It was months into the quarantine that I started seeing my Youtube and IG feeds getting filled with home-baked banana bread, dalgona coffee, and easy-to-make quarantine cooking recipes. Some started having fitness goals for the first time while others had a newfound love for plants that transformed them into a plantito or plantita. Dream businesses started booming too, as they realize now might be the best time to do so because they can focus on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if a friend would suddenly speak Korean or French when we meet someday.

People are now finding activities to do because of a thing they regained: TIME. We all have the same number of it, but as working from home cuts down our morning preparation and commute, to simply wearing a formal top and opening our laptops, it seemed like time is something most of us gained for the first time.

But learning something new is not only about being productive or entertained. Here are three things as to how it benefits us:

Improves brain health

Learning a new skill physically alters the brain and makes it healthier. It improves our cognitive abilities in terms of memory, attention, and other functions. It also helps us think faster and solves problems quicker. [1]

Promotes self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is the belief that we can overcome challenges as they arise through our skills and capabilities. A person who learned how to bake bread or grow plants as food will no longer panic as much in anticipation of stricter quarantine restrictions as long as the resources are available. A person who learned how to handle clients better by attending online short courses will be more comfortable in handling concerns because of that newfound knowledge. Simply put, our learnings boost us to feel more confident that we can achieve things and helps us be adaptable to new situations. [2]

Opens doors

People have had more time to work a part-time or freelance job online since quarantine. Learning skills to be a virtual assistant, online tutor or graphic designer are some of those that opened doors, either as a new stream of income or a way to bounce back from unemployment. It won’t be easy to get accustomed to continuous practice to get better at something but it will be worth it as it improves the quality of life and finances. [3]

If there is a silver lining that I saw in this pandemic, that is, we are now able to work remotely. Also, I realize that we are capable to learn and accomplish new things if given more time.

Aren’t you now interested to know how you can work from home?

I recommend The VA Hub. The VA Hub is an online-based company that operates in the Philippines to provide well-trained Virtual Assistants to their partners overseas.

Not only they will invest in you by providing free training on becoming a Virtual Assistant, but they also provide training on Marketing and Real Estate. It didn’t occur to me that I will learn how to deliver prospecting calls and handle objections, alongside making a virtual tour and social media marketing. Personally, the training equipped me with useful skills I can utilize for work opportunities I never thought I can have. Learning something new opens doors to opportunities.

So, what new thing can you learn today?

Cheers to working from home!

Sources

1. http://www.upskilled.edu.au/skillstalk/mental-health-benefits-learning-new-skill#:~:text=1.,the%20faster%20impulses%20can%20travel
2. https://michellegielan.com/psychology-today-how-to-go-from-i-think-i-can-to-i-know-i-can/
3. http://www.vault.com/blogs/job-search/benefits-of-learning-new-skills

Contributor: Pauline Joyce Zantua