Not all important life skills require a lifetime of learning! What valuable skills have you learned in 30 minutes or less that have improved your life? I’ll go first!
To start the list off, I’ll share my top 3 favorites:
- Learn To Recognize and Respond To Other People’s Body Language
- Learn To Stop Talking and Listen
- Open A Beer With an Edge
This might be the single most valuable skill I have ever learned. It is absolutely incredible how much humans communicate without words. Learning to recognize and react to this has helped me with dating, financial negotiations, hiring, firing and public speaking. The basics are easy to understand (you already understand them subconsciously) and can be used to your advantage quickly. By far, the best book on the topic is: What Every BODY is Saying (Joe Navarro & Marvin Karlins). You don’t need to read the whole book to see the benefits, your “Aha Moments” will start in the first several chapters.
This is the most valuable skill that I wish others would learn. I am yet to meet another person who couldn’t do a better job of this (myself included!). Counterintuitively, talking is easy, listening is hard. Some of my biggest breakthroughs in life have come when I have wised up and stopped talking long enough to listen and learn something.
This one sounds stupid but might actually be the most practical one of the group :-p I have lost count how many times I have used a countertop or lighter to open a beer. It is a small thing but makes a big difference when used at the right moment. Life Hacker has a guide here.
Obviously, That Is Not All! (See The Comments)
What valuable skills have you learned in 30 minutes or less that have improved your life? Vote and add your suggestions in the comments.
