6 Useful Skills You Can Learn In One Weekend

Have you spent the last three weekends bingeing a show you’ve already finished five times in full? If you’re feeling attacked, it could be time to spice up your next weekend by learning a useful skill. 

Or if you’re at a loss for what to do during the holidays, imagine how much you could learn before 2023 kicks in properly. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Learn to drive manual

Just because you only had access to an automatic car while learning to drive, it doesn’t mean you’ve missed out on driving manual altogether. 

While you might not be an expert after one weekend, if you can already drive an auto, learning stick doesn’t actually take too long. If you have a friend or family member who drives a manual car, ask if they’d be willing to take you out for a couple of lessons at a time that suits them. You could even offer to teach them something you know more about in exchange. 

Learn to cook one great dish

When the time comes for you to host a dinner party, if you want to impress your friends, all you need to do is nail one signature dish. Pick something you love to eat, and research some recipes until you find one you like the look of. 

Next, head to the shops and pick up enough ingredients to make the dish a couple of times. Now all you have to do is cook. Each time you make the dish, note down a few things you could improve the next time you cook. Then rinse and repeat until you’re a self-certified expert. 

Learn the basics of a new language

Experts reckon that to be a functional beginner of a language, you only need to know between 250-500 words. That sounds like a lot, I know. But if you break it down into 10 words at a time, and do that 25 times over the weekend, you’ll be able to understand the basics pretty quickly.

There are heaps of free apps and websites you can use to learn a language. And if you’re not sure which language to pick, sign language is a great shout!

Improve your drawing

You might think that you’re either born a great drawer or you aren’t. Sure, some people have more natural artistic talent than others, but if you spend a solid few hours over a weekend improving your drawing skills, you’ll notice a significant difference between your first and last attempts. 

There are plenty of great drawing tutorials on YouTube, and you can get cheap art supplies from your local Kmart or Big W. 

Learn the basics of a musical instrument

This one’s best if you have an instrument lying around your house that you don’t already know. Over a weekend, you can easily teach yourself to play the most common chords on guitar or piano. 

If you don’t have access to any instruments, use a couple of pens or wooden spoons, and learn some beginner drumming rhythms. 

Learn how to take better photos

If your insta game is lacking, spend a bit of time learning some basic photography techniques. You can read about them online, or watch some YouTube tutorials on how to get your photos looking profesh. 

Once you’ve got your head around the theory, get out there and take some pics! See if a friend wants to come with you and get some content for your next photo dump. 

This list doesn’t even scratch the surface of the skills you can pick up in a couple of days, but as long as it’s something you enjoy, you won’t be wasting any time.