How to take notes when learning something hard
How to take notes when learning something hard: not copying the docs, but turning what you read into understanding you can use again. Three questions to start.
When we learn a hard topic, we tend to copy down a lot. A week later the notes are useless, because they're only a copy of the original material.
Write it in your own words
After each section, close the material and write the main idea again as if you were explaining it to a beginner. Wherever the writing doesn't flow is where you haven't understood yet.
Write down questions, not just answers
- What surprised me?
- What does this contradict in what I already knew?
- What will I use it for this week?
Turn your notes into something you publish
The best notes are the ones you publish: a blog post, a README, a short talk for your team. Having to explain something to other people forces you to put your thinking in order.