It Takes Only 12 Minutes of Micro-Learning a Day for Professional Development

In a blog post for eDiscovery Today, Sheila Grela discusses the challenge of finding the time to learn. Waiting for the “perfect moment” to focus on personal development is unrealistic, so Grela suggests that just 12 minutes of micro-learning each day can help establish a consistent learning habit.

Legal work remains constantly demanding, and so do the technologies and regulations that influence the industry. Successful legal professionals don’t claim to know everything; instead, they are dedicated to ongoing learning, even if it’s in small increments. This is where the concept of 12 minutes of micro-learning daily becomes valuable. It’s a straightforward yet effective approach that combines research-backed learning techniques with practical application. By dedicating 12 minutes each day to micro-learning and one hour weekly to webinars, you can avoid overwhelming crash courses or marathon study sessions. Instead, you can make small, deliberate efforts that lead to genuine capability and confidence over time.

The effectiveness of those brief learning sessions lies in how you utilize them, not just the time spent. Short bursts of focused study enhance retention by promoting retrieval, reflection, and spaced repetition, thereby improving long-term memory. Whether you’re reading a legal tech blog during your coffee break, listening to a podcast on your commute, or scrolling through insightful LinkedIn posts instead of mindless apps, micro-learning can seamlessly integrate into your daily life. Identify a natural pause in your day, determine what skills or knowledge you want to develop for the month, and incorporate micro-sized learning moments into your routine. Over the course of a month, these minutes can accumulate and lead to significant progress in the skills that matter.

The one-hour webinar serves as your weekly enhancement. Grela recommends choosing webinars that come with slides, checklists, or citations. Save these resources to build your own playbook, and you will find yourself able to answer questions with concrete examples at hand. Anchor your learning with three verbs—learn, test, teach—and the knowledge will adhere better. Continuous learning doesn’t require monumental efforts, but rather consistency. Dedicating just twelve minutes a day can transform curiosity into competency and keep you ahead in your field. The key isn’t finding more time; it’s about establishing smarter, sustainable habits that make learning a natural part of your routine.