Becoming a 21st Century Autodidact

The Web, despite it being known as a repository of inane time-wasters like funny memes and cat videos, is probably the best invention that the last 20 years have given us. This is the place where you can get a college-level education for FREE, and where specialized productivity tools (like Desktime, a time tracking tool) is at your disposal. In this era where anything you need to know is just a Google search away, there really is no excuse for ignorance.

As we all know, more knowledge = more opportunities. When you learn a new language (it doesn’t matter whether it’s a “real” language like Spanish or a programming language), you’re opening yourself up to new doors, new opportunities for you to learn, gain new skills, and even EARN money at the same time. You become more productive; you become a better and smarter person.

Essential Online Resources and Tools for the 21st Century Autodidact

An autodidact is a fancy word for a “self-learner.” Some of the world’s best known luminaries like Leonardo da Vinci and Frank Lloyd Wright were autodidacts; they learned most of their craft through books and other educational materials.

So, on the Internet, you can become a Renaissance man (ala da Vinci) without spending a dime. These are some of the essential tools and resources for a productive, modern-day, autodidact:

Tools:

1. A time tracking/ scheduling tool (Examples: Toggl, Desktime, RescueTime, ATracker, NowThen)
2. Specialized tools according to industry (for publishing Scrivener or for social media management: HootSuite)
3. A project management tool (Examples: Trello, Asana, Microsoft One Note)

Resources:

Note: The sites below do not focus on one specific field or industry alone, yet they are still a treasure trove of knowledge for people who are interested in what they can offer. They are also a very good way to be productive during downtimes.

1. DuoLingo – Learn languages for free and help translate the Web at the same time! Founded by reCaptcha creator Luis von Ahn, the Duolingo app takes a new approach to language learning. The app provides lessons and quizzes on a variety of languages (German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, and Danish); after learning, the student is then encouraged to test out his or her knowledge on translating Web documents that are hosted on the site.
   www.duolingo.com
2. Codecademy – With Codecademy, there is no need to enroll in a computer school if you want to learn web development and basic programming (JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP). The site pretty much had set the standard for interactive learning; each lesson comes with a code box on the left side of the screen so that students can immediately test out what they’ve learned.
   www.codecademy.com
3. Khan Academy – Though most of the content is intended for high school students and below, it still pays to brush up on the fundamentals. Should you forget basic math concepts or if you want to learn more about Greek history, the Khan Academy videos are pretty much the best resources you can learn from.
   www.khanacademy.org

There are also different tools for your line of work that can help you get organized so you can process more clients or tasks. If we take a tool like LockedOn (real estate software), it provide several tools or applications needed for completing tasks. You can opt for several tools, but using one tool that is well organized, it sounds much better, faster and easier.

Search for tools and applications that can help you get your job done better and faster. You will have more time to work on your other projects that way.