Well begun is half done. Planning the learning process helps to proceed systematically, focus on the right things and to achieve goals in time. Without planning the development can be very slow, as learning activities get postponed or are not started at all.

• When learning requires lot of independent studying, it is useful to schedule the learning activities into one's calendar beforehand. This will help to arrange the time and place for them.
• Reading a book can be accomplished in schedule by deciding beforehand, which chapters or pages should be read on a specific day, and at what time day the reading takes place. This makes it easy to follow if reading is proceeding in schedule.
• Learning goals can be elaborated into concrete activities, by first writing down the subject, the desired skill level and the target schedule for achieving this goal. With these in mind, it is easier to set concrete deadlines for minor goals and to define what should be accomplished to achieve them.
• In an introduction for an online course, it is useful to tell the participants how much time the course is estimated to take and to suggest how to schedule it, for example half an hour per day for one week.
• Setting a concrete deadline for mastering the skill, for example participating in a contest, exam, or seminar, will help to set a deadline for mastering the skill and will provide motivation to stick into the study plan.

Planning your own studies helps you to take control over the process and makes achieving your goals more likely. Therefore it is worth your time to invest few minutes in planning.

What learning goals do you have, and how could you make sure you will achieve them?

Think about a skill your team has to improve on. What concrete activities should take place for it to be achieved before a specific date?