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Ask HN: How do I stay motivated to learn?

• hlawson 11y ago
  Some things that I have found useful: - Set 2 or 3 learning topic goals - write these down - Identify what the best resources are available to learn that topic, purchase them (making a financial commit to it helps drive me too), ensure you have a mix of reading, audio and video material - Find out who the bloggers are in those topic areas and subscribe to their blogs, getting regular news articles and posts helps keeps me motivated - Join a user group in your local area so you can meet other people to engage in discussion about the topic - Lock in a few hours over the weekend or in the evenings to go to a cafe or to sit at your desk with a coffee and go over the material - Write about the topic, talk to your friends and colleagues about the topic, do a presentation on the topic to a user group This is the process I have been following for years since I left university and has helped me master new technologies and business management theories.
• glass_of_water 11y ago
  What do you want to learn and why? I think you'll get better advice if you're more specific.
• deleted 11y ago
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• deleted 11y ago
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• rhgraysonii 11y ago
  For me it has always been having a project to apply it to. In college that was always my problem. All thought/review/quizzing, never 'building a thing'. Figure out WHY you want to learn what you think you want to learn and contemplate until you have something you could build (even if its a 'pointless' toy application or library) and do it. An example: I wanted to learn more about the innards of git. So I built Gkv (http://www.github.com/ybur-yug/gkv http://www.github.com/ybur-yug/gkv). It helped a ton. And it ended up even getting me some imaginary internet ego points. Heh. edit: Upon looking over my repos. It appears just about every one in the top 5 was inspired by "I wanna learn about this. I shall document the process and make a thing". So, I guess this has worked really well for me.
  • sova 11y ago
    Yes! Having something to apply knowledge to is magnitudes more effective than learning for sake of learning. Start with something simple like "I want to make a website in this language" or "I want to be able to have a conversation in Japanese" or "I want to be able to build my own cabin in the West." The path you take for learning is shaped by what you want to do. So your question might then take the next logical step: what are things I should apply myself to? Ideally, whatever you do benefits more than just yourself. If you search for needs that people have, you can find very effective ways of helping people and alleviating stress in the world. Elon Musk basically had a vision: I wanna colonize space, I wanna make rockets. He had no prior understanding of how rockets were made, but he had the beautiful vision, the happy goal, and everything else fell into place. Strive for a beautiful vision that helps many achieve prosperity and you can't go wrong with how the journey shapes itself.
  • wutbrodo 11y ago
    This is completely OT but just FYI, the "Contributor Covenant" link at the end of your README.md is broken.
    • rhgraysonii 11y ago
      Woopsy. Thanks! I switched it off the code of conduct stuff to just be all DWTFYWPL. Will fix today.
• swaroop 11y ago
  Use Pomodoro technique. I had written about my favorite book on the subject a few years ago - http://www.swaroopch.com/2011/01/17/pomodoro/ http://www.swaroopch.com/2011/01/17/pomodoro/
• sirgawain33 11y ago
  Instead of "buckling down", I have found the opposite the be pretty effective. William James explains: "If, namely, we wish our trains of ideation and volition to be copious and varied and effective, we must form the habit of freeing them from the inhibitive influence of reflection upon them, of egoistic preoccuptation about their results. ... Say to yourself, 'I won't waste another minute on this miserable thing, and I don't care an iota whether I succeed or not.' Say this sincerely, and feel it; and go out and play, or go to bed and sleep, and I am sure the results next day will encourage you to use the method permanently."
  • NY_hudson 11y ago
    after all...what is life for? we should all learn how to enjoy it ;-)
• arcade123 11y ago
  do you have sufficient requirement to learn I believe it has impact on your motivation Like me I don't have high-end PC to learn 3d modelling and animation
• justinrohrer 11y ago
  Learn through experience -- find something you're passionate about building or a problem you're passionate about solving. Don't focus on being productive or creating revenue.
• TerryADavis 11y ago
  Talk to God. Learn divine intellect and wisdom. You will become a superior lifeform.
• chestervonwinch 11y ago
  Recognize that you can't be motivated all the time. Recognize when you are. Then attack! I've never retained anything when I'm trudging through material just to get through it.
  • ratsimihah 11y ago
    Good suggestion. If you just do nothing, there must come a point when you feel so guilty wasting your time that motivation will come naturally. If it doesn't, so be it. What's the point of anything, anyway?
