Ask HN: How do you learn complex, dense technical information?

I'd start by getting an overview of the problem - in this case it's probably chapter names in a book.

Then for each module, break down what you'd like to learn further into sections that take After each 2 hour module, write down your key takeaways of the trickiest part you learn and pause.

Then, when you're ready, resume for the next intense chunk.

You can re-read your highlights at the end of the day to help absorb more deeply.

I've also found the Cornell Notetaking method (http://lsc.cornell.edu/study-skills/cornell-note-taking-syst...) to be a helpful guide.

It includes the "summarizing" step and a recommended structure for organizing notes both as you're reading/watching and when you're solidifying this knowledge.

Try to find a way to make it easy to test a lot of things, for example, get yourself a good environment to do kernel development with automatic virtualization, automatic setup of debuggers, automatic generation of initramfs based on what you want to do, etc.

So that you can focus on a write-build-test cycle ; this way you minimize cognitive load.

To summary, automation & environment setup matters.

1) Understand the material I'm learning. 2) Put explanations of any algebraic procedures (for instance, the dot product of two vectors) as a flip card. 3) Put a single example of doing the work in a flip card.

For important proofs, I put them in Anki using Cloze deletion. I just drop in the whole proof, and knock out portions. This has been extremely effective in remembering and understanding the proofs. I also do this for geometric explanations of procedure.

This is definitely not overkill, and creates cards that you can go over really quickly. Ever since I have begun doing so, I have found that it is far easier for me to apply what I have learned, and that I can more easily understand the options that I have for finding solutions to problems, because I have all of the options available without requiring me to look over old information. It's just there.

Ever since taking Barbara Oakley's classes (Learning How to Learn and Mindshift), I have been a more productive and emotionally stable human being, and my ability to learn and understand the information that I am learning has exploded. One of the most important things I remember mentioned in that class was that memorization and understanding are actually quite tightly linked.

There are things that I have dealt with in the real world that would have been solved by math lessons that I've forgotten since I left University twenty years ago. I was never very good at studying because of anxieties and procrastination. The simple fact that I know I'm going to put information into Anki allows me to concentrate and gives me procedure no matter what I'm trying to learn, regardless of source (readings, lectures, etc.). I wish I had this ages ago.

- Think about the topic yourself from first principles as you read.

"Economics is the study of how we deal with scarcity.

One approach is a market-based approach where each item has a price and whoever pays the price gets it. However, this isn't really fair towards the poor.

Another solution is a socialistic approach where everyone is given equal amounts of everything. However, this can lead to rationing.

Another solution is the government decides who gets what. It doesn't have to give everyone the same amount of everything. But this is vulnerable to corruption and also this seems like a hard problem to solve.

Another solution to scarcity would be a lottery-based approach..."

- Watch videos on a topic if you're not getting something.

For electronic logic, for example, I found something I wanted to build, on a breadboard and learn from. Then I referenced the book to understand what was going on. Then I played around with the circuit ... 'what happens if I do this'. You pick up the jargon slowly this way.

A year or so later, I actually got a computer-hardware troubleshooting job offer after I destroyed their logic test. Luckily, a teaching job came along to save me from that.