Do you ever want to educate yourself on something, but can’t seem to find the time? I’m not talking about getting a degree or anything like that. Higher education through an institution is a great way to obtain an education (I’m currently getting an MA in philosophy), but do you ever have a curious itch that requires some self-directed study?
Many people want to do that but the schedule is choc full, especially for parents. Though I’m not a father yet, I can sympathize: I’ve got shelves full of unlistened to tapes and CD’s, in addition to 3-4 Gigs of podcasts stored on my computer. I’d also like to spend more time in the Bible, but, like many Americans, I find my time swallowed up. From 5am to 11pm, I’m usually working or spending time with my wife. Time well spent it is, trust me, but I have an intellectual itch that I just have to scratch.
It occurred to me recently that despite appearances, I have around 2 hours of time that is perfect for such endeavors: the drive to and from work. This is not time that I need to relax or rest, nor is it time I need to catch my breath; driving to work is not restful. Even during the most serene drives, my soul is not energized and re-charged in front of a steering wheel. If left unredeemed, the drive is totally useless.
I used to drive to work zoning out, in daydream land, thinking about nothing much. Two hours a day wasted, for the most part. Now, I’m putting those unlistened to tapes, CD’s, and podcasts to use.
It starts even before I get in my car. My dad purchased Dave Ramsey’s online financial coaching course for me, titled “Financial Peace University.” Since I have only a short amount of time to finish the course (40 more sessions, 9 weeks to go!), that is my mental breakfast before I leave.
The drive itself is divided into three different parts: prayer, attentive lecture, and Bible/re-teaching. The first part is obvious. During the second part, I usually listen to a lecture/talk/podcast. For the next 6 weeks, it’s RC Sproul’s history of philosophy lectures. Today was Aristotle. Tomorrow is Plotinus and the neo-Platonists.
Usually, I listen to the lecture once through on the drive in the morning. The last 10 minutes of the drive is spent listening to the Bible on tape (or IPOD, in this case). Then, on the way home, I listen to the same lecture again. The last 10 minutes before I get home, I pretend like I’m teaching the material to my students. That is, I repeat what I remember out loud verbally.
You might find this weird, but it actually follows well-established principles of learning. We only remember a fraction of what we hear verbally, but we retain an astonishing amount when we teach it to others. I frequently utilize the “re-teach” method in my classroom: I’ll lecture briefly for 2-3 minutes, then I’ll have students re-teach it to a partner briefly (before the info is lost in the recesses of short term memory!), then we repeat the process for the next step.
Through this process, I’m retaining much, much more than I would be if I just passively listened.
I’m writing this not to toot my own horn, but to impress upon folks a few things. First, there is an astonishing amount of knowledge out there that you can obtain very easily, and most of it is very cheap. A good bit of it is totally free. You can download so many free podcasts that, if they were made into books or tapes, they’d fill up a library. Whole classes, taught by the sharpest minds known to man, are at the tip of your earbuds. Just a few years ago, people ached for this type of access, and now it can be obtained with ease. Take advantage of it!
IPODS are relatively inexpensive nowadays. You can find some for around $50. An old fashioned hand held tape player, which is what I’m using for the RC Sproul lectures, is even cheaper. Mine cost–maybe–fifteen bucks. If that is not your cup of tea, download ITunes (for free!) on your computer, and burn the podcasts onto a blank CD.
Secondly, even the busiest person can “redeem the time.” No, it won’t substitute for the real thing. I maintain that dissecting a book, sitting in on a live discussion, or reading the Word in print form is still one of the best forms of learning out there, but at the very least, your drive won’t be wasted if you choose to spend it this way. You will be making yourself a better ambassador for Christ, which honors God. Your confidence in discussions with non-Christians will soar. What’s more, the knowledge you gain just might be kinda interesting in and of itself. Imagine the impact this can have on your kids! Not only will they see how you value knowledge (your passion could rub off on them!), but your own conversations with them could become much more deep and informative. Remember yesterday’s post?
Thirdly, I’ve heard many lament that they don’t have the mental juice for such an undertaking. If that’s you, that’s ok. The point is not to have marathon-capability in your mental focus right now; the point is to start somewhere! If you can only take 5 minutes a day, start there. Then increase a minute or two every few days. Push yourself just a liiiitttle further each time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the advance of the Kingdom of God doesn’t happen in a spiritual big bang. Remember, life is a habit.
ANYONE can do this. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that you can’t find some time like this to redeem. If you commute with others or walk to work, then redeem the time during your workout. If not during your workout, then cut one hour out of the 20 or so hours of TV a week and redeem it. The chances are endless!
Are there some other ways you can redeem the time? What do you think?
