Here is my list of tips for finding motivation to study while working full-time:

Give yourself a break after your workday is finished before diving in

Having a little bit of time to unwind in between work and study will allow you to shift gears from “time to work” to “time to research”.
 

Study somewhere other than where you spend your time working

I personally would not be able to study half as much if I tried to do it at the same desk that I spend my work week. 

I absolutely love my job, but it’s incredibly helpful for me to switch up the scenery for study time.  

Study what you’re most interested in learning 

While this tip might sound super generic, studying something you’re eager to learn more about normally doesn’t feel as much like work. 

I’m normally trying to actively grow in a few areas at a time and switching up what I’m studying whenever one starts to feel like work. 

For example, I’ve been switching back and forth between networking, Linux, and SQL stuff a lot recently. 

Set easily attainable study goals

My goal is to study at least 30 minutes per day, with an average of at least 4 days per week. 

In practice, I typically end up studying closer to 8-12 hours each week outside of work.

Giving yourself an easily obtainable goal makes it easier to be consistent and turn the act of regularly studying into a habit. 

Celebrate progress

Even if you’re only able to study for 10 minutes but learn something new, it’s significantly better than not taking any time to grow.

Every bit of progress adds up over time and sometimes one small concept can make you better understand many other things. 

Avoid negatively comparing yourself to subject matter experts and strive to become the best version of yourself you can possibly be

The brightest people in their fields of work were novices at one point.  

If you’re not absorbing the knowledge being presented, address the root cause, or look for alternative sources 

If you’re not understanding what you’re researching, you might be skipping some of the foundational knowledge.

For example, subnets would be really confusing if you didn’t understand the basics of IP and routing. 

If you know you have all of the foundational knowledge, seek out a different resource for the same subject.

Sometimes if you’re having trouble following along to a video, switching over to a book or blog can be helpful. 

Attempt to utilize your newfound knowledge

While theory is very helpful, getting your hands dirty with real world scenarios where the theory is related helps solidify your understanding of the concepts. 

For tech people, this means doing things like building and breaking stuff in a lab environment, typing out the commands you’re referencing, looking for ways to add efficiencies with newfound knowledge in your workplace, etc… 

Don’t force yourself to study

If you’re not in the proper mindset to learn, you’ll end up staring at words on a screen without actually reading them. If you start to feel this way during a session, take a break and come back when you genuinely want to learn. One hour of actively listening/seeking to understand something is better than pseudo listening to a thousand webinars. 

Thank you for reading! I hope this is helpful for you! If you have any tips that you think would be helpful for others, feel free to dm me on twitter @brandenhammann and I’ll happily add them to the list. Take care!