Create a project that depends on that skill.
Want to learn a language? Plan a trip to a place that speaks that.
Want to learn circuitry? Build a digital clock.
etc...
Ask HN: What is your single best advice for studying / acquiring new skills?
11–15 of 15 posts
Re: Ask HN: What is your single best advice for studying / acquiring new skills?
#12The sooner you start something and start failing. Get yourself into a feedback loop of try/fail/try again/fail less/etc/etc You can read and research all day long, but that does not build skill. Test your own ideas by writing and sharing. Hopefully the feedback you get from peers and anons online will be helpful.
> You can read and research all day long, but that does not build skill. This is honestly what gets me every. single. time. I’ll get stuck and I have no idea where to reach out for help and I’ll start trying to research, fight with google filters, then decide to put it off and start researching other things (for the same project or a different one) and eventually give up.
This was my issue, and apart of the reason I've been experimenting with this: https://django.curaffe.com
I work a lot with Django and simply mapped out the ecosystem, and then put a search layer on top of it.
If I can get a little traction with this one then I would happily roll one out for each of the other language and framework ecosystems.
At least now there are a few slack groups and forums I can ping into when I get stuck.
Re: Ask HN: What is your single best advice for studying / acquiring new skills?
#13My favorite:
"The idea is to study by lecturing out-loud, to an imaginary class, about the key concepts you need to learn. Something about articulating arguments in complete sentences cements them in your mind like nothing else."
from http://calnewport.com/blog/2007/08/02/the-straight-a-gospels...
Re: Ask HN: What is your single best advice for studying / acquiring new skills?
#14For me: Get book on the subject, read from cover to cover and create question/answer in Anki. When it comes time to refresh your knowledge on the book, just test yourself on the items you added to Anki.
Do you have an Anki to share?
Re: Ask HN: What is your single best advice for studying / acquiring new skills?
#15For me: Get book on the subject, read from cover to cover and create question/answer in Anki. When it comes time to refresh your knowledge on the book, just test yourself on the items you added to Anki.
Do you have an Anki to share?
I wouldn't use pre-made Anki files. Creating your own is part of the learning-process. Plus you are the only one who knows what you don't know :)