I think best way to stay focused when you are learning some new technology is to do some project that you are interested in and is
related to that technology in parallel to learning. I that case you will do something that is also interesting and also practice that new technology. That way of learning helped me a lot.
Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
111–120 of 229 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#112I'm hoping my reply is more helpful than it sounds at first glance... This is one of those questions where I read and then exclaim (rhetorically), "what's wrong with people?!" Don't take this the wrong way, I often exclaim this. You are quite possibly in the majority and I'm the odd one. To me it has always seemed inherently clear that the way to approach life is to do something if you enjoy it. If you stop enjoying…
on the other hand, if you enjoy goofing off playing video games more than you enjoy doing math courses & you act on that, then reality will find you a job at McDonald's instead of a coding job. So choose what you enjoy wisely.
For these kinds of purposes, I liken most video games to drugs, or junk food -- they're designed to appeal to some of our instincts without actually satisfying the needs those instincts are meant to address. They offer us novelty without meaningful discovery, challenge without development of a transferable skill. Do what interests you, with the caveat that if people have spent time and effort to create something that plays with your brain chemistry and creates the artificial sensation of "interest," then consume in moderation. The same applies to TV shows, trashy novels, and any other "content" that is meant to be consumed, rather than spur creativity.
Not meaning to judge anyone here. I'm mostly speaking from my own challenges. And obviously, I'm not talking about all games, TV shows, etc., either.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#113wake up early, like 4:30am and crank out 2 or 3 sprints(25 minute intense study sessions with 5 minute breaks between). Also helps to review before going to sleep so your mind processes the information in your sleep, you will also wake up ready to learn this way.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#114I'm hoping my reply is more helpful than it sounds at first glance... This is one of those questions where I read and then exclaim (rhetorically), "what's wrong with people?!" Don't take this the wrong way, I often exclaim this. You are quite possibly in the majority and I'm the odd one. To me it has always seemed inherently clear that the way to approach life is to do something if you enjoy it. If you stop enjoying…
Finding something enjoyable that also earns a living is not easy for everyone.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#115There's a lot of complicated answers here, I'll try to keep mine simple. Like you, I have a lot of interests. Like you, I was also overwhelmed by the amount of information and how to learn it all. The first thing I did was to ask myself what I wanted to know and why. Then I asked myself which topics are related. I followed this up by asking what were the "basics" that I needed to learn these topics?
Nobody likes the basics, they're boring, that's why they're _the_ "basics", but they're important, so I had to figure out how to motivate myself. So I just considered it eating my vegetables for more interesting topics.
I started small, 20 mins a day, on the basics. Before long the basics empowered me to learning other topics I was more interested in. So soon I could keep going with my basics while adding another 30 minutes a day to studying another topic of interest.
Now I'm up to four topics of interest and am spending a couple of hours a day studying concepts I find to be very interesting. Not everyone has that kind of time, and some days I don't want to spend all that time on it, so I take a break. I've found it's important to not let the break last longer than three days though (unless it's a vacation) otherwise I start to lose where I was at in my progress and have to spend some time refreshing everything.
That's it, it's like the old adage. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You would be surprised at how quickly 20 mins per day adds up. That's ~121 hours a year or ~3 weeks of working on a specific topic non-stop.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#116My reply is similar to other replies, but I think of it a little bit differently. Many times people mistake wanting to have done something with wanting to do something. They have a big list of things they wish they had already: some achievement, some knowledge, some social standing, etc. Then they make a plan for achieving those things. What they leave out is whether or not they actually want to do those things.
I think you may be suffering from this. You life becomes this treadmill of trying to prioritise what you want to have accomplished coupled with statuses of where you are now. You are always fighting against the clock because you are wondering if you are making "enough" progress and worrying if you might be missing out because you made the wrong priority call. In the end you basically chase your tail going from one thing that seems important to the next thing that seems important and eventually circling back to the original thing. (Note: many people have probably worked for companies that waste huge amounts of money doing this very same thing).
IMHO, the best thing to do is to throw away all of your "I want to have done" goals and replace them with "I want to do" goals. Then, don't prioritise by what's most important to have done. Instead prioritise by how much you are enjoying it. Don't mark the end point of the exercise by how useful it will be for the next thing, but by how much you want to continue.
Which is not to say that you should just do whatever you feel like every day: even in the most enjoyable of tasks there are things that you need to do when you don't feel like doing them. However, on average you should be asking yourself, "Do I want to continue with this? Am I enjoying it? Does it feel like a me thing to do?"
