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Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#91

Post by heavenlyblue »

darksaints wrote: post #15

I don't. I let my path in front of me determine what I learn. One of the biggest practical lessons I learned after leaving college is that most of the things I learned in college are useless to me now. The philosophical lesson was that study plans and syllabi are useful, but only as a list of things you might need to know...a way of knowing what you don't know (which is very important!). But as a way of determining w…

> Getting from there to here was a long path of letting my current needs determine what I needed to learn.

Or you could have followed the syllabus and worked there immediately after finishing university?

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#92

Post by adamcharnock »

cortesoft wrote: post #73
adamcharnock wrote: post #26

I'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…

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 because I know I'm pursuing a greater enjoyment.

I'm certainly not advocating for (constantly) pursuing in-the-moment unbridled hedonism.

Something which may be related to this is the idea of type 1 fun and type 2 fun. I'm not sure where I heard this, but few people I talk to have heard of it.

Type 1 fun is the kind of fun which is enjoyable in the moment. For example, computer games and watching youtube videos.

Type 2 fun is the kind of fun which is enjoyable upon reflection but not necessarily in the moment. For example, running a marathon, certain moments of trial/despair when working on a big project.

When I first played Factorio I played it for about a week solid. I loved it. After that I could put it down and do other things. I now play it for a couple of days every couple of months when the mood takes me. This is type 1 fun for me.

I'm certainly glad a ran a marathon, and it is a very happy memory, but no way in hell am I going to do that again. Very much type 2 fun.

Some comments (not necessarily the one I'm replying to) seem to inversely correlate enjoyment with how hard a task is. The harder a task is the less likely it is to be enjoyable. Is this true? It certainly isn't my experience, but maybe I'm odd as I originally suggested.

Something which has also driven me is boredom. Being a freelance developer has given me a lot of free time. Certainly for me, type 1 fun only goes so far in conquering that boredom. Sure, play computer games for 6 months, but then that gets boring too. At least it did for me. Then what?

Then, for me, type 2 fun starts to look more appealing. Perhaps I should build a house? Sure its going to be hard, but I'm practical and I like leaning new stuff. Plus I'll be outdoors, and at the end of it I'll have a house. (FWIW, I actually did this)

Perhaps that's just being an "up" kind of person. I think it is also believing in one's abilities.

I don't think this is a cohesive point with a strong conclusion, but perhaps this series of paragraphs is useful in furthering a discussion.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#93

Post by kart23 »

manic85 wrote: post #4

I've found a combination of keeping a journal, having self-compassion, and having something to prove to be the key to sticking with a self-study regimen. Journaling helps document progress and provides notes that you can transcribe to a spaced repetition system (i.e. flashcards) for long term retention. Self-compassion is key for picking yourself up after you feel overwhelmed by a topic and quit for the day, which wi…

Yes! I found that once I started putting my achievements and goals on paper, it really motivated me to achieve my goals, and be proud of what I had done so far. Just write down what you did everyday, and what you hope to accomplish tomorrow. It's kinda stupid, but was scary effective for me.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#94

Post by darksaints »

heavenlyblue wrote: post #91
darksaints wrote: post #15

I don't. I let my path in front of me determine what I learn. One of the biggest practical lessons I learned after leaving college is that most of the things I learned in college are useless to me now. The philosophical lesson was that study plans and syllabi are useful, but only as a list of things you might need to know...a way of knowing what you don't know (which is very important!). But as a way of determining w…

> Getting from there to here was a long path of letting my current needs determine what I needed to learn. Or you could have followed the syllabus and worked there immediately after finishing university?

I did follow the syllabus. Almost everything I learned is useless to me. I don't even work in the field I graduated in anymore.

If what you want to be narrowly fits into a single definition, and that syllabus is precisely formulated to get you there, and you are 100% certain that you will never change paths in life, then sure, maybe following the syllabus is the right way for you to self study. My experience, however, is that people that like learning things rarely stick to the straight line.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#95

Post by jes5199 »

krallja wrote: post #81
Jenz wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Practicing a musical instrument This is not fun?

STE-PING-UP. STE-PING-DOWN. THEN. A. SKIP C D E E D C D E C Practicing a musical instrument is not fun. Playing a musical instrument is fun. Practicing is mostly repeating scales and other patterns.

someone told me that the way they learned to play the violin was that had to love being bad at it. Love the experience of _not_ being able to do it, of it not coming naturally, of trying and failing, of being overwhelmed by it, and of slowly and painfully getting better.

If you can enjoy that, you can enjoy it the whole way through. If you see it as a gauntlet of pain you have to cross before you get to the good stuff, you won’t get there.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#96

Post by grativo »

I feel like I am in a similar situation. One of the most beneficial things you can do before starting a self-learning activity is to develop a plan of strategy that you can follow. Whether it be a Developer Roadmap or reading a book, try to structure a learning approach around these mediums. In regards to learning, consistency and repetition will guide you to a more systematic way of working. Shane Parrish has great articles on learning at his website fs.blog . It can feel overwhelming sometimes, but you have to keep pushing and be consistent with the work you do!

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#97

Post by rmtech »

adamcharnock wrote: post #26

I'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.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#98

Post by anhldbk »

poletopole wrote: post #86

This may sound strange but I would recommend practicing lucid dreaming. If you can manage to stay focused and awake in a dream on a regular basis, you'll find that staying focused and awake while not dreaming to be trivial. I was surprised to discover this at first, but it makes sense because it's extremely rewarding to have a good dream. After a while, the line will blur between what is real and not and it won't mat…

Sounds great! Any recommended book/link ?

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#99

Post by aearm »

1- Ask your self, what is the most interesting mini-project that you want to start working on. 2- Review/ study the smallest amount of materials that lead you to start working on it. 3- Work on your project if there is something popping out repeat step 2.

Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?

#100

Post by madballster »

Not sure if you seek advice on self-development (programming skills) or general college/university studying advice. Very similar set of challenges either way IMO:

Take Dr. Barbara Oakley's (free) learning how to learn course - I graduated 20 years ago (MSc) and found this very refreshing and insightful. Good interviews, too. https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

Cal Newport's book is full of studying/organization advice. Bottom line: Attack the hard stuff early on. Go hard, go deep. If you get organized and build a foundation in each course early on, then you won't have to catch up and cram in all-nighters later. https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-straight-a-me...

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