Let’s now consider how we can make the most of the world of digital tools to our advantage. As is evident from the preceding texts, we have an overwhelming amount of information, resources and tools at our disposal. But how do we choose among them the ones that will help us systematically develop our knowledge and skills in line with what we need for our personal and professional growth? We will show you how to systematically follow a systematic approach to create your own personalised digital development plan:

We will now present an eight-point plan of steps to create a personal digital development plan:

✅ Step 1: What do you already know?

First, think about all the tools you already know and can use. For which tools do you only know the basics and where are you an advanced user? Make a written list of them and try to sort the tools according to what you use them for. You can test your digital skills, for example on the EU Digital Skills & Jobs Platform: https://digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu/en.

✅ Step 2: What are your goals?

Now think about your career direction and career path. What are your goals? Try to define them as specifically as possible. To do this, you can use the SMART methodology, which defines specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals. You can get inspiration from here: https://www.mindtools.com/a4wo118/smart-goals and use Trello to write your goals and visualise them.

✅ Step 3: Define areas for development

Next, identify the areas in which you need to improve. Why are these areas and how will they help your career progression? Is it the development of technical skills such as programming or data analysis, or more soft skills such as streamlining online communication and collaboration through collaborative tools?

✅ Step 4: Choose the right tools

You now have your goals clearly defined and know what areas you need to develop further. You can then go back to the previous chapters and choose the tools that are suitable for these purposes.

✅ Step 5: Create a learning schedule

How much time can you devote to learning? What learning style do you prefer? Do you prefer to set aside a longer block of time once in a while, or to learn regularly in smaller chunks? Do you remember better what you see, hear or read? You can use various tools to plan your learning, such as an online calendar, apps for organising assignments and notes, tracking study time, etc. It is important that your plan is realistic. It’s better to start small at first, but regularly, so that you form a positive habit.

✅ Step 6: Put your knowledge into practice

Without putting the theoretical knowledge into practice, you will soon start to forget everything. Therefore, look for opportunities to put your newly acquired knowledge into practice. For example, you could create your own project or try working on smaller jobs.

✅ Step 7: Enjoy your progress

Regularly evaluate what you have already done and celebrate your successes. Go back to the goals you have set and evaluate their achievement. What tools have worked best in practice? What works for you and what doesn’t? Write everything down. You can also visualise your progress, which encourages motivation.

✅ Step 8: Share your successes

Don’t keep your successes to yourself. Join online communities, discussion forums, share your progress with friends on social media. Add new skills to your LinkedIn profile. And don’t forget to reward yourself as you see fit 🙂

👉 You are now at the very end of a learning module that has equipped you with the key knowledge and skills to put the online world and digital tools to work for you. We believe that with what you have learned, you will be ready to face the challenges of the technological world with greater confidence and assurance.