If you find yourself reading a lot of technical information but not retaining much of it for practical use, you'll enjoy some of the suggestions in this Hacker News thread where a user asks:
Do you also feel you retain nothing after reading a technical book?
I'm definitely in this situation myself. I have way too many feeds and newsletters to keep up with. The few things that I do read thoroughly I find don't stick with me too long unless it's something I'm directly involved with in some way at the time.
The top suggestion in the thread covers this very concept, encouraging readers to not just read but put what they're reading into action. It's an obvious answer, but it's easy to become lazy amidst the avalanche of information we get in tech every week.
Other suggestions from the thread include:
- A recommended course on "learning to learn"
- Take notes then condense the notes on review
- Read only what you find interesting, don't just read for the sake of it
- Spend time contemplating the information
- Teach what you learn to others (or pretend to teach it to an imaginary other)
- Use the Socratic method of asking questions
There are more good suggestions and related points in the thread (which is from January 2022) so it's worth a read if you find your technical reading is hindered of late.
Now on to this week's hand-picked productivity links!
