We say it all the time around here: Launchers are learners.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur launching a business or an intrapreneur leading an idea, it’s part of your job to keep pace with your peers, your customers, and the industry you’re operating in. As David says: If this time next year, you’re the same person that you are today, you’re slowly becoming irrelevant.

If you spend just a small amount of time each day devoted to learning, by this time next year you’ll be anything but irrelevant.

Here are our five best hacks to get you there.

1. Meet New People

Truett Cathy once said, “You’re going to be the same person tomorrow except for the books you read and the people you meet.”

Who are the people that you want to meet, learn from, and build a relationship with?

2. Capture Book Learnings

Reading is one of the foundational blocks of being a learner. How many times have you read an incredible book and then a few months later struggled to recall all the amazing information in it? You’re not alone. Find a system for capturing all your learnings and notes you want to remember. (Jeff loves using the GoodReads app!)

3. Make it a Habit

Having a wealth of knowledge isn’t helpful if you can’t apply it to your life. Every time you learn something new, ask: How can I turn this into a habit?

Let’s say you read a great blog this morning about tracking your website analytics. Instead of just soaking in the knowledge, challenge yourself to find a way to use it every day over the next 30 days.

4. Maximize Your Margin

How are you using your times of margin? Swap out the radio for a podcast during your commute or listen to an audiobook at the gym. Think of other simple ways to learn without searching for more hours in your day.

5. Devote One Hour

You don’t need to spend 100 hours learning every nuance of every topic that intrigues you. But you can devote one hour each day to learning. If you do that, you’ll have invested 365 hours in yourself by this time next year.

Learning isn’t something that just happens. It takes time, practice, and dedication. But you have what it takes. Future you will thank today you.