I do the same. Read enough about the topic that I'm sort of aware of what's possible and to get some terminology right. After that it's project time. If I don'

I do the same. Read enough about the topic that I'm sort of aware of what's possible and to get some terminology right. After that it's project time. If I don't have a project of some sort it's impossible for me to get going. Then picks the simplest sub-problem, and build from there. If it is something I absolutely need to know how to do, then I do it over and over only muscle memory kicks in. When I need to learn how to use LVM I most have create, delete, recreated expanded, reconfigured and killed a hundred volumes.