A friend of mine asked me how I stay updated on the topics relevant to my projects. This is my personal Top 4 of keeping me updated and how you could stay fit for your job too:

 

Speak with many people about theirs and your projects and ideas. You’ll receive feedbacks, inspirations and input which you can use and implement into your actual projects. But where to meet these relevant persons? Go to events, meetups, presentations. There are so many events and you’ll easily find them online. Try Google: “[your topic] events [your city]”

 

Podcasts are a great way to stay updated and get relevant information about topics you are interested in. Most of the podcasts are free and you easily find them in podcast applications such as Podbean, iTunes or Podcast Addict. A great advantage of podcasts: you can listen them while travelling or at the gym.

 

MOOCs are a great way to gain deeper knowledge. The courses are a combination of videos, text, quizzes and assessments. Coursera and EdX offer MOOCs and partner with many Universities around the world. Most of the courses are for free and optional you can purchase a certificate.

 

I receive many recommendations for good reads while speaking with people, listening to podcasts or reading articles. If multiple people mention the same book it is a good sign for a good read. Authors are often speakers on events or invited to podcasts. If I like the ideas of the author, I give the book a chance. I follow interesting persons on LinkedIn. This keeps me updated about new articles or blog posts.

 

As the world changes rapidly, new technologies and business models pop-up and old ones disappear or getting transformed or even disrupted the most important personal mind-set should be: stay curious and at the end you will find your own way, how to keep yourself updated.