Getting ahead
Watch or read three things on one skill
A simple learning exercise to get quick, cheap reps on the one thing you want to get better at
This week, watch, read or listen to three things on the one skill you want to improve, and after each, write one line on what you'd try.
- About an hour
- Just you
- This week
- Go find it
Why this can work
The cheapest way to start getting better at something is to spend an hour seeing how others think about it. Writing what you'd try after each turns watching into doing, which is the part that sticks.
Read moreHow to start learning a new skill this week
You’ll come away with three things you'd try, one from each piece.
- Name the one skill, narrowly.
Not communication, but explaining a technical decision to people outside your team. Not leadership, but running a one-on-one that isn't a status update. The narrower it is, the easier it is to find good sources and to try something.
- Find three pieces from three different sources.
A talk, an article, a podcast episode, a book chapter. Mix the forms if you can.
Tip: Ask a colleague who's good at it what shaped them. A recommendation from someone you respect beats a search result.
- After each one, write one line.
What would I try? One line, specific enough to do this week. Skip the summary; you're collecting moves, not notes.
- Try one of the three.
Pick the easiest to try in your real work and do it once before the week is out. Then add a line on what happened.
Good times to repeat it: when you pick a new skill to work onwhen progress on a skill stallsbefore a stretch assignment
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Speaking, presenting and running meetings are easier to learn by seeing someone do them; writing and analysis often come through better on the page. Match the form to the skill.
What might make this harder
Pick the one that would make the biggest difference in the next three months. The others will still be there.
Questions people ask
How do I get better at a specific skill at work?
Name it narrowly, take in three good pieces on it this week, and write one thing you'd try after each. Then try one. Cheap, quick reps come before courses.
How do I actually learn from talks and podcasts?
After each one, write a single line on what you'd try in your own work, then try one of them that week. That turns listening into practice.
How much time should I spend learning a new skill each week?
An hour is a good start: three pieces of about 20 minutes each. Trying something afterward tends to matter more than the time you spend taking things in.
Why this works, and where it comes from
The usual first move on a new skill is the big one: a course, a certification, a book you'll finish someday. Those can be right, but they cost time and money, and they postpone the moment you actually try something. Three good pieces in a week is often enough to get you to your first real attempt.
Three is a useful number. One source gives you one person's view, which is easy to mistake for the truth. Three lets you see where people who've thought hard about the skill agree, which is usually the core, and where they don't, which is usually where your own judgment comes in. It's also few enough to finish, which matters more than it sounds.
The line you write after each piece matters most, and it isn't a summary. Summaries feel productive and mostly get forgotten. A line that starts with what you'd try points at your real week, where the learning actually happens. Watching someone do something well is information; trying it once is the start of a skill.
When what you need is feedback on your own attempts, more input won't help. If you've already watched plenty and you're still stuck, the next step is practice with someone watching: a colleague, a mentor, a group. A skill your job needs urgently is worth raising with your manager, since support or training beats piecing it together on your own.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Getting ahead
A few minutes that compound
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
See how Truest worksAlready a member? Log in- Your growth areas, keptWhat you said you are working on getting better at sits on your Foundation page.
- A reminder beforePut it on your calendar and Truest reminds you before it starts.
- On your recordWhen it's done, it goes on your record with your priorities and progress.
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.