    • chestervonwinch 11y ago
      Don't do nothing! Do anything but that!
      • ratsimihah 11y ago
        Why not?
• rayxi271828 11y ago
  What was your thought process like when you decided to beat around the bush instead of getting to learning? Was it that you'd thought the subject to be "good to know more about", but did not find interesting enough? I bet there have been at least a few subjects that fascinated you enough to stay awake at night and ignore all the other distractions/quick gratifications. What are they and how are they different from the ones that you somehow never get to learn?
• rokhayakebe 11y ago
  When I understood learning and reading are not necessarily task to enjoy, everything became straight forward from there. A simple comment changed my perspective. The guy/gal said something I understood as: "People ask me all the day how is it possible I read sooooooo many books. Is it fun? Do I have something special? Well no, reading is hard, it's a chore, it's work. It's no fun at all, I do it because it's for my betterment. I read everywhere and at any time: while eating, while waiting for the bus, in the bus, on a 10 mn break. If you understand this won't be fun, you'll get along and get to it." "Everybody wants to look good, but noone wants to lift those heavy ass weights."
• siavosh 11y ago
  For me, it comes down to a couple things: 1. If it feels like drudgery, don't force yourself. 2. Be patient , and look for inspiration. A couple years ago, I had lost interest in learning new languages or side projects. I picked up woodworking and have pursued it actively since. Being away from the computer has helped me recharge my batteries. Through woodworking, I got motivated to build a blog aggregator for all the woodworking blogs I followed. I picked up ruby, node, and redis to build the site that's now being used by other woodworkers. Recently I finished some sci-fi novels, which I rarely read. Some technology and themes in the book inspired me to get back into learning about AI, something else I had gotten burnt out about since grad school. Now I'm learning Clojure to implement some ideas. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from a well known woodworker: “We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our lives” - James Krenov Good luck!
  • siavosh 11y ago
    Can't help myself, but another quote that might resonate with some: “Working alone poses problems of discipline and aims, and you have to get on lifelong terms with your work and yourself. For most of us, in the beginning stages and perhaps always, it’s a condition of struggle and discovery and secret satisfactions. Sometimes you are not making as much money as the plumber…, but you are alive with your work, and I think that one of the important points to keep you going is that you enjoy it-not hobby enjoyment or periodic enjoyment, but the enjoyment of being with it. That, of course, means that you must save your energy, you must develop methods of working with wood that lead to a sort of harmony, a satsifaction that you are, with a minimum of effort, achieving the maximum of sensitivity. You are saying what you want to say, finally, and you’re doing it in a way that, despite all the sweat and hard work, gives you satisfaction. This is the way you want to live.” — James Krenov, A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook
• NY_hudson 11y ago
  I'd say get rid of the Internet at home. That's the number one distraction. Personally, I can't read more than a paragraph online without jumping to another page...so just kill that beast. Here's an example...I have all the documentation I could ever want right on my hard drive, but I might spend a few frustrating hours surfing the web trying to figure out something out instead of looking at what I already have. Some other ideas...have a pipeline and modest goals. Be happy if you read 45 minutes every day and don't think you need to read giant text books to learn. Find slim books! 150 pages max. But get really, really good books from the masters in your chosen field.
  • davnicwil 11y ago
    I understand what you're saying, but the internet is the most enabling technology in history for learning.. to not use it at all because you might misuse it is throwing the baby out with the bathwater and doing yourself a serious disservice. Avoiding procrastination is about discipline - if it's a problem, address the root cause, don't just chop off the leaves (sorry for the terrible analogy). Compare it to say, quitting smoking. If you want to quit smoking, do you ban yourself from entering all places that sell cigarettes, and cut off contact with all your friends who smoke? Of course not! If you truly want to quit you ought to be able to go anywhere, do anything, talk to anyone, and still not smoke. It may not be pleasant but being able to do that == being able to truly control the problem.
    • NY_hudson 11y ago
      This is only my personal take on things. For me, the internet is like water...you can find it anywhere...especially the library. In one hour at the library I can download all the webpages I need onto a usb stick. Generally, I go 4-5 months without having the net at home, 2-3 weeks with having a connection just to update my system and download a bunch of youtube videos ;-)
    • rory096 11y ago
      >If you want to quit smoking Just poison your whole pack! But seriously, for those who don't want to deal with fixing their lack of discipline right now, I highly recommend SelfControl and its counterparts on other platforms. Block the procrastination-inducing parts of the internet like reddit and HN, keep all the important parts it's impossible to learn without, like StackOverflow. (Restrict it for less and less each day, and maybe you'll find yourself weaning yourself off like cigarettes. I haven't made it that far yet.)