Last, but not least I will also leave you with my "Rule of 3". You can do 3 things in your life well, give or take. One should probably be your day job. One should probably be your relationships. That leaves you with one thing left. You can dabble with things here and there, but if you want to really make an achievement, you really only have room for that one thing.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#117IMO, there are two main factors are important for good learning:
a) Motivation - This is different from enthusiasm about a given subject. It is about the drive to put in the yards for learning. Enthusiasm doesn't always translate to motivation (perhaps there is a better word for it).
b) Engagement - Without engagement, hours of watching or reading will still leave you dissatisfied that you haven't learnt anything at all. Being engaged with a topic flexes the brain muscle and allows you to internalize the concept.
I use different techniques to maximize the two factors. For motivation, nothing fuels it better than achievement. This achievement can be something big like a complicated project or something simple like crossing of a chapter in a book. The key thing is to have a scorecard, minor or major goals. It is a bit like Gamification for self. It motivates people to no end.
For engagement, I mix and match learning mediums according to the environment. It is easy to despair waiting for the best setup, where you can spend your undivided attention. The smarter thing is to engineer your study plan for a realistic environment. I find that practice, books and videos engages you in descending order. OTOH if you have a busy schedule, focus level and time available may have a reverse distribution. The key is to pair each environment with corresponding learning mode. I watch videos while on commute or in in crowded places, read books while on couch or with family and do hands-on practice during my lone time. Videos and books complements practice nicely. It is not possible to pick up everything by practice alone. Likewise after practice, you can take more context and subtleties out of a book or video.
When it comes to practice, doing the prescribed exercises or tutorials is helpful but you get maximum return by deviating from the script such as writing your own scenarios or doing a project. Even blogging or making a learning video will help to engage you more with the topic. This works by tuning your engagement to the maximum.
With books and videos, it also helps to find ways to engage with the medium. It may be via discussion boards, taking notes, writing commentaries or doing a blog. Without engagement, very little sticks.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#118The Khan Academy mobile app is great. I've been doing about 15 minutes of study each morning while doing cardio at the gym (running makes it tough to use your phone, so walk on a steep incline for half hour, or stationary bike).
Basically - build in a little bit of time to do it into your daily routine somehow, and make it a habit. In a year you'll wake up and have made great progress.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think enjoyment is the guide we should always use for deciding what to do. That is one aspect of our lives that is important to maintain, but a lot of satisfaction in life comes from things that aren't 'enjoyable' in the strictest sense, especially not in the moment that you are doing the action. Hard work, selflessness, and sacrifice doesn't usually feel enjoyable in the moment, but can lead to a more satisf…
From the other comments here this seems like a common sentiment. I do indeed do things which are not enjoyable in the strictest sense, as you phrase it. However I do still think my original comment is true, so perhaps there is some finessing to be done here. I'm not sure I have the answer though. Perhaps there are different kinds of 'enjoyment'. And perhaps I'm personally willing to accept some immediate suffering be…
I'm in the same boat as you, except that I classify most games that I enjoy as type 1 fun. Mentally taxing, frustrating, making the victory so much sweeter. This, learning "hard things" is type 1 fun. Until it isn't. And then I do something else.
I'm also "ADHD." Quotes because after 30 some years living with the diagnosis (and reconfirmed, both by others and myself), I still don't really know what it means. Something sometimes discussed is "hyper focus" for ADHD folks. Honestly I think this is just a normal expression of that other quality: a total inability to engage with something once it becomes boring. And excitement for those things that retain interest. Naturally, things that are confusing or complex tend to be impossible to initially approach, but gain momentum as you gather more clues and understanding.
I have great sympathy for those that try to go "the hard way." I did that before I got into software development. I denied my misery (of not software dev) for a decade because I understood that hard things are hard, and believed my misery would pay off.
Turns out, I didn't have all sides to the equation. Hard things are hard AND hard things that you are passionate about can be your way to contribute to the world. Doing something that is "hard" BECAUSE it is hard only because you have no passion in it is a bizarre but plausible scenario for what I imagine are many HN readers.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#120I'm hoping my reply is more helpful than it sounds at first glance... This is one of those questions where I read and then exclaim (rhetorically), "what's wrong with people?!" Don't take this the wrong way, I often exclaim this. You are quite possibly in the majority and I'm the odd one. To me it has always seemed inherently clear that the way to approach life is to do something if you enjoy it. If you stop enjoying…
>"what's wrong with people?!"
some like setting goals with their hobbies. achieving those goals takes discipline most of the time. there's nothing wrong with trying to optimize how go about cultivating that discipline.
of course if you're trying to be disciplined compulsively then that's a different matter.