

Ask HN: How to deliberately practice life-long learning? - hotshot


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MalcolmDiggs
For me, the biggest thing is just making time for it. If I don't schedule
continuing-education into my week then it's not going to happen.

If you're fortunate enough to have an employer that encourages this practice,
(ask them if you're not sure) they may help you out with the costs of
attending conferences, buying textbooks, taking classes, getting certified,
etc. In theory, their return on investment should be quite high for this.

But even if you're a freelancer (or work a job that doesn't promote life-long
learning) there's still quite a bit you can do. My big 4 are: Meetups,
conferences, whitepapers/articles/books, and the occasional class (either
online or in person). Some of these cost money, others don't. But once you
make them part of your normal routine, it'll feel like second nature. You'll
look back with utter contempt on those days when your skillset stayed stagnant
for months.

~~~
petervandijck
"Meetups, conferences, whitepapers/articles/books, and the occasional class
(either online or in person)." -> those are all good, but none of those are
what's technically known as deliberate practice.

~~~
MalcolmDiggs
I see your point, but I think it depends on _what_ you are deliberately
practicing. I would argue that if engaging in those activities regularly _is_
what you want to be good at (if those activities are an end not just a means
to an end), then simply making time for them and _just doing it_ , would be
deliberate practice.

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RollAHardSix
Dedication and focused practice. I'm going to leave this here, several of the
same principles can transfer. Purpose, living with intention and not living
life running on auto-pilot.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggYF7JeH1Tw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggYF7JeH1Tw)

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ctseng01
Try Coursera.org - the classes are of decent quality, even the free ones are
really, really good. Make yourself do it. I only completed half of the classes
I signed up, but that's better than nothing....

