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> "An experiment began when a subject was shown the code “41234” on a screen and asked to type it out as many times as possible for 10 seconds and then take a 1

> "An experiment began when a subject was shown the code “41234” on a screen and asked to type it out as many times as possible for 10 seconds and then take a 10 second break. Subjects were asked to repeat this cycle of alternating practice and rest sessions a total of 35 times." I was hoping this would be about taking a few days or weeks off from whatever you are learning and have that break strengthen that skill. It's worked for me for several things in the past when I get bored or burnt out. When I get back to the task after about a week or so, I instantly understand the task I was learning. Also, some things that weren't clear before suddenly make sense.

johnmaguire 5y ago
I have experienced this as well. Similarly: - Learning controls in a new-to-me video game can be tough (e.g. Rocket League, Quake Live, games with lots of mechanics.) Playing daily can slowly improve the ability. However, taking a few days off can sometimes result in a dramatic improvement upon return. - Entering a flow state of code is great for churning out a lot of lines of code quickly. However, sometimes I see that while I am objectively achieving my goal, the code feels messy and hard to follow. At this point, I aim to just get it working by the end of the day, then stop. In the morning, I usually have a much better sense of how to refactor the code.
- grasshopperpurp 5y ago
  Same experience with Rocket League. A few years ago, I had a couple months between jobs, and my brother was in a similar spot, so we'd hang out and play Rocket League a fair amount. I slowly got better, but I only improved significantly after some time away from the game. Now, we might play once every few weeks or once every few months. Takes a bit to knock off the rust, but once we get going, I almost always notice some unexpected improvement - dribbling, positioning, and transitions from ball to car cam are the areas that seem to improve the most. Love the game, but it's not high on my list of areas I want to improve, and I'd definitely improve more with shorter breaks (days instead of weeks or months) and more time playing.
LegitShady 5y ago
>"An experiment began when a subject was shown the code “41234” on a screen and asked to type it out as many times as possible for 10 seconds and then take a 10 second break. Subjects were asked to repeat this cycle of alternating practice and rest sessions a total of 35 times." To me this doesn't sound like it's testing a skill at all. It's testing short term memory, maybe. 10 seconds on 10 seconds off to test your ability to memorize a string of numbers and type them out isn't the same thing as testing a skill.
matwood 5y ago
I recognized this is how I best learn a long time ago. It meant that I could never cram for tests. But, once I learn something I usually really learn it. You're right though that days or weeks is usually my timeline. For example, if I want to learn some new tech I will jump in and tinker until I get to some spot that is beyond what I understand. Take a few days or weeks, and when I come back the base has solidified making it almost trivial to move on. I also just noticed the same thing with training Jiu-Jitsu. I had to take a long break because of covid. While I was obviously rusty on my return, I had a bunch of skills solidify while I was gone leading me to see many more details than before I had to take a break. Learning is a lot like weight lifting. It's the breaks between sessions where the strength gains occur.
- TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
  I made an adage some years ago: Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect, it can also make you habitually wrong. --- I've trained, I don't, 50 apprentices. They all learn faster of they can do a short stint on a new task, say 10 to 29 mins, then come back to it after at least one sleep. They almost always develop bad habits if you make then do the new task all day because they'll get either overly focused on some inconsequential aspect of it, it lose interest because they're not good at it, or sone such.
  - kortex 5y ago
    I've heard this stated as "practice makes permanent ", especially in the context of physical arts, and also safety culture. Once you start getting sloppy, it's time to context switch.
    - tartoran 5y ago
      Very applicable to musical instruments and arts as well. At least to me
    - User23 5y ago
      This is also very true for marksmanship.
dorkwood 5y ago
I have a feeling there are different tiers to this phenomenon. Take a 15 minute break, and you'll be better at that piano piece you've been practicing intensely for the last hour. Take a week long break, and you'll be better at painting those landscapes you've been studying for the last month.
rvn1045 5y ago
In sports training this is called super compensation. Usually you tax yourself for some period of training and then take a short break. Your body will recover to the initial level of fitness you had + you make some new gains. When your return to training your stronger/faster than before.
ycombinete 5y ago
I recently started piano, and noticed this. I’d find a set of finger movements impossibly frustrating. Work on it for 30 minutes then give up. Then sit down the next day or two later and just be able to do it. It’s given me a whole new perspective on how I can learn complex things over time.

