Preface

Hey, you! Yes, you- I’m doing something new. You’ve stumbled upon my first public journal entry. I’m not sure what prompted me to start writing out my thoughts - I’m not even sure I will continue to write them down.

Perhaps it’s the novelty of the act. Or perhaps, I like the idea that not even my thoughts are truly my own - a sort of intellectual voyeurism - freely available, the world over, for everyone to see (think [understand]). Whichever the case (I hope it’s the former and not the latter), there’s a first time for eveything (I guess).

I may leave this entry unfinished for a while. I may complete it and never revisit it. I may not even post this entry, regardless, these thoughts will continue to haunt me, until, someday, I write them down.

Journal Entry

Until recently, I never really considered that I wasn’t learning anything as much as I was engaging in rote memorization. And indeed, it was just rote memorization- I know, now, that it most of it was superficial: I would grasp concepts, feel like I’d sufficiently understood the material, and move on- only to end up forgetting all that I had learned.

But what exactly does it mean to learn? Learning does not just constitute rote memorization; it takes time, effort, and mastery to be able to understand a concept in all its depth, and then some more, to be able to explain it simply enough that everybody gets it. Yes, I stole that school of thought from somebody else- possibly Einstein, Feynman or Rutherford (the quote is probably still misattributed anyway).

On the Importance of Writing

Writing is just as important to learning as it is to thinking. If I was teaching somebody, I would start by teaching them how to teach - this will make it easier to disemminate information. It will also illustrate the difference between the mind of the learner and that of the teacher. All life-long learners pick up this skill at some point MIT’s OpenCourseWare even has a course on this on youtube.

The key to mastery lies in repetition. Mastery over anything requires effort- discipline, and thousands of hours spent repeating mundane tasks, repeating definitions, noting down key takeaways. If I were to begin learning something anew, I’d make sure to put it into practice from day one. Teaching a willing partner helps out a lot as well. It’s also why I run this website, in addition to holding me accountable, it provides for an easily accessible outlet for my learnings.

Reading is just as important to learning as writing. When you read, you are taking part in absorbing information. The act of reading informs your thoughts, it opens you up to the possibilities and discoveries of those who came before you, so you need not “reinvent the wheel”. You are able to rely on the expertise and the discoveries of your peers, and your forefathers for that matter- I think that’s neat.

In Summary

Key Takeaways:

1. Mastery requires at least 10,000 hours. Be patient, results will come.
2. Use it or lose it - practice what you learn from day one!
3. Learn how to write. It will teach you how to think. The converse is also true.

Where to start:

1. Look it up on YouTube or ChatGPT. You’re just starting out- don’t overthink it!
2. Teach someone if you can.
3. Start a Blog.
4. Traditional methods- pen and paper.
5. Quiz yourself. Better yet, quiz a partner.
6. Read. Start with stuff you like, then pick up more challenging books.