list and remember it. And then it's a matter of practice.
3. Learn to quickly figure out the translation of words without leaving the web page
An extension for the Google Chrome browser - Google Dictionary will help to do this. The thesaurus is useful for anyone who studies English or works on the Internet with English-language sources: click on an unfamiliar word and you will see not only its transcript and transcription, but also a translation into your language. If you have basic knowledge of English, then using the built-in Google Dictionary will be faster, more convenient and much more useful than the Google Translate function (in which translation into Russian is often crooked). A similar feature is also available in the Firefox browser.
4. Master a couple of quick memorization techniques
The ability to hold large amounts of data in memory makes life easier not only for students before exams, but also for those of us who have already graduated. Knowing how to use, you can easily learn a foreign language, buy all the products from the list that you didn’t take with you at the supermarket, and you won’t call a new acquaintance Misha Vasya. There are several technicians, choose the one that will work for you.
5. Use a fire extinguisher
They hang wherever prescribed by safety regulations. They can save lives and property. But how many of us really know how to use them? Spend 10 minutes carefully reading or watching video, remember - and become a more useful member of society.
6. Properly pack things in a suitcase
We all travel from time to time. Once you have learned correctly (read: carefully, compactly, quickly, with minimal damage to things), you will consider this activity as pleasant entertainment, not a headache, for the rest of your life.
7. Measure anything with your own body
What to do if you urgently need to measure something, but there is no ruler or tape measure at hand? Wait for help or hope for an eye. But you can prepare for such a situation in advance by taking several measurements and remembering the resulting values. "Useful" units of measurement can be:
- the maximum distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger;
- the length of the foot from the tip of the thumb to the heel;
- the distance between the tips of the thumb and forefinger;
- the maximum distance between the tips of the index and middle fingers.
8. Tell the time without a clock
Think there is no clock! Let's look at the smartphone screen. But what if you find yourself in a situation of a complete "digital detox", but at the same time you are late for a date? It is not difficult to remember ways to determine the time without a clock, and there are a ton of benefits!
9. Remember the basic rules of table etiquette
If you often attend corporate receptions or just meet friends in cafe-restaurants, then knowledge of modern ones will come in handy. They include:
- skills to properly absorb various types of food;
- knowledge of the basics of serving;
- table manners.
Or go "from the opposite" - find out about the main mistakes at the table and do not make them.
10. Learn to fall asleep quickly
Most of us know this sad feeling: it's time to sleep, you want to sleep, but you can't fall asleep. We offer a few simple "tricks" that will help:
- try not to fall asleep
Keep your eyes wide open, mentally repeat "I won't sleep." Our brain does not perceive the NOT particle well, so it will begin to execute the command. - remember the events of the day
Scrolling through the smallest details in your head (preferably in reverse order), you will clear your head of worries and obsessive thoughts. - roll your eyes
Close your eyes and rotate them 3 to 5 times. Similar eye movements are made when we sleep. Simulating sleep will help release melatonin, the sleep hormone. - just fantasize
Imagine yourself in a comfortable, pleasant, beautiful place (for example, in a tropical paradise) - do not forget about smells, sounds, touches. Soon you will relax and fall asleep. - use
It is generally accepted that it takes a long time to master a new skill. However, this can be achieved in about 20 hours by devoting several hours a day to mastering it for a week. What can be learned during this time?
1. Play a song on a musical instrument.
Reaching professional heights or mastering musical theory in a week, of course, will not work. However, this period is enough to master one song on the harmonica or ukulele. In addition, these instruments are unusual enough to make an unforgettable impression on the listeners.
Renowned writer and business expert Josh Kaufman played a medley of several popular songs on his ukulele at the end of one of his performances. To learn this, according to him, it took no more than 20 hours of training.
2. Drive a machine with a manual transmission.
Those who are accustomed to driving a car with an automatic can learn to drive a mechanic in just twenty hours. Perhaps one day there will be a need to drive just such a vehicle, and then this skill will come in handy.
3. Collect the Rubik's Cube.
Those who can solve a Rubik's Cube in a matter of minutes unanimously say that there is nothing difficult about it. All that is needed for this is to learn the assembly algorithm, which even a child can remember.
Therefore, if you look at the Rubik's Cube as a monster, then by taking up its study, in just a week you will be able to solve it in a few minutes.
4. Become a great storyteller.
The gift of storytelling can also be mastered by everyone, including even those. who consider themselves tongue-tied. To do this, you need to learn how to captivate the listener with an inspired story, how to keep the attention of the audience, and when to stop.
5. Master parallel parking.
This skill should be mastered by anyone who expects to get a driver's license. But some people find it too complicated.
One week is enough to master this maneuver. If you manage to make it with one movement of your hand, then there will be no limit to the surprise of the people nearby.
6. Improve your culinary skills.
In just a week, you can master the preparation of a dish that over time can become your hallmark.
It can be a great steak or pasta with a fragrant sauce. If you serve them good wine, having previously worked out the cooking, an unforgettable dinner is guaranteed.
7. Master the basics of martial arts.
Self defense is a skill that may never come in handy, but if the need arises, it can be the most important thing you learn. In just a week, you can master the basic techniques of self-defense, sufficient to fight back.
8. Remember the number Pi.
It is unlikely that this skill will be useful for anything more than impressing other people. Although sometimes it is also useful. All that is required for this is to memorize 6-7 numbers daily and repeat every day what has already been learned.
9. Get basic knowledge of a foreign language.
People who have mastered many foreign languages are called polyglots. Michael Youlden and his brother Matthew Youlden have mastered over 12 languages, thus becoming hyperpolyglots. For example, they were able to learn spoken Turkish in just a week.
According to the hyperpolyglot brothers themselves, music, movies, news, flash cards, the Babbel app and other elements of popular culture provide them with help in learning the language.
10. Break an apple with bare hands.
Despite the fact that this fruit is quite dense, with the help of a simple trick it can be broken without using any tools.
First you need to remove the tail of the apple. After that, you need to take it so that the thumbs are on top of the fruit, the palms are completely clasped around it, and the tips of the other fingers are at the bottom. After that, it will be enough to press hard on the apple, while scrolling it in your hands.
After watching this video, you can visually familiarize yourself with the technique of this action:
11. Learn to juggle.
Even if you consider yourself a clumsy bear, in just twenty hours you can master this circus trick. First you need to learn how to juggle with just two balls, shifting them from one hand to the other.
Juggling three balls is also not too difficult, since only one ball is in the air, and the other two are in the hands.
12. Master the basics of cutting and sewing.
In 20 hours, you can learn how to take measurements, use a sewing machine, select the right fabric and master basic stitches. Over time, this skill can be improved, and then it will be possible to become your own fashion designer, sewing exclusive clothes.
