Whether you do or don’t, Thomas Frank is going to teach you effective learning habits. After listening to him you might even discover a way to make learning more fun!

A few years ago, Thomas left college without a job. Instead, he left with a business opportunity. He is the founder of CollegeInfoGeek, a blog, podcast, YouTube channel and community. He helps college students learn more productively and really anyone who wants to learn more effectively.

He lives in Des Moines, IA and is also the co-host of the popular Listen Money Matters podcast.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the success he’s experienced:

His business generates well over $10K a month.
He has 100K subscribers on his email list.
His popular YouTube channel has 350K+ subscribers and 11+ million views.

No one taught him how to blog, to produce a podcast, to edit a video or even how to run a business. He is completely self-taught. More often than not, that’s what it takes to start a business today.

Some lessons in this episode include:

Masterminds: What they are and how to create one; Thomas and I in a mastermind together (or as Thomas calls it, our “Jedi Council”)
Building teams: Let go by creating systems and through empowerment.
How to learn on your own.

Life Skills That Matter In This Episode

Self-directed learning.
Building community.
Habit alignment.
Practice healthy learning habits.

How Thomas Works and Thinks

Wake up time: Average time is 7am, but it fluctuates.
Peak performance period: Morning and late at night.
Definition of success: How happy he feels and how happy he makes others.
Favorite productivity tool: Asana
Regains focus by: Going for a walk or writing on his whiteboard; he also uses the Pomodoro technique using Tomighty
Book recommendation: So Good That Can’t Ignore You and Jenny Blake’s Pivot
90-day goal: Build his first video course.

Inspirational Quotes

“Find a mission for yourself, a small project, something you can achieve, something you can get a tangible result out of, build it and in the course of building it you will force yourself to learn new things.”

“The acquisition of learning materials does not generate the interest you need to go through them and to use them well.”

Coaching Advice

Thomas shares his recommended first few steps for learning a new skill . . .

1) He’s a “just-in-time learner,” so he recommends focusing on subjects that spark your interest. When you have an interest in a particular subject or skill your brain makes more connections compared to learning something that doesn’t interest you at all.

2) Find a mission. Once you’ve found something you are interested in learning more about, start off with a small project and make your goal for completing it achievable. In the course of building it, you will force yourself to learn new concepts and skills.

3) Learn incrementally. Even if you have an ambitious goal for achieving mastery for a particular skill, it’s important to maintain your motivation by creating a series of smaller, achievable goals. Providing yourself with a string of ongoing “quick wins” will boost your confidence and help you attain higher and high levels of mastery.