This post is sponsored by Skillshare.
If you’re on a mission to become your best self, you always want to be learning and growing. If you’re in a place where you want to learn something practical, but don’t want to spend weeks doing a full program, Skillshare is one of the best online platforms. The videos are from experts all over the world, designed for quick learning.
Right now, you can get two free months of Skillshare for unlimited classes.
Keep in mind that becoming a master at any of these activities is going to take well over a few hours. But these are great places for starting a hobby or new skill.
When you’re developing a passion, it starts with curiosity. It starts with jumping into something that you’re interested in, without knowing if it’s going to become something you want to spend 10,000 hours developing it into expert-level mastery.
So, starting with a training that takes just a few days can be the best way to figure out if this thing you’re curious about is something you want to keep playing around with.
1. Watercoloring
Whether it’s learning to watercolor succulents and cacti, or simply exploring the basics, water coloring can be such a fun way to pass the time, while also making affordable, one-of-a-kind art for your space.
2. Photoshop basics
We probably all have wanted to dabble in Photoshop at least a few times in our lives. The Skillshare course from Dan Scott allows you to learn all the fundamentals of Photoshop, from masking to removing backgrounds and everything in between. There are 87 videos – and over 8 hours worth of material, along with projects you can complete as you take the course.
3. DSLR photography
Take this Fundamentals of DSLR Photography class if you’ve been wanting to improve your photography skills. If you don’t own a DSLR camera, try phone photography. Learn the tips and tricks (with specific examples) to make your iPhone photos look professionally shot.
4. Investing 101 basics
This free investing course from with millennial money expert Tonya Rapley at Brit + Co dives into the basics of investing. You’ll learn an overview of investment options, terminology, and info on buying your own stock. We also recommend (and love them so much that we became affiliates), Ellevest, for the abundance of resources for investing, and absolutely love their platform because its an investment platform for women, made by women.
5. Illustrating
You’ve probably seen an abundance of chalk illustrations lately, and maybe you can learn how to take that to the next level to show off to all those kids. You could also learn how to use Procreate if you have an iPad.
6. Hand lettering
Start with the classic essentials course from Mary Kate McDevitt, or if you’re more into calligraphy, try this 10-day challenge. Or you can even learn how to transform your hand lettering into GIFs.
7. Social media strategies
When it comes to social media strategies, there are so many great resources out there. A few of my favorite people to learn from are Jenna Kutcher, Amy Porterfield, and Pat Flynn. And Melyssa Griffin has a great course on learning how to use Pinterest for your brand. If you want to improve your presence on IG, try this course on How to Find Instagram Success.
8. How to price your work
Have you been undervaluing your work? Learn how you should be pricing your work, so that you’re changing what you’re worth. In 26 minutes, learn how to negotiate, set your price and create that invoice to get paid.
9. Amplify your productivity
I’d choose to work smarter over harder any day of the week. That’s why videos like this one on accomplishing more with less, from the author of Essentialism, are so needed in helping us define what we truly want to accomplish. Greg McKeown shares his best actionable tips for a fulfilling, balanced life.
10. Make your own podcast
Learn how to set up your podcast to sound like a pro, from the hosts of one of our favorite podcasts, Almost 30. After you set up your podcast studio, learn how to market your podcast from the same gals.
11. Learn a musical instrument
Am I the only one that asked for a guitar for Christmas when I was 13, and never really learned how to play it? And yet, every once in a while get that spark again to play an instrument? Here are a few great videos if you’ve got that lust for playing an instrument. Try this tutorial on how to learn the piano in 30 days or learn the guitar fundamentals.
12. Get all the Etsy selling strategies for your new shop
Already love making things? Create your Etsy shop and learn the best tips for creating a successful shop page.
13. Craft a personal essay
With the help of these videos. Like this one of crafting a powerful, unique piece in 3 steps or writing a short story from personal experience.
14. Cake decorating
Cake decorating may not feel like the most practical thing to do – until you see how much joy it brings to everyone in your life. Have fun with creating new baking projects, and let your imagination go wild.
15. Weaving
Every time I come across a beautiful woven wall hanging, I think the same thought. “I want to make one of those!” Well, now I can, thanks to Meghan Shimek’s intro course on Brit & Co. Take this intro to weaving course, or maybe jump into modern quilting.
16. Become a speed reader
So many books to read, not enough time. Becoming a member of Blinkist can help you read more books, or you could learn how to 3x your reading speed in 7 days.
17. Shape up on your grammar
While learning a new language takes more than a month to develop, it’s a good one to dive into. You can also become an English grammar pro with this course. Or if you want to brush up on your language skills, you can browse a variety of language classes.
18. Start a bullet journal
Do you have a journaling practice? Well, let’s make it productive. This class on mindful journaling and productive planning is a fun way to create a bullet journal system that feels like time well spent.
19. Style your space
The blogger behind the lifestyle blog Style By Emily, Stylist, New York Times Bestselling author of STYLED, TV personality has a Skillshare class on styling your space. There’s no one more fit to teach on styling your space than this woman right here. If you’d rather learn the basics of interior design, there’s also a course taught by Lauren Cox, the Design Program Manager at Havenly.
20. Face yoga
Someone in our membership community mentioned trying face yoga for relaxation, and that got us so intrigued. Face yoga exercises work by stimulating face muscles. Watch this Face Yoga 101 video with Celebrity Facial Yoga Trainer Koko Hayashi to see what it’s all about.
