I use a process I made up based on how suspension bridges are built: 1) literally an arrow is shot from one side to the other over the span the bridge is to occ

I use a process I made up based on how suspension bridges are built: 1) literally an arrow is shot from one side to the other over the span the bridge is to occupy, and that arrow has a kite string attached; 2) the kite string is used to pull a thicker piece of twine; 3) the twine is used to pull rope and the rope is used to pull steel cable; 4) with the steel cable in place, the large scale bridge construction can begin. In a software context, first just get anything operating in the target space you are trying to learn and develop. Then expand that minor nothing piece of software to be just slightly more capable, and observe what adjustments were necessary in your thinking to get that minor adjustment working. Repeat this process of small iterative changes with a formal review of what you're learning, and at some point you'll realize you have developed both a body of knowledge and a small framework for further work, and probably several ideas how to "fix" your mini-framework. Now spend some time trying to fix the mini-framework and use that to solidify what you've learned. And throughout this entire process: take notes, review the notes, and observe the scientific method in your notes: meaning write down a hypothesis, test it, write down the test results, write down you thoughts on the test results, and repeat. The writing down portion is important, as the act of writing it into notes forces fragment sentences to be formalized, completed and that can catch incomplete thought processes, which are critical, as they are the edge cases that also need to be handled.