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Here is a short snippet on how to get better and better at what you do.

“Become a life long learner”

I just read this blog post on what to do with the last 5 minutes of your day. In the middle, the author talks about this concept, and I want to expand on it with a few specific tactics:

1. If you don’t use Google Reader, start. Subscribe to blogs. You can subscribe to this one, but I don’t write that often. Read, read, read.
2. Do you have a smart phone, get one, because if you don’t … well, that’s just dumb. Once you get a smart phone, get the Nook Reader AND a Kindle Reader. Buy a book, and read it when you are standing in lines, waiting for trains, or otherwise occupied in a point in time where you are waiting.
3. Take notes, put them in your email, and reread them.
4. Listen to people that have a “different” point of view. If you are conservative, and you watch Fox News, then you are only getting your side of the story. Watch somebody that is on the other side of the Aisle. Empathize with their point of view. Did you take debate in High School? The best lesson from the Debate Team/Club/Class is the lesson of being able to argue an issue from either side. This is something that everyone should be able to do. Could you be the Devil’s Advocate?
5. When you fail at something (and you better fail at somethings, otherwise you aren’t trying hard enough) reflect on why you failed. You are not the failure, the activity, and more specifically, the tactics & actions of what you were trying failed. Reflect on why things didn’t work out the way you wanted. Digest this … and apply the lessons learned next time.

If you have other ideas, please share as I still have plenty to learn.