I use my wiki ( https://philosopher.life ) to help me reason about everything. Some things take a long time to discover or digest, and I like that I get to structure the path that I take.
this is fantastic.
Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
31–40 of 83 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#32I learn with the classic read (or watch), do, repeat loop.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#33I just keep writing code, glancing at docs when needed and try to spend as much time as possible actively using the thing I'm learning instead of reading about or getting stuck in "what if" scenarios. In most cases writing as much code as possible (and looking up things as needed) will help you learn things faster than sitting back and reading.
A few days ago I wrote a post on what I learned from 7 programming languages over 20 years[0]. It kind of touches on the process of learning and takeaways. I almost always have a project in mind to build when learning something new.
Basically I'm not afraid to experiment. I don't think it's a problem to write code and then throw it away, or spend weeks learning how to use something to ultimately throw it away. You almost always learn something you can apply to something else which is really the main takeaway from the post.
[0]: https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/it-is-not-a-waste-of-time-to-...
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#34I learn best when I make something as soon as possible, however basic. Then after a while I go back, find the best book on the subject I can find, and read it from start to finish.
For example: JavaScript. I procrastinated learning JavaScript for years. It was intimidating. Then jQuery came along, which is not exactly JavaScript, but it was easier to pick up. After several months, I was ready for the next step. I bought David Flanagan's book, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, and just started reading it from the beginning. I don't know if I actually finished it, because the second half is reference, but I at least skimmed that part.
Copying snippets from the Internet will get you started but leave your knowledge patchy and even wrong. Eventually you need to read an organized and thorough tour. For example, I would never have understood JavaScript's prototypes by copying snippets.
On the other hand, if I had tried to start on page 1 of a thick book, without hands-on experience, it would have been equally unfruitful. It would have been too abstract. With some practice under my belt, the advice in the book had something to adhere to, in my mind.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#35At a micro level I learn by doing. Just building stuff, trying to extract general principles as I go.
At the macro-level, I try to learn things where I can transfer knowledge as much as possible. It's easy with software development, as critical and computational thinking and top-down/bottom-up reasoning can be used everywhere.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#36Some really random, obvious things I do: - I really look for learning materials that have diagrams, or videos. Plain-text blog posts and documentation are really obtuse for me to actually grok what's up - I've got into a good habit of writing (with a notebook and a notes app). I actually do weekly check-ins, almost like "sprint retros", just for myself. Sometimes they're silly, but they're handy to crystallize whatev…
I tend to run when I take a lunch instead of shoving food in my face (I sit at a desk, I can do that whenever I want), and almost all my "break through" moments happen on the treadmill. It's a little frustrating, to be honest. All I'm trying to do is to not think about running, and consequently how much I hate it. BAM! Something clicks, and the solution to something I wasn't even thinking about comes to mind.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#37Personally. Spend a lot of time on a topic and choose a small amount of things. Don't let the list of things you want to learn grow too larger before things are ticked off.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#38Scanning before reading getting a idea what it is going to try and teach me before actually reading it.
Writing down every word I don't know/understand and getting comfortable with them.
Playing with the subject matter.
Discussing the subject matter with people.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#39I learn best when I just jump right in and get my hands dirty. I definitely use an iterative approach over an incremental approach. I prefer to just take a rough pass at structure gross estimates in my head of what needs to be done where. I just get something working even if its just `return true; // TODO` for now, and then iterate over and over with a finer-toothed comb each time.
This sounds like general work practice but it's highly tied to learning for me. When I use this strategy I tend to learn on the go and learn what I need to know rather than worrying up front about what I should research or wasting time planning things that don't end up materializing.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#40After the fourth or fifth disaster, I begin to suspect I might be doing something wrong.