Two words: Spaced repetition, it feels like magic. You are likely going to forget most of what you learn if you don't engage with it and/or it doesn't get repeated.
Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
141–150 of 229 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#142I'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 honestly feel like this is the secret. It took me years to figure out, too.
It is, however, a piece of advice that will likely upset a lot of people, because, they'll say, not every activity worth doing is enjoyable. Which, obviously, is true. Sometimes learning something new or hard can be very difficult. But if you're motivated by your own interest and curiosity, the pain will actually be rewarding rather than soul-destroying.
I just treat my curiosity like a compass now, and let it take me wherever.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#143I 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…
> Additionally, perhaps anecdotally, concepts that you learn have much better staying power in your memory when you have an actual need to learn them.
Totally agree there!! A very important point to take away.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#144Check these books: - Ultralearning by Scott Young - Deep Work by Cal Newport - Atomic Habits by James Clear - How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler - Mindfulness Meditation (many books by Jon Kabat-Zinn „Ultralearning“ has lots of valuable ideas. For instance: Directly attacking the skill you want to learn. If you want to learn Git versioning, practice doing it. „Deep Work“ convinced me that I need to spend focused an…
Having been on a productivity nonfiction binge, i'm convinced all the ideas work, but the bulk of the effort is actually applying the advice. Otherwise, it's too easy to get caught in the cycle of epiphany porn.
The core ideas -- focus on one thing, have clear next actions for each thing, spaced repetition, stop when you're getting good (hemingway), etc, can be summarized in a couple of blog posts but the main benefit from reading is the perceived motivation boost after.
Once you settle on a plan (which itself it the main challenge, and something to think long and hard about), make sure to actually use it and test what works for you!
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#145I'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…
If you like TIS-100 and similar games, check out MHRD (available on Steam and itch.io). It teaches you a simplified version of hardware description language that you'd use to synthesize stuff on an FPGA or ASIC.
You start out using NAND gates to build foundational logic gates (AND, OR, etc.), and gradually work your way up to building stuff like I/O multiplexers, memory, an ALU, and finally a working CPU using the building blocks you've created along the way.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#146Try to build something. That really forces you to push yourself to make sure you understand something.
And in particular, try to build things that force you do things from first principles vs. using a library.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#147I’m very much a “process over product” type of guy. I’ve never hit “success” when I’ve aimed for it, so the only way to keep pushing forward is to see the journey as its own reward, highs and lows included.
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#148I'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 want to add some clarification for everyone in the "normal" boat, because I think I learn in the same way as parent: Specifically what "enjoy" is being attributed to... which is _not_ the end result, but the _process_. You can't pick this up front, you have to just play and throw things away like you don't care (and you really don't care), just keep trying things until it feels enjoyable. I suspect people get stuck…
This needs a bot more clarification please. What are your thoughts about the process of browsing social media which is interesting and enjoyable
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
If you like TIS-100 and similar games, check out MHRD (available on Steam and itch.io). It teaches you a simplified version of hardware description language that you'd use to synthesize stuff on an FPGA or ASIC. You start out using NAND gates to build foundational logic gates (AND, OR, etc.), and gradually work your way up to building stuff like I/O multiplexers, memory, an ALU, and finally a working CPU using the bu…
any recommendations for games related to Computer Science, Data Structures, Algorithms, etc.?
I have already tried human resource machine and 7 billion humans, but got bored after a while?
Re: Ask HN: How do you manage self-study?
#150Get good sleep. Eat well. Don't drink and expect to be productive. See a therapist. Exercise. Get fresh air. Take allergy medication if you need it. There's a lot of wonderful techniques and software out there but the most important optimization is the foundation of good health, mental and physical. My memory has improved so much with consistent sleep. A plant based carb light diet helps so much with energy and focus…
Allergy meds in the antihistamine class seem to kill my ability to focus for long periods.