1. I can only learn by doing. If I can't turn it into a project, then I'll never internalize the details, and cannot really claim to have learned anything.
2. For it to be a project, there has to be a deliverable. Could be a repo on GitHub, a clock sitting in the living room, a blog article, or something repaired around the house. But there has to be an artifact I can point to when I say "I learned this."
3. Don't get stuck. If progress gets delayed on one part of the project and you have to wait for something - whether it's a part, or it's just going to take some time to figure something out - then work on another part of the project in the meantime. Keep moving forward, even if it's not the central thing in which you're interested, even if forward motion is slow.
Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
71–80 of 83 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#72If the goal is to acquire a skill, it's about deliberate practice... I have to come up with a project I want to do, make sure I have energy for it, set time aside for some days, and take a step forward each day (or each other day..)
If the goal is to acquire new knowledge and explore new fields, setting 1h aside each day to read (and study/highlight) non-fiction books works very well for me. I am very strict about this, almost like a second job. For me, it's about acquiring and digesting knowledge gradually. More than 1h a day does not work for me.
Hope this helps!
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#73- I Don't learn for the sake of learning, in the phase of life, where I have to be picky! - Spend some time (few hours to 1 week max) based on the subject I am trying to learn - Augment my learning with mind maps and Anki flash cards for long term augmentation - My favourite: make a small from scratch, throw away version of whatever it is trying to learn, so I internalise it (again set a 2 week time constraint). Exam…
Can you go into more depth about mind maps, and specifically how they help you? I'm building an information repository (of a sort..) and my plan for retention is spaced repetition (ala Anki/etc) , but I've been unsure how to fit mind maps in it. I've got an inkling that I can automate mind map construction based on a form of labels, but tbh I'm not sure what problem I'm solving with mind maps. How do you find they he…
It is an interesting idea to be able to generate mind maps automatically.
I just keep a few pages aside, scribble notes, use bookmarks for pages if I am reading a book. Only when I am done, I build a mind map. Usually a book's mind map is made up of multiple mind maps, 1 per chapter.
I use mind maps for the forest overview while flash cards are my trees and leaves! I find the combination very simple to build, maintain and fun to review. Hope this helps, let me know if you want any help in your auto mind map construction idea.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#74Some 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…
Plaintext vs diagrams or videos vary greatly by person.
I for example cannot stand videos at all when it comes to learning - it is either too drawn out, or too distracting - and i actually prefer plaintext. On the other hand i have few friends who absolutely cannot stand plaintext and need a good video, or real life interaction to learn.
The one thing in common in most posts is your 3rd point - build something that you want to build - that's the best way to stay motivated.
On a subject of notetaking - i really like recursive approach to notes:
* summarize the source
* read the source(n-1) and your summary(n)
* do a summary of your summary and repeat this process
I do it few times, depending on complexity of the subject.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you go into more depth about mind maps, and specifically how they help you? I'm building an information repository (of a sort..) and my plan for retention is spaced repetition (ala Anki/etc) , but I've been unsure how to fit mind maps in it. I've got an inkling that I can automate mind map construction based on a form of labels, but tbh I'm not sure what problem I'm solving with mind maps. How do you find they he…
It is an interesting idea to be able to generate mind maps automatically. I just keep a few pages aside, scribble notes, use bookmarks for pages if I am reading a book. Only when I am done, I build a mind map. Usually a book's mind map is made up of multiple mind maps, 1 per chapter. I use mind maps for the forest overview while flash cards are my trees and leaves! I find the combination very simple to build, maintai…
Great combo suggestions. Are there any specific tools you use for the mind maps?
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#76I do a lot of self-introspection. It started as my effort grow into a more mature person and now it's is a habit. But this habit sometimes leads me to overthink. I'm still evolving as a wise person, I think. It should never stop!
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#77Another question:
How do you avoid getting overwhelmed when starting to learn? In fact, how do you decide what to learn?
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#78I have no strategy, learning just feels insanely good. Usually things I can't make sense of just get optimized away/drift into the ether and I don't care for remembering them (if it's important I will keep detailed notes of procedures, names etc at this point, but generally details/trivia don't cross my "care threshold"). But things that change my understanding of a domain, let me contribute to something other people are building, or otherwise tell me how the world works?
Chances are I will spend hours non-stop talking about them relentlessly to anybody in range (or silently to myself) usually while moving, pace around so I can think faster, draw them, play around with problems that involve them, see everything in every domain as a manifestation of them for a while, and so on and so forth.
And apparently eventually it sticks. Like the first few notes of the song that was playing every morning of 8th grade or the color of grandma's roses. You can't fall in love with something for a while and then not think a little of it every time it's quiet.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#79Some 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…
Plaintext vs diagrams or videos vary greatly by person. I for example cannot stand videos at all when it comes to learning - it is either too drawn out, or too distracting - and i actually prefer plaintext. On the other hand i have few friends who absolutely cannot stand plaintext and need a good video, or real life interaction to learn. The one thing in common in most posts is your 3rd point - build something that y…
This is me- for learning 3d graphics (Maya, Blender), video tutorials are far more prevalent but less useful. I understand the ease of just starting a screen recording, but it's such a pain to pause the video every time I get behind. Text-based tutorials (with screenshots) require more planning on the part of the creator but seem more informative for me.
Now with math or science, video tutorials seem to better teach me.
Re: Ask HN: How do you personally learn?
#80I struggle a lot with learning due to ADHD but I found below heuristics/techniques helpful in overcoming barriers to learning:
1) OKR : Objectives and Key Results - especially hierarchical deconstruction of OKR [1]
2) OODA : Observe-orient-decide-act loop (similar to REPL in Lisp) [2]
3) DSSS : Deconstruction, Selection, Sequencing, Stakes - an accelerated learning technique promoted by Tim Ferris' Four-hour Chef book [3]
4) Outlining and Concept Mapping with Workflowy or Org-mode
5) 4DX : Four disciplines of Execution as described in the book Deep Work by Cal Newport
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Measure-What-Matters-Simple-Drives/dp... [2] https://fs.blog/2018/01/john-boyd-ooda-loop/ [3] https://tim.blog/2012/11/05/the-4-hour-chef-the-first-chapte...