Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
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Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#2"try explaining something makes you realise how well you really understand it."
Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#3Seems to be a tradeoff between depth and breadth.
If you write an essay about each thing you come across, you'll have to learn the stuff to some depth. That of course takes time, so there's fewer things you can learn about in a given time.
OTOH one can also take the view that learning things properly enables more learning of higher concepts that depend on knowing your stuff properly, and so actually taking your time makes more learning possible.
Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#4I don't recommend applying this technique specifically when reading this article, or you could become entrapped in an endless cycle.
Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#5But it takes ages
Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#6Yes. And then share with the world, and who cares if anyone pays attention.
Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#7I've tried to create a tech blog for a long time. But because I'm quite OCD about my writing, it took ages to create a post.
In the end, writing became such a chore that I stopped altogether.
Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#8"try explaining something makes you realise how well you really understand it."
aka "rubber ducking"
Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#9Seems to be a tradeoff between depth and breadth. If you write an essay about each thing you come across, you'll have to learn the stuff to some depth. That of course takes time, so there's fewer things you can learn about in a given time. OTOH one can also take the view that learning things properly enables more learning of higher concepts that depend on knowing your stuff properly, and so actually taking your time…
> If you write an essay about each thing you come across, you'll have to learn the stuff to some depth.
I took the author to mean a much more active pursuit when they spoke about learning — applying the technique to the stuff you're consciously trying to understand better, rather than just any new info you come across.
That said, the depth/length of "write about what you learn" could be tailored to how much weight you want to put behind it — writing could be as little as a thoughtful comment on HN or a tweet as well as a blogpost/essay.
Re: Writing about what you learn pushes you to understand topics better
#10I've tried to create a tech blog for a long time. But because I'm quite OCD about my writing, it took ages to create a post. In the end, writing became such a chore that I stopped altogether.
My problem is time and being in the right headspace. Between family, work, and a plethora of other hobbies that get neglected, not to mention often crippling anxiety, it is astoundingly difficult for me to work up posts on my project blog simply because I am either too busy or not where I need to be mentally to write due to general and pervasive exhaustion. I have been trying to kickstart a space where I can talk about my projects and repairs/restorations for years, but never quite found the secret to balancing life and writing.