• imd23 11y ago
  1. Force yourself to find inspiration anywhere possible (you need new perspectives) 2. Get an idea that moves you 3. Do it 5. You learned without noticing 6. ?? 7. Profit
  • amirouche 11y ago
    Profit doesn't always mean money.
• staunch 11y ago
  Mark Cuban's advice may be relevant: http://blogmaverick.com/2012/03/18/dont-follow-your-passion-follow-your-effort/ http://blogmaverick.com/2012/03/18/dont-follow-your-passion-...
  • hueving 11y ago
    Why do people take advice from him? He had one successful business that seemed to be all lucky timing (selling before the bust). At this point he just gets attention because he has money. He doesn't have any useful skills anymore because he hasn't done anything for years.
    • staunch 11y ago
      He was born poor and made himself rich well before Broadcast.com made him a billionaire. Regardless, good advice is good advice.
    • sireat 11y ago
      Mark Cuban is actually a rare example of someone who bootstrapped from smaller successful businesses into larger ones. His success with Microsolutions led him towards creating AudioNet -> Broadcast.com . Sure, he benefited from nice timing, but also he was quite smart about protecting his windfall(that infamous Yahoo collar trade:http://investmentxyz.blogspot.com/2006/05/cubans-collar-anatomy-of-famous-trade.html http://investmentxyz.blogspot.com/2006/05/cubans-collar-anat...). I really can't speak about his activities since 2000, but most of it has seemed quite sane and sensible.
• myth_buster 11y ago
  I think it's important to pace yourself. I get demotivated when I don't meet target or when I find the task too intimidating. The former is because I didn't set realistic expectation and didn't chalk my path carefully. The latter is because I'm looking at a very high level. I try to break them into smaller chunks which by themselves are self-sufficient and a project. Secondly, I think it's perhaps important for some to be involved in multi-disciplinary pursuits. In school/college it was easier as there were many subjects and you would go round robin on them or some other algo. That way there was a freshness to things and your mind doesn't get saturated which may drag your pace and eventually you may not end up meeting your targets. I think quite famous people have this behavior like Einstein/Violin, Knuth/Organ and even Sherlock Holmes had one which Doyle mentioned helped him get his mind off the case and come back invigorated. :) Look around for inspirations. I've now understood that most of the things that are of value require years of discipline, which bring you to the place where you could do the things you set out to do. A younger me never understood this. We currently live in a society of instant gratification which also glorifies short term achievements. I think it's a probabilistic model and the odds of success at very young age are quite low and they are outliers as there are certain circumstances beyond once control which catalyzed it. Inspiration can come in many forms... I got quite inspired by the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi [0]. Celebrate your successes. Nothing motivates one better than seeing one making progress. So spend some time to stop and look behind and see where you started and where you have reached. Perhaps documenting your progress can help you recollect easily. [0]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772925/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772925/
• mkagenius 11y ago
  Plenty of good advice here. I would like to add that although motivation is good but its fickle, it might ditch you for days if not weeks, so its better to have discipline when you want to get something done. Like, finishing the project you started couple of months back. Discipline is very hard in the beginning but once you get it, it will be very very helpful and easy to finish/achieve goals.
  • NY_hudson 11y ago
    I think this is true. It is a question of what you are filling up your mind with. If your thoughts are full of what you are working on, then you stay focused. But, when you wander it is hard to regain that discipline. Sometimes it is good to take a detour and focus on things related and try to finish them off first...that can help get you back on track.
• olalonde 11y ago
  This "Ask HN" might interest you: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9823985 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9823985
• wkcamp 11y ago
  You seemingly answered your own question. That is to stop beating around the bush. Let me tell you my brief story--I taught myself how to program originally because I was all hyped up from the movies (the black screens, binary numbers, etc) and thought it would be the "cool" thing to do. Well, the hype died--quickly. I waited and waited for that adrenaline rush/motivational burst to sporadically come into my life. Nothing came of it. So I was disappointed. To learn you can not just rely on motivation (though it certainly helps), but rather you must rely on your discipline. Teach yourself to follow guidelines, set small goals and gradually increase them. This process will enhance your learning potential exponentially. Just discipline. That's all it takes. You have to power through that, even if it seems so hard. On another note, I read Hacker News and read many articles on subjects I want to learn to rejuvenate me if I feel disappointed or, unmotivated. Good luck!
