5 Free Microlearning Courses to Kick Off Your New Year

If you’re like most learning or talent professionals, there’s probably one New Year’s resolution that shows up on your list year after year: Make more time to learn.

It’s so important that the L&D professionals we surveyed for last year’s Workplace Learning Report ranked “prioritize your own learning” as one of their top six priorities. 

We’re guessing that hasn’t changed for 2024. Nor has the chief obstacle: the difficulty of finding time. 

But what if you didn’t need more time to learn? What if learning simply took less time? That’s the joy of microlearning — or even “nanolearning” — which delivers high-impact training in bite-size chunks. 

To kick off the new year, we’ve unlocked five LinkedIn Learning courses. The shortest one clocks in at three minutes. The longest is a whopping 18 minutes. So, take a five- or 10-minute break, shake off that holiday stupor, and develop a new skill with one of our free courses below. 

1. Nano Tips for Using ChatGPT for Business with Rachel Woods 

If there’s a skill that everyone’s been curious about recently, it’s how to use generative AI. The workplace has been so abuzz about ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard that LinkedIn data found a 65% increase in learning hours for our AI/generative AI courses from 2022 to 2023. That’s why this course from Rachel, CEO of The AI Exchange, is invaluable. It’s an 11-minute primer on gen AI that covers everything from how to write great prompts to the different ways you can use AI in your business. It’s a must-watch if you’re still wondering, “What is generative AI and what can I do with it?” 

2. Career Wellness Nano Tips with Shadé Zahrai

For talent pros who crave a healthy work-life balance, this course may be the best three minutes you’ll ever spend. Shadé, the cofounder and director of Influenceo Global, offers great advice about setting boundaries and dealing with procrastination, and even includes a science-backed hack for when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Our favorite takeaway? When your manager requests you take on a big project and have it done yesterday, respond by saying, “Yes, I’d be happy to do that, but could you help me prioritize my project list? Which of these on my list would you like me to deprioritize to fit in the new task?”

3. Nano Tips for Avoiding Burnout with Kim Kaupe

What’s the biggest error people make when they’re facing burnout? They put their heads down and push right through it. According to Kim, the founder of Bright Ideas Only, that’s a recipe for only more burnout. In her nine-minute course, she suggests ways to keep from getting overwhelmed. Her suggestions include reassessing your to-do list, reassigning tasks, and getting outside to de-stress whenever possible instead. Considering that 42% of the global workforce is currently experiencing burnout, her tips couldn’t be more timely. 

4. Nano Tips for Communicating with Confidence with Selena Rezvani

One of the skills talent and learning professionals need most is the ability to communicate clearly and with confidence. That’s why we’re offering this 11-minute course by Selena, a leadership speaker and author of Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Boost Connections, and Make Bold Bets on Yourself. In the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee, Selena covers how to communicate assertively, how to accept a compliment, and how to disagree with your boss. And don’t miss her secret to communicating with executives (hint: their most precious asset is their time, so stick to the headlines). 

5. Communicating as a Leader Nano Tips with Jessica Chen

OK, this one logs in at 18 minutes — but is worth the investment, especially for talent pros who are just learning to be managers or leaders. Jessica, the founder and CEO of Soulcast Media, delivers a number of lessons, including how to develop a manager’s mindset and how to get team buy-in for your ideas, that will help leaders communicate effectively. The tip we love the most? You can create a safe space for everyone to share their ideas by actively listening to your team, building trust, and being willing to be vulnerable yourself.