johnmaguire 5y ago

I have experienced this as well. Similarly: - Learning controls in a new-to-me video game can be tough (e.g. Rocket League, Quake Live, games with lots of mechanics.) Playing daily can slowly improve the ability. However, taking a few days off can sometimes result in a dramatic improvement upon return. - Entering a flow state of code is great for churning out a lot of lines of code quickly. However, sometimes I see that while I am objectively achieving my goal, the code feels messy and hard to follow. At this point, I aim to just get it working by the end of the day, then stop. In the morning, I usually have a much better sense of how to refactor the code.

grasshopperpurp 5y ago
Same experience with Rocket League. A few years ago, I had a couple months between jobs, and my brother was in a similar spot, so we'd hang out and play Rocket League a fair amount. I slowly got better, but I only improved significantly after some time away from the game. Now, we might play once every few weeks or once every few months. Takes a bit to knock off the rust, but once we get going, I almost always notice some unexpected improvement - dribbling, positioning, and transitions from ball to car cam are the areas that seem to improve the most. Love the game, but it's not high on my list of areas I want to improve, and I'd definitely improve more with shorter breaks (days instead of weeks or months) and more time playing.

LegitShady 5y ago

>"An experiment began when a subject was shown the code “41234” on a screen and asked to type it out as many times as possible for 10 seconds and then take a 10 second break. Subjects were asked to repeat this cycle of alternating practice and rest sessions a total of 35 times." To me this doesn't sound like it's testing a skill at all. It's testing short term memory, maybe. 10 seconds on 10 seconds off to test your ability to memorize a string of numbers and type them out isn't the same thing as testing a skill.

matwood 5y ago

I recognized this is how I best learn a long time ago. It meant that I could never cram for tests. But, once I learn something I usually really learn it. You're right though that days or weeks is usually my timeline. For example, if I want to learn some new tech I will jump in and tinker until I get to some spot that is beyond what I understand. Take a few days or weeks, and when I come back the base has solidified making it almost trivial to move on. I also just noticed the same thing with training Jiu-Jitsu. I had to take a long break because of covid. While I was obviously rusty on my return, I had a bunch of skills solidify while I was gone leading me to see many more details than before I had to take a break. Learning is a lot like weight lifting. It's the breaks between sessions where the strength gains occur.

TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
I made an adage some years ago: Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect, it can also make you habitually wrong. --- I've trained, I don't, 50 apprentices. They all learn faster of they can do a short stint on a new task, say 10 to 29 mins, then come back to it after at least one sleep. They almost always develop bad habits if you make then do the new task all day because they'll get either overly focused on some inconsequential aspect of it, it lose interest because they're not good at it, or sone such.
- kortex 5y ago
  I've heard this stated as "practice makes permanent ", especially in the context of physical arts, and also safety culture. Once you start getting sloppy, it's time to context switch.
  - tartoran 5y ago
    Very applicable to musical instruments and arts as well. At least to me
  - User23 5y ago
    This is also very true for marksmanship.

dorkwood 5y ago

I have a feeling there are different tiers to this phenomenon. Take a 15 minute break, and you'll be better at that piano piece you've been practicing intensely for the last hour. Take a week long break, and you'll be better at painting those landscapes you've been studying for the last month.

rvn1045 5y ago

In sports training this is called super compensation. Usually you tax yourself for some period of training and then take a short break. Your body will recover to the initial level of fitness you had + you make some new gains. When your return to training your stronger/faster than before.

ycombinete 5y ago

I recently started piano, and noticed this. I’d find a set of finger movements impossibly frustrating. Work on it for 30 minutes then give up. Then sit down the next day or two later and just be able to do it. It’s given me a whole new perspective on how I can learn complex things over time.