How do you apply the 7 Principles of Learning in the Workplace?

According to educational psychologists, there are 7 principles of learning:


• Readiness
• Exercise
• Effect
• Primacy
• Recency
• Intensity
• Freedom


How can we apply these principles in the workplace?


Readiness: Does the job give you meaning in life? Are you physically, mentally and emotionally ready for the job? Are you fit and healthy to work? Do you have personal problems to disturb your peace of mind at work? When you are ready for the job, things get done smoothly and easily with full concentration and focus.

Exercise: Practice makes perfect. When you do more of the same thing you will develop ways to do it more efficiently and in less time.

Effect: Are you happy at work? Do you find satisfaction in what you do? Enjoying your work will provide positive emotions to reinforce your motivation to work better and smarter.

Primacy: Starting a new day right will positively affect your overall performance for the day. Advance planning and using tools like to-do list will facilitate getting things done the right first time and every time.

Recency: As an example, if you are interrupted by a telephone call and if you do not write down the message immediately it will be most likely forgotten. The thing is that you will remember now but not later.

Intensity: The more you give yourself to the job the better you will perform. When you do not like what you do, you will try and get it done quickly and forget about it. When there is no relationship between you and the job, there is no quality output from you. Enjoy what you do by immersing yourself in it.

Freedom: When you like what you do you take the initiative to do what is expected of you without being told. You enjoy the freedom of getting things done according to your way to getting the desired results. As an effective executive, you get ahead and stay ahead of others by taking action proactively.

The principles of learning are equally applicable to the workplace