Ask HN: What's Your Process for Learning?

I focus on one topic a day. I realized it helps me to retain knowledge better. As of tools, I suggest you to check out this list of websites for full-fledged-learning: https://custom-writing.org/blog/36-best-websites There are tools sorted by study goals. For example, I use Droptasks to organize my tasks and files, and Braingle to train my brain.

Learning in general? Much easier if I care about the subject, and sometimes I can pretend to care long enough to actually care. I’m almost always working through multiple books, taking advantage of the Zeigarnic Effect (first step makes next steps more likely?) and interleaving (from Make it Stick: the science of successful learning). Messier, but it feels like the more I know the easier it is to know more, and this way I have more hooks.

I use Anki for spaced repetition, ideally while reading, but I often read with TTS while walking, so I practice attending fully. My paper notes are a mess. Getting info into flashcards helps get it into my brain.

Clutter is a pain point. Space to work is important. A conversationally-adept personal assistant to help make flashcards while walking will be awesome.

Sometimes I use WOOP: Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan (not my idea), to get beyond daydreaming.

Incremental reading is very effective: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incremental_reading

The proper technique extracts them into flashcards, but you can simply use notes. Don't read from first page to last. Jump to the part of the book you're most interested in, read that, jump to a previous chapter if there's prerequisite knowledge needed. Eventually cover the rest of the book like you'd fill out a puzzle.

Don't force yourself to learn something uninteresting. Retention is very bad and progress can get extremely slow. This is also why people who "grind leetcode" don't get very far. It's easier to instill passion than discipline. Incremental reading is one way to learn passion, as you start with the most interesting bits, which make the rest of the material slightly easier.

When I’m learning something

let’s say I want to learn python but in order to learn python I’ll find courses on Udemy since it’s cheap and some of the courses are really high quality.

I’ll pick a course and start learning while learning I’ll make sure to take notes so I can write concepts learned from the course into my own words as this really helps me understand better.

Few things to note: while learning make sure you are focused on one resource and you have a goal in mind. For example why are you learning python what do you plan to do after learning python and definitely pick a project to solidify your learning.

I hope this helps :)

My approach: Learn such that you can explain it (linear algebra concepts) to somebody with basic knowledge (high school math).

Explaining (linear algebra) to a kindergartener might be possible, but harder.

That's the Feynman method for me.