5 Easy to Learn Skills That Can Matter Any Time in Life

Some might say swimming, or public speaking. Maybe, your friend will tell you to master a cocktail shake.

No.

The first two would stall you with phobia attacks. The third, however impressive, isn't a life skill at all. What I am looking for are meta-skills that are so easy to learn that you can do them in one week or even a day. Yes, learn them in a few hours but apply them every day to change your life in little ways.

Every week we highlight some of the best paid courses on Udemy. These five Udemy courses look at five different areas of our everyday lives. If the first course teaches you to think differently, then the last pushes you to finish your projects or resolutions.

1. Creative Thinking Workshop: Exercises to Boost Creativity

Key Lesson – 15 creative exercises to re-train your mind for a new kind of thinking.

In today's rat race, the winner isn't the fastest rodent. It is the one who knows how to beat the rat trap. Creativity is no longer a buzzword. It is a way of life and unfortunately not a skill taught in schools. So, you must train your brain to think creatively on your own. Take this Udemy course to explore your creative edges.

32 lectures in 1.5 hours seems to be a lot. But, creative writer Tatiana Ambrose takes you through short creative exercises. The exercises are meant to meant to show that anyone can be creative with the right tweak to their mindset.

For instance, one of the exercises will help you see things from a different perspective. Another exercise will show you how to manage frustration when an idea doesn't work.

The exercises go through different types of art media and you will have to put your hands to work. The course should help you pick out creative ideas from your immediate environment. At the very least, you will begin to think outside of the box.

2. The Ultimate Job Search Course

Key Lesson – Align your career values with the right job search strategy.

No one tells you how to plan your career. By the time you learn a few tricks you have already gone through a few turnstiles. Now, thanks to social media and instant communication, job search has evolved. Have you updated yourself with the latest skills? Get all your ducks in a row with this Udemy course from the well-known The Muse.

The career guidance platform is chock-a-bloc with career advice. But this one-hour course is structured well. It tells you to identify your career values and goals, and then build your job search strategy around it. Your resume, cover letter, and online presence will be the different tackles in the fish box and your networking skills must be the soft skill to make them effective.

The Muse course stresses on quality over quantity – so hopefully, you won't have to send out a boatload of resumes after the course ends.

3. Pitch Yourself! Learn to Ignite Curiosity + Inspire Action

Key Lesson – Learn how to share yourself without inhibitions.

Let me guess. You forsake the rat race and decided to start your own business or startup. Now, you must sell your vision to the stakeholders. This will mean answering the one question fundamental to all pitches and interviews – "What do you do?"

The pitch is better known as the "elevator pitch". This is also the starting point where you break the ice and open the conversation to provide more detail about yourself, your idea, and your business. The one-hour course will help you prepare your message and polish your presentation techniques.

Alexa Fischer is a professional actress and speaking coach who inspired you to shed off the mental blocks and build confident communication skills.

4. Become A Learning Machine: How to Read 300 Books This Year

Key Lesson – How to read more books and turn knowledge into action.

Reading good books is the best way to keep on learning. As everyone from Elon Musk to Bill Gates will attest. Oprah even calls it "her personal path to freedom". A busy globetrotting Bill Gates devours 50+ books a year. Take on a reading challenge and find out how many books can you read in a year, but take this Udemy course first.

Because this course not only shares tips on how to read more but also shows you the tools you can use to remember more. For instance, take notes and review them after a few days. And, use an Excel sheet to organize your book collection.

I would avoid speed reading but I can recommend the value of not reading every book till its end. The 3.5-hour course is filled with these little nuggets.

5. Do It Now: Become A Person Who Finishes What They Start

Key Lesson – It's less about motivation and more about systems.

The lesson above is what I have learned after many exhausted halts. Think back to how motivation is on fire when you start something and how it peters out at the sight of a brick wall. This graph is the difference between achievement and success. Most of us do not finish what we start. And, it is this mindset or attitude that can cripple us from learning a new skill or take on a new project. Let's change that in two hours.

The best time to take this course is just before you start a new project. Or, even when your enthusiasm has leeched out. One chapter will show you how to get unstuck. Another will share the value of small steps.

Joe Fedison calls himself an "Action Trainer" and his Do It Now method should reinforce the habit of taking things to the finish line.

Has One Skill Changed Your Life?

Turn these skills into habits and you have a bulletproof formula to manage any change. That's why, I prefer to call them meta-skills. They impact every other area of your life. These are five practical Udemy courses, but they are nothing if you don't take an action after finishing them. If you stall, come back to the course and go through the strategies again.

Remember, every paid course on Udemy comes with: