Professional development is important and should be added to your list of things to do - ASAP.  As training, learning and development professionals our role is to ensure we create, instruct and provide engaging educational opportunities for those who will be participating in our courses or using our job aids, checklists, videos and simulations. We do this every day, providing others with development opportunities. BUT when do we invest in ourselves? When do we set aside time to learn something new, or put a new technique to the test?

For most of us, our time at the office is dedicated to everyone else in our organization - to helping them solve problems, train them on new tools and techniques, and often lunches and breaks are donated back to helping resolve an immediate issue or provide a quick solution to a problem. Most days we don't have time to dedicate to our own professional development.

In this solo episode I talk about a few things I'm doing to ensure I get back to being at the top of my game, to keep informed and up to date with what's going on in L&D, ed tech, elearning and instructional design.
Resources from this Episode *does NOT contain affiliate links
Books:

Design for How People Learn
Map It:  The Hands-on Guide to Strategic Training Design
Show your Work
Game Thinking
Documenting Learning

Podcasts:

Instructional Redesign Podcast
Good Practice
IDIODC
Learning Uncut - Australian podcast about L&D
Episode 3 of The Lounge Podcast
Episode 8 of The Lounge Podcast

Challenges

Matt Guyan's post about Design Challenge
#ID6WC
Articulate eLearning Heroes Weekly Challenges

Communities

TLDC - weekday presentations by learning professionals FOR learning professionals - an amazing community!
Articulate

What are you doing to move your development forward?

(PS: did you notice the visitors who came to see me when they heard my screen door? The neighbour's chickens, headed by Leroy the Rooster came to see if I'd give them a snack. Never a dull moment around here!)