Now more than ever we have a multitude of ways to learn new things. In addition to traditional learning in a classroom or instructor-led training, we have self-paced online courses, YouTube videos, podcasts, books, Facebook groups, the list goes on and on. The challenge with learning on your own is that if you never learned how to learn, you are not going to be efficient and make the best use of your time.

Let me use books as an example. By the way, the mere fact that you buy and read a book puts you in the minority. This statistic blows my mind every time I read it.

58% of adults in the US will never pay for and read a book after they graduate from high school.

For the people who do buy books, why is it that most people start a book but don’t finish it? I’m talking about a non-fiction book that covers a topic of interest for you. I have a theory.

The traditional approach to publishing, manufacturing, and selling books required books to be of a certain length. I believe this created a trend for authors to cram as much about a topic as possible into a book. Perhaps this was perceived as adding value to the reader. Buy the definitive guide and you will get all the information you will ever need.

A book provides freedom. You can read as much or as little and as slowly or as quickly as you like. A book in the hands of someone who understands how he or she learns is a powerful tool. Many people do not have this skill, and the result is that they don’t get as much as they could by reading.

The beauty of online publishing and e-books is that the traditional length requirements are out the window. You do not have to cram everything into one ebook nor should you. 

Here is how I am going to take my own advice. I’m currently researching the area of sleep and intend to write an ebook with all the best tips and tricks I have learned.  Originally my goal was to create one ebook with everything in it. The end-all, be-all guide to getting a better night’s sleep. The problem with this approach is that knowledge is not power. Having an ebook full of tips could present too much information for a lot of people, and they may not act on any of it.

I have decided to change my approach and create a series of ebooks. Each ebook will cover a different aspect of sleep, and I will release the books with time between each one to allow readers the opportunity to test out what they have learned before moving on to the next set of tips. 

Maybe this will work and maybe it won’t. But I feel it’s not enough to merely just compile information for people and say here you go. I want to help people take action on the information and establish good habits that will ultimately improve their lives. 

I have so many great tips that have helped me improve my sleep and can’t wait to share them. The ebooks will be free by the way. 

If you have experience creating ebooks, please share your thoughts. I am always open to hearing new ideas.