
Ask HN: How do I stay motivated to learn? - devcheese
There are a lot of great things I want to learn but I find it hard getting myself to buckle down and get in the process of learning. How have you found ways to stop beating around the bush and get to learning?
======
rhgraysonii
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.

~~~
wutbrodo
This is completely OT but just FYI, the "Contributor Covenant" link at the end
of your README.md is broken.

~~~
rhgraysonii
Woopsy. Thanks! I switched it off the code of conduct stuff to just be all
DWTFYWPL. Will fix today.

------
NY_hudson
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
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.

~~~
sheepmullet
"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?"

Yes, actually that's a great way to quit. Find out what triggers you and avoid
it. Changing your environment is incredibly beneficial.

"It may not be pleasant but being able to do that == being able to truly
control the problem"

Who cares about controlling the problem? It's not a drug addiction where a
single relapse can ruin your life. If a simple environment change allows me to
spend 2 hours learning each night instead of on hackernews... Well that's a
win.

~~~
davnicwil
> Who cares about controlling the problem?

Well, if procrastination is liable to hinder you in buckling down to learn
things, it's pretty important to find a way to really control it. Otherwise
HN/the internet will be just be replaced by some other distraction offline.

How likely is it that your procrastination is really limited to whatever
manifestations it currently has on the internet, rather than being a general
problem you have to correct?

If it really is limited to certain sites, then getting offline or blocking
those sites is a reasonable productivity hack, but otherwise you're just
sidestepping the real issue and it'll only come back to bite you in other ways
later, no matter how many times you change your environment.

~~~
sheepmullet
"Well, if procrastination"

I don't think procrastination is the problem with most people spending time on
learning. Personally, I've found it is simply an issue with
distraction/focus/energy/motivation like going to the gym.

I've spent an hour learning per work day for the last two years simply by
going to the park after work and reading books/writing in my notebook. I've
missed maybe a dozen days in the last year. Yet, if I get on my computer at
home intending to study... i hardly ever end up doing anything useful.

------
sirgawain33
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
after all...what is life for? we should all learn how to enjoy it ;-)

------
staunch
Mark Cuban's advice may be relevant: [http://blogmaverick.com/2012/03/18/dont-
follow-your-passion-...](http://blogmaverick.com/2012/03/18/dont-follow-your-
passion-follow-your-effort/)

~~~
hueving
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.

~~~
sireat
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-
anat...](http://investmentxyz.blogspot.com/2006/05/cubans-collar-anatomy-of-
famous-trade.html)).

I really can't speak about his activities since 2000, but most of it has
seemed quite sane and sensible.

------
myth_buster

      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
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
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.

------
codethief
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).

------
duncanawoods
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.

------
siavosh
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
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

------
swaroop
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/)

------
rokhayakebe
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."

------
chestervonwinch
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
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
Don't do nothing! Do anything but that!

~~~
ratsimihah
Why not?

------
wkcamp
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!

------
olalonde
This "Ask HN" might interest you:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9823985](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9823985)

------
justinrohrer
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.

------
rayxi271828
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?

------
stewbrew
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.

------
thomasreggi
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
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
And by successful people I mean, whatever that means to you. Not saying i'm
necessarily successful.

------
glass_of_water
What do you want to learn and why? I think you'll get better advice if you're
more specific.

------
imd23
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
Profit doesn't always mean money.

------
ANaimi
Build something and tell everyone around you that you're building it.
Celebrate the small wins with them (share progress).

------
bojanstef
Discipline.

~~~
jndetlefsen
Screw motivation, what you need is discipline.

[http://www.wisdomination.com/screw-motivation-what-you-
need-...](http://www.wisdomination.com/screw-motivation-what-you-need-is-
discipline/)

------
pknerd
Unlink your learning with motivation and it should make things easier for you.

------
ccorcos
The answer: What do you want to build?

------
zanethomas
how can you not be learning all the time?

------
curiousjorge
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.

------
justinzollars
If you have to ask this question you are in trouble.

------
hlawson
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.

