People who know me know that I am a big fan of personal development. I enjoy learning new things to become an even better version of myself. From listening to podcasts and watching videos online to reading books and articles.
Although life is becoming more and more expensive, there are fortunately still many free opportunities when it comes to personal development. So it’s probably no surprise that I made a list of my favorite free personal growth platforms.
Why invest in your personal growth
Although the platforms in this article are free, it will of course cost you time and energy to work on your personal development. But it’s definitely worth it!
By investing time, energy, and effort in your personal development, you will grow as a person. You learn more about yourself, the people around you, and the world you live in. This can result in a lot of improvements in terms of
- Self-awareness
- Increased confidence
- Resilience
- Healthier and stronger relationships
- Positive mindset
- Improved mental health
- Personal fulfillment
- Creativity
Free learning platforms
Where everything seems to be getting more and more expensive, there are fortunately still many opportunities to work on your personal development for free.
Probably even more than I know. But here’s my list of favorite free platforms to work on my personal growth. It is a mix of reading, watching, and listening.
And what’s best? The libraries of most of these platforms are huge. So there is a good chance that you will find something that suits your interests and needs.
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Duolingo
If you want to learn a new language – whether it’s for an upcoming holiday or just to learn something new – Duolingo is your app! They provide an easy and accessible way to learn a new language.
Investing 10 minutes a day can already be sufficient, especially if you are consistent with it. Of course, it’s not the same as a full language course, but it certainly helps you with the basics.
In 2018, my boyfriend and I traveled through Central America for 5 months. In preparation for that, we both learned the basics of the Spanish language with the Duolingo app. And I’m glad we did! At least now we could easily ask for directions or for the toilet, and ordering food was also quite easy.
Unfortunately, I didn’t maintain it after that, so I don’t know much now. But this is a good reminder to download the app again and just get started!
Habit app
If you want to teach yourself new habits, it can be helpful to use a habit tracker app. This since building new habits doesn’t happen overnight, unfortunately.
By using a habit tracker app, you can get a reminder not to forget your new habit, but you can also keep track of how many days in a row you have already completed your new habit.
There are a lot of free habit tracker apps available, such as HabitBull, Done, or Streaks.
Library events
Of course, this is not really a learning platform, but we should not forget this place. The library!
Many libraries regularly offer readings, talks, and other educational events. In some cases, you have to pay a (small) contribution for this or it is part of your membership, but some libraries offer events for free.
If you ask me, it’s definitely worth checking out if there are any libraries in your area with relevant events.
Medium
There are many writers out there on the internet with their own website. However, this can be quite overwhelming and chaotic. This is where Medium can help you.
On Medium you will find endless of writers within different topics. From psychology to travel and from mental health to productivity. Name it, and you will find it here.
While creating an account, you can select your topics of interest. With this information, the algorithm will show articles on your feed that you might want to read.
It’s not only beneficial for readers, but also as a writer, this can be the place to start and grow your audience. And the best thing is; everyone can create a free account and start publishing articles!
OpenUp
This one is probably quite unknown since it is a Dutch company and they are relatively new.
The main focus of OpenUp is their platform focused on the mental health of their clients’ employees. However, they also publish many articles about mental health, self-care, and personal development and offer free webinars (to look back).
Their articles and webinars are the reason I decided to include them in this list of free platforms for your personal growth. They are easy to follow and mention some good points.
On OpenUp’s Spaces page, you find their upcoming webinars, and via the Library you can see what they already published.
Podcasts
I love podcasts! There probably isn’t a day that goes by that I haven’t listened to at least 1 podcast episode. You can listen while cooking, traveling, taking a walk, or exercising, or just chilling on the couch.
It is available at any time of the day and the offer is endless. On platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iTunes, and many more.
Sometimes the big variety can be overwhelming, but my personal favorite podcasts that are related to personal development are The Happiness Lab, Simplify, TRAINED by Nike, and The Squeeze.
Search engines
Sometimes you suddenly have a question or topic that you want to know more about. In these moments, in my opinion, the easiest way is than a search engine.
All you have to do is type your question or topic into Google, Bing, or whatever search engine you prefer and you will get a list of websites that have the answer and can give you more information. How easy do you want it to be?
Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok – they are all well-known platforms to connect with people and being influenced on. Social media is often associated with fun and unnecessary scrolling, but we can learn a lot from it as well.
And yes, who doesn’t love some useless scrolling on their phones from time to time? At least I do, and I am not ashamed of that. But I also like to read inspiring quotes and image descriptions, and watch short (informative) videos in between.
There are endless inspiring influencers and brands out there. From people who are focussing on body positivity, inclusivity, (mental) health, nutrition, mindfulness, and many more.
Take a look at which social accounts can inspire, motivate, and teach you from now on while you are aimlessly scrolling on your phone again.
TED Talks
TED is a non-profit organization, and on their website, they describe themselves as follows: “TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact”
With that in mind, they organize multiple TED Talks throughout the year where they invite some of the most inspiring people. The speakers are very diverse and each of them has a unique and inspiring story.
The online library of recorded TED Talks is huge. You can find something for every topic. And believe me, once you’ve started, you’ll keep watching.
In addition to the regular TED Talks, you have TEDx Talks. Basically, these are the videos from the local TEDx events. These events bring the well-known TED experience to a local community, city, or school, and are targeted to this specific audience.
Udemy
Udemy offers a wide variety of courses on its platform, which also includes categories such as Lifestyle, Health & Fitness, and Personal Development. Most of them are taught in English, but they offer other languages as well.
They have different price categories, including a long list of free courses. We love that! For instance, they have this list of free personal development courses. Note: you have to scroll down a little bit until you see the list.
YouTube
As a teenager I mainly used YouTube to watch music videos and started following the first influencers, I now use it mainly for my (mental) health and personal development.
The reason I am not mentioning any mindfulness apps in this list is because they often have limited access without a membership and there are similar videos (for free) on YouTube.
On YouTube, you can find videos for meditation and breathing exercises, as well as yoga routines, motivational speeches, tutorials, and much more. Enough to choose from to support your development!
Personally, I like to follow Yoga With Adriene’s videos, Kirsten McCormick’s morning breathwork practice, or the self-compassionate productivity videos from MuchelleB.
Start supporting your development
So yes, in addition to all paid courses, training, and seminars, there are also plenty of free platforms to support your personal growth. And in most cases, you can do this comfortably from the couch in your pajamas. So there are actually no excuses not to work on your personal development.
How do you invest in your personal growth?
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