• bojanstef 11y ago
  Discipline.
  • jndetlefsen 11y ago
    Screw motivation, what you need is discipline. http://www.wisdomination.com/screw-motivation-what-you-need-is-discipline/ http://www.wisdomination.com/screw-motivation-what-you-need-...
• justinzollars 11y ago
  If you have to ask this question you are in trouble.
• zanethomas 11y ago
  how can you not be learning all the time?
• ANaimi 11y ago
  Build something and tell everyone around you that you're building it. Celebrate the small wins with them (share progress).
• duncanawoods 11y ago
  I can recommend a coursera course that could help you. Its short and always open so doesn't require waiting for it to start: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn What I like about it is that its created by a neurobiologist and an engineer so it combines understanding of brain function combined with practical methods to work around its limitations like procrastination and concentration. I expect everyone will have a different take away but for me, it was the role of how chunking not just involved in learning but procrastination. When we approach something unstructured, the complexity can generate the type of discomfort that leads to procrastination. Seeing that chunking not only helps the brain remember something but helps it stay on mission has been helpful.
• stewbrew 11y ago
  Maybe you just haven't found the right angle/perspective on the subject in question yet. If other things interest you more, either change your take on the subject, approach it from a different angle that's relevant to you or don't waste your time and learn something else. I don't think forcing yourself to learn something you have no genuine interest in works on the long run.
• ccorcos 11y ago
  The answer: What do you want to build?
• thomasreggi 11y ago
  Buddy system? I need a buddy. Anyone need a buddy? I've been coding deep for a couple of days straight. I've gotten to the point where I'm just filing github issues and stackoverflow questions for everything. I just started picking on my package manager. I could really use a buddy.
  • thomasreggi 11y ago
    To add some context to this. Surround yourself with successful people, if you have to listen everyday to people who are making things and making progress It might help motivate, or not. Just a thought.
    • thomasreggi 11y ago
      And by successful people I mean, whatever that means to you. Not saying i'm necessarily successful.
• codethief 11y ago
  Motivation (and discipline) comes and goes, even for successful people that are truly passionate about the things they do. (There are studies that self-discipline is actually quite similar to a muscle that gets increasingly tired over the course of the day. Thus, it's easier to get something done in the morning than in the evening when you have probably already forced yourself to do multiple things.) That's why you need to make the things you want to do continuously – in your case: learning – a habit, i.e. a daily or weekly routine. If you make it a habit, you won't need motivation anymore and you won't even question whether you should learn right now or rather do something else. You will simply do it. If not, the habit will actually make you feel bad by depriving you from various hormones that make you feel happy. So, in this sense, a habit is quite similar to an addiction – but in a good way. For further reading you might want to look into Charles Duhigg's "The Power of Habit". If you're a procrastinator, "The Now Habit" by Neil Fiore might also be of value to you. Update: Several other suggestions made here (such as getting rid of the internet or using a buddy system) can be interpreted in terms of getting rid of a bad habit or as to how to implement (i.e. learn) this learning habit exactly (a buddy system is one way).
• pknerd 11y ago
  Unlink your learning with motivation and it should make things easier for you.
• curiousjorge 11y ago
  if something isn't interesting, there better be a reward that's worth my time. if it is interesting, then usually that itself is enough to stay motivated. for example, it's really tough to tolerate all this angularjs, reactjs stuff because I've always built my web apps using jQuery, it's hard to justify being more verbose for the sake of keeping up with a trend when it is counter productive for me. Even more harder So a good reward here is money or an established project that is interesting and front end framework was a requirement.
• Ayietim1 11y ago
  The motivation comes when you understand that effective, efficient and continuous learning improves the memory capacity, it keeps the mind sharp and alert and, it will help you stay focused on the most important things in life. Build the habit of learning often so as to maintain an active mind in order to avoid the embarrassment of lost of memory. http://ayietim.wordpress.com http://ayietim.wordpress.com