If you don’t learn how to learn, online learning will fail you; and it will fail you badly.

Here’s what you can do to succeed.

(A thread )

(pic from: https://www.behance.net/gallery/91092325/Meditation-Mountain-Photoshop-Manipulation)

I have insider info from several online learning portals (that I won’t disclose) but you won’t be surprised to know that almost “no one” finishes an entire online course end-to-end; the majority of courses are purchased and never-looked-at; or just consumed halfway-through.

Why?
I call it, the bookshelf syndrome.
Having your favorite books in your bookshelf gives you a false sense of security as if you have already read them.
So you never read them.

Srsly, have you read the Mythical Man-Month cover-to-cover, or do you just know the summary?

And there are other things. Like shifting priorities.
Your work gets in the way, your family gets in the way, your life gets in the way.
If you do not "set a routine" and a schedule, you’ll lose interest, you can be certain of that.

This is really important:
Set a time and place for your learning activities
(as in, on my desk, without distraction, every night at least an hour, starting at 9pm)
and follow your routine religiously.

What else…
Some do not continue the courses because they feel guilty of not accomplishing enough in a given timeframe.…

You know what:
Screw all those badges, gamification points, progress indicators, “course completion” certificates.
They mean nothing. Focus on learning, not measuring your progress.
Because your “actual” progress requires way more things than just watching a video anyway.

Like, for example, actually practicing your skills as you learn; building something useful, reading-related material, visiting and re/visiting related/unrelated concepts.

Your learning is non-linear; so you cannot measure your progress in a linear fashion. Don’t try it, and don’t let those pesky progress indicators discourage you.

You are not a number; and you learn at your own pace, and you learn in your own way.

Learn how you learn.

Next, depending on your level, some of the material may feel repetitive or boring. It is perfectly okay to skip a lesson, or listen to it at 3x, if you know the concept inside out.

The next issue is the inherent anxiety of commitment.
It might feel the opposite of what I said about forming a routine above, but you are not a robot. And you are not obliged to complete a flawless streak of learning for 100 days.
You want a break a day or two, take it.

You feel like garbage? Screw that day.
Go read a book, or play some videogames, or do whatever that makes you feel better.

You are not a robot.
And there is no shame in taking a break to charge your batteries.

The next thing is the medium.
Most of the courses are video tutorials.
And it is hard to follow a video content, especially if it is optimized to teach a lot in a limited amount of time, to give you the best value for your money.

Solution?
Don’t just watch the video.
Pause the video; try to mimic what the instructor does.
Try to solve the problem the instructor is solving before they do.
Take your time.
And after you consume enough content: Practice; build something of your own.

This is also important; don’t assume that the video is the only thing you need to learn the subject.
- Read the lesson notes.
- Read any additional resource that the lecturer points out in the video.
- Read the official API docs.
- Read the official examples and tutorials.

Don’t optimize your learning experience to learn stuff in the shortest amount of time.
Optimize your learning experience to learn stuff slowly, gradually, in-depth, at your own pace.
So that when you learn it, you learn it for good; you know it, and it sticks.

Learning is not easy.

You cannot fake learning.

Learning requires time, attention, intention, and dedication.

So give yourself the time you deserve.