I learn a new skill every month, from drawing to sewing to quantum mechanics.
Cuz I kept thinking “if I started all those years ago, I’d be so good by now.”
But the next best time to start is today.
I knew I needed structure not to feel overwhelmed…so I set a monthly challenge.
Here’s how it works.
1. Have a list of skills you wanna learn
My list included bucket list stuff like learn martial arts, juggling, etc.
But also some “normal” stuff that’s good for my brain like instruments + languages.
Some months I wanted to accomplish something specific,
Like running 100km or doing a triathlon (it was challenging but fun).
It actually didn’t take that much time to learn.
only 1 hr cuz I rly enjoyed it
stuffing my meditation cushion 🤩 so hard to sew in a circle lol
2. Pick 1 each month
I plan this around my travels.
If it’s a heavy travel month, I pick a skill I can do easily on my phone (like practicing languages on an app).
love the stories on the HelloChinese app
my reading has improved so much!!
Usually, I pick a skill around the end of the month (or the beginning of the month if I’m behind).
Sometimes, I get bored and do a bunch of skills in a month (pilates, barre, crossfit, sewing) - more on that below.
3. Decide a goal
Don’t overthink it - here are some examples:
Play the chorus of a song you like on piano
Sew 1 top
Draw 1 picture
Take 1 class
Read 1 book
I’m no expert on the instruments or languages I learned - I just wanna try things and enjoy them!
the finished meditation cushion 🥰
I struggled w aerial yoga 😭
4. Turn it into a habit
If it’s an “easy” skill, I try to set the deadline to be every day:
Daily 5 min drawing practice
Daily 5 min language practice
Daily 5 min instrument practice
I was bored one day and drew this, it took forever. More fun than drawing 200 boxes (DrawABox)
Lingvano app to learn ASL
This hurt my fingers rip
But for more time-consuming skills, I set it to be weekly or by the end of the month:
Cook 1 new cuisine (Spanish, Indian, Japanese, etc.) every week
Do 1 martial arts trial class every week
Take at least 1 aerial yoga class by the end of the month
Finish a sewing project by the end of the month
(Yes all the food is vegan 🤩 I also started being vegan as a 1 week challenge and now it’s been 10.5 years 😂)
It was actually very cost-effective and fun:
Free sewing machines at the library (or cheap from FB Marketplace)
Free martial arts trial classes
Free or cheap classes for aerial yoga, barre, pilates, crossfit (with ClassPass trial)
Free drawing and guitar tutorials/apps
5. Do it before the deadline (end of the month)
For me, I need to have 2 things to make a successful habit:
Clear deadline
Clear cue (streaks app I see daily to remind me)
Sometimes, if the skill is really fun and easy, I’ll continue it for the next month.
So far, I’ve continued:
Daily Mandarin practice (with an app)
Daily ASL practice (another app)
Daily music practice (another app lol - practice reading bass clef)
Daily posting
Semi-daily meditation
I’m also planning on returning to these skills soon:
Martial arts (I really enjoyed Brazilian Jiu Jitsu)
Triathlon (maybe training for a longer one)
Stretching (to do the splits)
Badminton
Skills I didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would:
Drawing
Quantum mechanics
Surfing
Aerial yoga
I still stuck with them for the month though! Having a clear timeline helped a lot.
If you struggle with staying consistent with learning, understanding your blockers will help a lot.
Is it that you keep forgetting?
Set a clear reminder, alarm, or something you’ll look at every day
Is it that you’re overthinking?
Have 1 clear easy step planned out ahead of time
Ex) I just open a guitar app and start playing the song, no need to study all the chords beforehand
Is it that you don’t have time?
Make the habit easier - just 10 seconds
Example
2025
Dec (2024 tho): piano
Jan: sewing
Feb: triathlon training
Mar: travel + podcasting
Apr: communication + surfing
May: Vietnamese
June: writing + event hosting
July: hikes + 100km run
Aug: murder mystery box, moving
Sep: marketing funnels / sales
Oct: cooking
Nov: writing + aerial yoga + bungee fitness + sewing meditation cushion
Dec: pilates + barre + pole dancing
2026
Jan: meditation + singing + badminton
Feb: quantum mechanics + linear algebra
Mar: martial arts + 2 triathlons
Apr: drawing
May: ASL
June: guitar + Mandarin (I bought this intense drama game, can’t understand the vocab but it’s too riveting to stop)
Based on my travel plans, I’m thinking of re-learning abacus when I’m on the go (easy) and learning more intensive stuff (gardening, neuroscience, world history, more advanced calculus) when I’m not traveling.
But I’ll plan it the month of 😅 cuz I’m a procrastinator
No matter how busy or under budget you are, you can make time for your hobbies 🫶
Hope this inspired you to have fun too!
murder mystery box for my friend! Took 34 hours LOL so fun tho
100 km run 🥰 it’s a backyard ultra (3rd place!)
most treacherous hike I’ve been on, scarier than my 100 km run
Summary
Have a list of skills you wanna learn
Pick 1 each month
Decide a goal
Turn it into a habit
Do it before the deadline (end of the month)
How was today's email?
Til next time,
Jennifer
P.S. if you enjoyed this email, I teach people how to build habit systems to stay consistent with goals + hobbies like these - even if you “don’t have time.”
Cuz life is about more than just work 🥺
The next cohort of this 6-week program opens soon - sign up for the waitlist here.
