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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?

#121

Post by njharman »

First, watching youtube is great for learning things.

A possibly different perspective. Do things, don't study. Only study if and up to the minimum that you need to accomplish the thing you are doing right now.

I don't study. I don't worry about it. I just learn things I either am passionate about so can't help but study or for my work (including personal work); the thing I need to learn to accomplish my immediate task.

I guess I'm saying don't bother learning things you aren't passionate about or you don't need right now.

And only study the thing you most need right now (makes it easy to know what to study next).

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

#122

Post by [deleted] »

adamcharnock wrote: post #92
cortesoft wrote: post #73

Earlier 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…

[deleted]

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

#123

Post by rukittenme »

In order of importance (applicable to physical and mental activity).

1. https://www.managementstudyguide.com/goal-setting-theory-mot...

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_periodization

3. https://www.sports-training-adviser.com/recoveryprinciple.ht...

4. https://positivepsychology.com/positive-self-talk/

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

#124

Post by sfgweilr4f »

krallja wrote: post #83
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…

Yep. Also, see if there's a game that teaches you the thing you want to learn. I learned orbital mechanics from Kerbal Space Program. Assembly programming from TIS-100 and Microcorruption. And … whatever the heck I learned from Factorio. Logistics? Abstraction? If there isn't a game, you might try and make it a game. See how fast you can solve the example problems in the textbook. Get the high score on your flashcard…

Factorio literally lets you build a system then have bugs attack it. By itself that is the basis for a lot of systems thinking right there.

Especially when you're production drops and you run out of ammo. And the bugs are coming. And power is running low. And you're low on iron-plate and you need that for ammo. Which you're now low on.

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

#125

Post by craigkilgo »

Not sure this what you are looking for, but when I take certs I usually go with video and I have a 2 pass system: 1) Watch all video content straight through. 2) Take one practice exam/quiz. 3) Watch all video content a second time. On this pass I make notes and if possible take a quiz after each video. 4) Review notes. 5) Practice exams. As I uncover questions I get wrong, I add those specific things to the notes. 6) Review notes day of exam. Take exam.

This is super easy for if you just buy a course for a particular certification. You can "make your own" if its not really an exam by making a small outline or picking a particular video series and then grafting the series onto an outline and then making a schedule for how you will go over each outline item twice.

I always recommend the 2-pass system because of what I call the "coat-hook problem". Basically, you can't just memorize stuff that has no other connections to things you already know. So, in the first pass you are really just putting up the coat-hooks. All you need to get from that first pass is a broad overview of what the content is and hopefully you can get a feel for the shape of everything. The second pass is where you actually start learning the material, i.e. actually hanging some coats on the coat-hooks.

Hope this helps. It's just how I do things, not claiming its for everybody.

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

#126

Post by decompiled_dev »

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 agree with you, but I think there is enjoyment in getting a deep understanding of one area and having a plan can help you do this. Instead of walking around it can be fun to climb a mountain or go for an over night hike.

For example if you want to get stronger having a workout plan can help you get that goal. Going to the gym and do whatever will keep you in shape and if that keeps you motivated that's great, but some are motivated by doing something they can't do right now.

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

#128

Post by geonnave »

My two cents:

1. Have a medium/long term goal, and then structure the topics you want to learn around that.

2. Plan and execute projects that exercise the topics you want to learn.

If finding the goal (1) is a problem, maybe start with solving that problem.

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

#129

Post by hnick »

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…

Some people enjoy doing useful things (my wife is one), others enjoy useless things (me - mostly video games, reading random trivia online, or trying new recipes which is nice but doesn't pay the bills).

So if I were to take your advice (and honestly, I mostly do run like that) it means a lot of time spent doing something ephemeral with no real lasting benefit. I think your last point applies to me. I wish I could summon enthusiasm for projects rather than hobbies.

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

#130

Post by hnick »

krallja wrote: post #87
stevewodil wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok I enjoy watching YouTube, so I will do that

Andrew Ng. Machine Thinking. 8-Bit Guy. Ben Eater. Jeri Ellsworth. I do some of my best learning with YouTube.

I watched hours of gardening and cooking videos on YouTube yesterday and learned a lot of useful information. Unfortunately that probably won't help me with my next job interview :(
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