We are all pretty familiar with the concept of leap years, but we may not all be aware of the historical context or the scientific reasoning.
Let’s use this as a little learning opportunity!
Did you know?
- We measure a day as the time it takes for the Earth to spin once on its own axis. An extra day is added to the calendar every four years as a corrective measure because the Earth doesn’t orbit the Sun in precisely 365 days. It’s actually 365 days and one quarter – roughly 365.2421 days (or 365 days and 6 hours).
- So, every four years, about an extra 24 hours have accumulated, so one extra day is added to the year to keep the calendar in tune with the Sun.
- As a result of these beautiful calculations, the leap year enables our seasons to always occur when we expect them to occur. This means our calendar year will match the Earth’s sidereal year.
So, what can you do with this ‘extra’ day?
How many times have you wished for a few extra hours a day to get things done, read the articles you’ve had saved for ages or finally listen to that podcast episode your friend recommended – now you can!
We love the idea that we get a whole extra 24 hours to do something we haven’t usually had time to do. And what better way to spend a day than learning?
In this blog, we are going to explore why leap years exist and discuss how we can use this extra day to our advantage.
First, how did this all come about?
You may have heard that it was Julius Ceasar who created the leap year! This isn’t entirely true, but he did have a key role in making it a reality.
- Caesar realised that there was a problem with his culture’s calendar, so he created the ‘Year of Confusion’ when he decided that the year 46 B.C would be 445 days long instead of 365 days long (as we know it to be).
- Then, he made a 365.25 day year – a tiny bit longer than the 365.2433 solar year. This concept created a leap year every fourth year.
- However, by the 16th century, scholars realised that time was still slipping and something wasn’t quite right. Caesar’s calculation that a year lasted 365.25 days was close, but still overestimated the solar year by 11 minutes.
- Also, the Catholic Church had noticed that the date of Easter had drifted away from its traditional place by roughly ten days! Therefore, Pope Gregory XIII sought to commission a modified calendar to deal with this challenge. This calendar kept Leap Day but accounted for the inaccuracy by eliminating it on centurial years not divisible by 400. The introduction of the Gregorian Calendar marked the last change to the Western calendar as we know it today.
So, what does this mean for us today?
We think this history is really interesting and it’s incredible to think that individuals made such an impact on our calendars and seasons. The creation of calendars is a phenomenon that we’ll always be in awe of.
And, this also means we get a whole extra 24 hours this February!
Here are our 7 ideas for embracing learning with your extra day…
1. Have you heard of a ‘Think Day’?
This concept is championed by Bill Gates and encourages you to take a day out of your usual busy schedule to stop, reflect and simply think.
The goal is to spend the entire day doing thinking-related activities. This may be reading, learning, journaling or any kind of brainstorming or strategising. You have a clear day with no meetings, calls or practical stuff – and this is your whole day to think strategically. This day forces us to break the day-to-day cycle and to see the bigger picture and focus on our long-term goals.
2. Focus on personal development for a day
We have all heard our colleagues say they don’t have time to do training or focus on their personal development. Maybe Managers are guilty of putting the needs of their team members first. But, what if the extra day was a day dedicated to personal development? A whole day for your teams to focus on their career and learning plans.
You could even do a mini learning campaign the week before to encourage people to take part. Maybe there’s some mandatory training they’ve been putting off, or maybe there’s that thing they’ve always been keen to find out more about but never got round to it.
3. Design a learning plan for the next 1-5 years
How often do we get the chance to reflect on where we want to be in the next few years and what actions or learning activities we need to do to ensure we get there?
This is your opportunity to really think about where you want to be in the next few years and map out what actions you need to take to move forward. Are there specific training programmes that could help you get there quicker? Could Management training help you get your next promotion? Or maybe designing some bespoke training for your team could help make a sizable and well-needed shift in the business?
4. Make a plan for your lifelong learning approach
With the rise of AI, there has been lots of talk about how as humans we need to be ready to be constantly learning. Whether that be learning about AI itself or nurturing more human-centric skills. We will always advocate for lifelong learning, but we get that it’s hard to have the headspace for more things to do, improve or adopt.
We think this is about incorporating small habits into your weekly or monthly routine and starting with something manageable and enjoyable. Some examples could include:
- Can you commit to listening to a new podcast every week?
- Maybe you can read one new non-fiction book a month? (Or listen to the audio version).
- Or you could even commit to watching a TV documentary once a month that’s outside your comfort zone and usual subject area?
5. Embrace the power of hobbies just for fun
There is beauty in embracing a hobby just to try something different and enjoy the adventure and escapism – not just because you can improve or be the best at it. It can bring many benefits and clarity and if you improve, then that’s a bonus!
6. Start that ‘non-urgent’ project you’ve been meaning to focus on
We all have that project that’s been on our to-do list for 72 months and it just keeps getting re-added and re-added. It’s there because we really do want to do it, but other things just get in the way or take priority.
We encourage you to use this extra day to make a realistic plan to give yourself momentum with this ‘non-urgent’ but essential project. And, use this day to make a start!
7. Teach a colleague something!
This could be something small, but could make a world of difference to someone. Teaching is a great way to feel good about ourselves and also reinforces our learning and expertise and keeps things ‘alive’ in our minds.
Short stints of coaching or mentoring can help with team morale, plus boost team spirit and create a shared space for learning. Maybe you’ve got a colleague who’s always asking for Excel tips – why don’t you offer to train them for an hour with a simple Q&A session? Then in return, they can train you on something and it’s a win win situation!
Feeling inspired?
We understand that time is a precious resource for many organisations and that training and learning experiences can sometimes be hard to fit in. You want to prioritise training but it needs to work for your colleagues. And it also needs to meet your unique business requirements and budget!
Maybe these limitations are an opportunity to do things differently. It’s about understanding how to make the biggest impact with the resources available. Knowing the right resources to employ, at what point and why.
Our Elearning Inspiration guide is here to help
We’ve collected our top strategies and best examples into this inspirational guide to give you a fresh perspective and some new ideas to energise you and your colleagues.
Discover successful learning strategies for your business needs in our brand-new Elearning Inspiration guide jam-packed with creative solutions, strategy ideas and case studies.