YouTube Turned My Life Around. Seriously!

10 years ago, I was just a kid who wanted unlimited coins for my phone games. Guess where I found out how to get them?

YouTube.

Yep, it showed me how to root my device and unlock everything I ever wanted. I felt like a hacker!

Fast forward to our last year of high school, my friends and I decided we wanted to study the Bible more deeply and live a genuine Christian life.

But where could we possibly go for that?

Then came the phase where I wanted to sound more articulate, fancied myself a digital minimalist, got curious about lifestyle medicine, wanted to dress better (so I looked more confident and approachable).

Write more effectively, lift heavy weights, almost perfect my swimming strokes, and even get some dating advice.

Where did I turn to?

Yet, YouTube May Feel Like A Bottomless Pit Of Content

With its overwhelming amount of information, you might end up drowning in cat videos and celebrity gossip when all you wanted was to learn how to cook pasta that doesn’t stick together like glue.

But, if used intentionally, it’s like having a personal tutor for everything you’ve ever wanted to learn, and the best part?

FOR FREE!!

And so, I’m here to convince you

How You Can Make YouTube Your Personal Self-Improvement Tool That Works For You!

Turning you into the fascinating, well-rounded genius you’ve always dreamed of being.

Can’t eat your own cooked food? Let me show you how YouTube can turn you into the family’s star chef—or hey, maybe even help you finally find a man (because who doesn’t love a good cook?)

Need help to budget? Still haven’t figured out how to get your grades up?

Wanna take better pictures, or develop an obsession with reading?

Learn Chinese so that you can speak with half the world?

Or bake the perfect cake for your mom’s 60^th birthday to remind her she’s still the best thing that ever happened to you—even though you’ve never known how to use an oven?

Here’s how.

1. Clean Up Your Subscription List and Algorithm So That YouTube Works For You, Not Against You

Intentionally subscribe to channels that align with your goals and unsubscribe from those that don’t.

Avoid mindless scrolling, as it can lead to unproductive content being suggested.

Instead, support the videos you enjoy by liking, sharing & commenting, to get similar recommendations.

Do this consistently for 3 months, and watch as YouTube algorithm transforms into a personal self-development assistant tailored to your needs.

2. Create Playlists To Organize Content

Whether it’s long-form lectures, tutorials, or videos recommended by friends, categorize them into playlists for easy access.

This simple habit saves you time and prevents the frustration of searching for that one video you need among a sea of irrelevant content.

3. Set Consistent Time Limits To Plan Your YouTube learning

Whether it’s 30 minutes a day or 1 hour every weekend.

Consistent, shorter sessions are more effective than binge-watching for hours on end, which can turn your active learning into passive viewing.

Remember, the goal is to absorb and apply what you’ve learned, not to turn YouTube into another source of entertainment.

4. Have Specific Daily/Weekly/Monthly Goals

Don’t just watch anything—dedicate time to a particular theme or subject, and immerse yourself fully.

When a video points you to further resources, follow up with research.

If you encounter something challenging, take the time to understand it thoroughly before moving on.

This approach ensures that you’re consolidating your knowledge and making the most of your watch time.

5. Engage with Content Actively To Learn Deeply

Take notes, pause to reflect, and try out what you’ve learned in real life.

Active participation solidifies your learning.

Use flashcards, share insights with friends, write about your experiences, and apply your new skills in everyday life.

6. Explore New Interests To Meet New Challenges and Opportunities To Grow

Don’t be afraid to dive into topics you’ve been curious about but haven’t yet explored.

That’s how you might discover your interest in exercise and stay consistent for a year plus.

You never know where a new interest might lead—it could even become your next passion or career path.

7. Treat Your YouTube Learning Time Like Class Time

Silence notifications and focus entirely on the content.

The Pomodoro technique is a great way to structure your sessions—study for 20-30 minutes, then take 5-minute break intervals.

Use breaks to recharge, not to distract yourself.

Whether it’s tidying up your room, doing a quick workout, or reading a few pages of a book, make sure your break activities help you return to your study session refreshed and ready to learn, not tired and distracted that you dread your next study session.

The Next Time You Open YouTube, Ask Yourself, “Am I Here To Grow?”

Practice intentionality, seek out content that aligns with your goals, and use this powerful tool to learn, grow, and thrive.

In doing so, you’ll find that YouTube isn’t just a place for entertainment—it’s a platform that can help you become the best version of yourself.

So why not block 20 minutes today to learn about the correlation between Sex & Mental Health?

Everything is converting into subscription models, remember when cloud storage was free? The early days of Google Drive made it quite attractive to users once the service offered unlimited free storage for high-quality photos. Back in 2021, Google capped photo and document storage, forcing many people to look elsewhere, the next optimal option, is Dropbox. Similarly, Dropbox monetized a portion of its service and went from one of the most popular free services out there, offering limited free storage with options to upgrade to paid plans. But what do we do now? Here’s a few options to consider;

Google Drive

Google Drive still remains one of the favourite cloud services as it works wonderfully with other applications in Google Workspace like Docs, Sheets, and Slides. This offers free storage of about 15GB shared across all Google services, while paid accounts start at $1.67/month for 100GB.

It’s a decent enough choice if one is already in the Google ecosystem, more so for students and professionals who use these apps a lot.

iDrive

IDrive is popular for its hybrid approach to cloud storage that also backs up to the cloud. Besides many other features, it includes real-time syncing, a backup scheduling option, and end-to-end-encryption. It offers 5GB for free. Paid plans start at $59.62 yearly for 5TB.

The service suits users looking for complete-scale backup possibilities along with regular cloud storage services.

pCloud

pCloud provides some of the best value for long-term use, available with lifetime plans, besides subscription options. Up to 10GB are available for free, while its premium plans start at $3.99 per month for 500GB.

Indeed, pCloud is a strong competitor, with zero-knowledge encryption, block-level syncing for faster uploads, and even robust media playing features without download.

Sync.com

Sync.com is a privacy-driven service, best known for its zero-knowledge encryption with excellent security features, ideal for users handling sensitive data.

It’s competitively priced at $6 per month, offers unlimited storage, and is the best choice for power users who value privacy and security.

MEGA

MEGA enables users who want a more generous free storage amount up to 20 GB with strong encryption and a good privacy policy. Paid plans offer as much as 16 TB of storage, so it suits users who require ample space and value data security highly.

OneDrive

OneDrive is deeply integrated with Microsoft Office applications. It’s a very convenient choice for users in the Microsoft ecosystem and provides 5 GB of free storage, besides offering paid plans starting at $1.67 per month for 100 GB.

It’s particularly useful for professionals who need tight integration with Office tools.

Dropbox

Dropbox is still one of the fiercest competitors, thanks to its ease of use and powerful collaboration toolset-especially for business users. It offers 2GB free, with paid plans starting at $9.99 per month for 2TB.

Dropbox is excellent to use regarding team collaboration, but probably not so great when it comes to huge free storage requests.

Egnyte

More businesslike, Egnyte also throws in advanced collaboration settings for teams, while integrations with other apps include Slack and Google Workspace.

It starts at $10 per user per month, making it a great choice for organizations needing advanced security and compliance features.

Cloud storage has undergone an extraordinary metamorphosis, and the various services have introduced several features and diverse pricing to suit a wide number of needs. While Google Drive and Dropbox are still widely used, other services like IDrive, pCloud, and Sync.com provide interesting options for serving data renters who want either the strongest privacy protection or large back-up solutions. Your individual needs of storage quantity, security requirement, and integration with other applications should be weighed while choosing the best cloud storage service for yourself.