It’s so strange-I have quite a few blog posts scheduled but none seem quite right to publish.
I’ve got a new recipe, but can anyone get the ingredients? I have some health posts but does anyone care if it doesn’t involve figuring out what the bloody hell constitutes as a new persistent cough?
I won’t lie, my anxiety is pretty terrible lately but one thing that’s really helping me try to get through this is trying to do something productive each evening or when I get a quiet moment with Jude.
I’ve been forcing myself to do courses or just sit down and read a book. It’s good for my brain and it makes me feel like I’ve achieved something.
I talked about this on my Instagram and quite a few of you wanted me to blog about it so I thought I would.
I’ve managed to round up what I think is a really great list of free ways to get courses and ebooks without spending a penny: from journaling prompts to money-making courses. Here’s some ways to work on your self-development whilst you’re in self-isolation!
A note: one or two of these courses include affiliate links, these help me earn for each referral I make but at no cost to you- these will be clearly marked with a *
JOIN Skillshare for 2 months free
I joined Skillshare a week or so ago and I’m really loving it. There’s currently an offer for (*) 2 months completely free without payment. Just set a reminder-I do it on my amazon echo- to cancel after that if you don’t want to carry on although I think I will.)
A tip, make sure you set your plan to monthly if you’re worried about money– although you won’t pay anything anyway at first for the two months, it just means if you carry on it’s only £13 a month. If you sign up for the annual plan then you’ll get billed for the whole year after two months.
There’s access to hundreds and hundreds of courses-which are usually video courses with downloads accompanying. You can also upload your work and see other people’s on the course’s work which I really like!
I like that the videos are in a few minute slots so I just do a couple of videos when Jude’s gone to bed. I’ve treated myself to a few new pens and a notebook for it. My favourite courses so far are: Journalling for Positivity, Creative Writing for All and Writing for Self-Discovery but there’s everything from interior design to mindfulness, nutrition and blogging!
(ad-affiliate link) JOIN SKILLSHARE FOR A 2 MONTH TRIAL HERE
FREE COURSE: Emma Drew’s How to Build a Six Figure Blog
Not everyone who reads my blog is a blogger but lots of you are and, given the climate, lots of you might be interested in the process! I’ve purchased Emma’s course myself and reviewed it here but Emma is offering her course completely free for the first 1000 that sign up-it’s usually almost two hundred pounds! It’s so generous of Emma and there are no strings attached.
FREE 30 days Kindle Unlimited
I’ve used Kindle unlimited for ages but had to cancel as trying to be more thrifty. If you’re new to it, you can get 30 days free! There are so many great books on there-including personal development and business ones. Get your 30-day trial * here.
FREE COURSE: Writing course by Ruth Makes Money
Another lovely. blogger is offering their course for free at the moment and it’s usually a hundred pounds! If you’re looking to start a career in writing, you can sign up here. I’ve just signed up for this one and can’t wait to get started!
JOIN Future learn-free academic courses
If you’re after something a bit more academic, then I’ve just signed up for FutureLearn, which is free (you can pay more if you want to access to courses forever but free members can access them for 14 days). I’ve just signed up for a course on Jane Austen!
Use Borrowbox from your local library
As I said before, I’ve had kindle unlimited for a while but cancelled it (I’ve still kept my prime as it’s a godsend). However, I joined borrowbox using my library card and it’s almost as good! There’s a whole range of books to digitally loan for free.
Try The Health Science Academy’s Nutrition Course For Free
I’ve actually purchased a few of The Health Science Academy’s courses and can recommend them if you want to learn more about nutrition (I usually buy them off Wowcher or Groupon rather than pay full price). I really like the way they’re presented and you can download them to your iPad-they’re usually text-based rather than video. They offer a free nutrition course which is great if you just fancy an introduction.
Centre of Excellence Free Mindfulness Course
This one actually popped up on my Facebook as an ad but the reviews looked good so I thought I’d try it. I’ll update this post when I’ve given it a proper go but use the code FREEYOURMIND and you don’t need to put any card details in.
And a few things for light entertainment….
Join Amazon Prime for 30 days free
You can join * Amazon prime for free for 30 days and there’s plenty to watch! If you’ve not watched The American Office consider that your first task.
Join Disney+ for 7 days free trial.
We’ve just joined Disney+ for 7 days as a free trial-something to entertain the kids or cheer you up! I’m not actually a huge Disney fan but I was surprised how many shows and films there are to pick from!
Thanks for the article. I was looking for some stuff to improve myself during the isolation period. I was getting very bored and this post is helping me a lot in using my time for self development. Keep writing & stay safe.
It’s truly encouraging to see how self-development and mental wellness can go hand in hand during tough times. These free courses and tools offer a great way to stay productive and grounded while coping with anxiety or uncertainty. It’s a gentle reminder that even small steps like journaling or learning something new can make a big difference.