If you have trouble thinking of something to learn and are struggling to come up with one item that is exciting to you then give yourself permission to browse and see what is out there. Look around and see what people are talking about. Head to a programmer meeting to see what they're talking about. Or, if you're really stuck, browse some job listings to see what employers are looking for and see if that sparks some interest.
-This isn't about picking the most important thing or the most useful thing (though your current situation may add some urgency to certain topics over others) it's about figuring out where to put your focus right now. And we're not concerned with making the perfect choice. This exercise is about making a choice to learn something interesting and sticking with it long enough to learn more about it.
+This isn't about picking the most important thing or the most useful thing (though your current situation may add some urgency to certain topics over others) it's about figuring out what has your attention and where to put your focus right now. We're not concerned with making the perfect choice that will get you your next job or bolster your career. This exercise is about making a choice to learn something interesting and sticking with it long enough to learn more about it.
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+Once you have the topic you want to learn then it's time to focus on learning it. If you have a preferred methodology (books, videos, tutorials, classes, etc.) then spend a some time (no more than an hour or so) researching what is available to help you learn it. Some topics have beginner-friendly resources available that list off things that the community believes are helpful for programmers just getting started. Others may require asking questions of the community on where to start. Even something as simple as a tutorial can be a good way to get started with this exercise.
-Once you have your topic then it's time to figure out how to focus on learning it. If you have a preferred methodology (books, videos, tutorials, classes, etc.) then spend a some time (no more than an hour or so) researching what is available. Some topics have beginner-friendly resources available that list off things that the community believes are helpful for programmers just getting started. Others may require asking questions of the community on where to start.
+If you can find some resources in a short amount of time that's great! Start your learning process with those resources. Don't worry if they're the right resources or worry that they might lead you down the wrong path, just get started with them; you'll come back and evaluate if those resources are going to work for you. For now we're more interested in just getting started.
-If you can find some resources in a short amount of time that's great! Start your learning process with those resources. Don't worry if they're the right resources or if they'll lead you down the wrong path, just start with the. Eventually you'll come back and determine if what you're looking at is or isn't going to work for you. For now we're more interested in just getting started.
+One trap that I'm guilty of is trying to find the best resources for learning a topic. I'll spend hours looking for the right book, the right videos, the right courses; whatever it is I want to find the best version available so I can learn with the best material. I want to reduce the amount of false-starts while learning a topic. This seems like a noble pursuit (after all, why wouldn't you want the best materials available?). It's also a trap and can lead you into spending more time thinking about how you're learning rather than actually learning. Worse, if the material starts to confuse you (which is highly likely when you are learning something new) you'll spend your learning-time wondering if you made the right decision picking this material. This diminishes your ability to learn the topic because you're more focused on the quality of instruction and not the actual instruction.
-One trap that I'm guilty of is trying to find the best resource. I'll spend hours looking for the right book, the right videos, the right course; whatever it is I want to find the best version so I can minimize the amount of "back-tracking" and purchasing other material. This seems like a noble pursuit (after all, why wouldn't you want the best materials available?). It's also a trap and can lead you into spending more time thinking about how you'll learn rather than actually learning. And you'll spend most of your time wondering if you really made the right decision. This diminishes your ability to learn the material because you're more focused on the quality of instruction and not the actual instruction.
+After a few days give yourself the opportunity to check in and see how you're learning. Are you feeling engaged or are you not enjoying this? If you're not feeling engaged (the material is loosely organized, the instructor is confusing, the examples don't work, etc.) then give yourself permission to see if there's better material or a different topic that interests you more. Even if your experience wasn't great you'll have a better idea of what to look for when choosing something new. You'll have a sense of where your gaps are in the topic and will have a better feel for what you're looking for in learning materials.
-After a few days give yourself the opportunity to check in and see how you're learning. Are you feeling engaged or are you not enjoying this as much as you thought you would? If you're not feeling engaged (the material is boring, the instructor doesn't seem to work for you, etc.) then give yourself permission to see if there's something else out there that interests you more. You'll have a little more information from the instruction you've received (even if it's bad instruction you'll understand what bad instruction is like). You'll understand where your gaps are in the topic and will have a better feel for what you're looking for in learning.
+If you're finding that the topic you're looking to learn is no longer interesting to you then give yourself some moments to reflect on why that is. Is it a difficult topic? Do you feel ready for the topic? Are you currently overwhelmed with other projects and are feeling tired when you approach this topic? Sometimes when we arrive to learn we realize that we need to learn something else before we can fully understand the topic. It's OK to find additional resources and focus on those before we tackle this topic. Just be aware of your internal dialog and struggles and be honest with yourself about why you want to move to something different. See yourself in the difficulty and notice if you're wanting to run because it is difficult or if you are truly unprepared for this topic. See if you can engage more with the difficulty and notice when you start to feel overwhelmed by it. Give yourself permission to stick with the difficulty as long as you can and notice your feelings and urges as you practice with it.
-If you're finding that the topic you're looking to learn is no longer interesting to you then give yourself some moments to reflect on why that is. Is it a difficult topic? Do you feel ready for the topic? Are you currently overwhelmed with other projects and are feeling tired when you approach this topic? Sometimes when we arrive to learn we realize that we need to learn something else before we can fully understand the topic. It's OK to find additional resources and focus on those before we tackle this topic.
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-Treat this as an iterative process, with regular check-in periods to see how you're doing. Think about how you feel when you're learning. Are you excited and engaged or do you feel tired and withdrawn? Do you try to procrastinate when you think about this topic? When you are focusing on your learning does your mind wander? Note these feelings as they occur to you during your focusing sessions and come back to them when you think about your learning process.
+Treat your learning as an iterative process, with regular check-in periods to see how you're doing. Think about how you feel when you're learning. Are you excited and engaged or do you feel tired and withdrawn? Do you try to procrastinate when you think about this topic? When you are focusing on your learning does your mind wander? Note these feelings as they occur to you during your focusing sessions and come back to them when you think about your learning process. Later you can reflect on those feelings and start to see patterns in your learning process. If you feel tired you may need more sleep, or may need learning material that is more stimulating. If you feel overwhelmed perhaps you need to start with something more basic before tackling this difficult project. If you're confused perhaps there is someone you can ask questions to gain clarity. These answers may not be apparent in the moment (you may be too busy feeling frustrated to understand where that frustration is coming from) but with some practice in noticing these feelings you can learn how your mind works and what it needs in order to keep engaged with your learning.
## Resistance and The Container
projects / themediocreprogrammer.git / commitdiff