Self-education: let me invite you on a trip!
Hi, Habr.
Some time ago, I was eager to learn web design and any programming language. And, of course, I had a logical question "where to start." Moreover, the situation was aggravated by the fact that I had no experience in web design or programming at all.
What to do? How to learn the most? Where to go and what to grab?
Through various trials and mistakes, I have developed a convenient self-learning system for myself, which I would like to tell about (what if someone is useful to you too?).
')
For a start, many thanks to Habra and the habrews, from the articles and comments of which I made unreal amount of useful information. I was extremely inspired by the idea of ​​creative blocks from this topic, which I took as the basis for self-study.
First you need to decide what you want to learn. Do not be lazy to answer yourself the questions about why you need it, what it will give, whether you are really interested. It helps a lot to choose what you can actually learn for a long time, enjoying the process.
For example: I had a desire to learn how to sew. I got a bunch of manuals, textbooks, sat down for them and realized that the process itself was boring for me. I was annoyed by chewing the basics. I wanted to rather sew the conceived complex outfit. This was a hitch - I wanted not to learn sewing, but quickly get the desired result, so the learning process itself was perceived as an annoying waste of time.
Try as much as possible to specify for yourself what you will learn. Suppose, for example, “I want to learn how to program” turns into a desire to learn a specific language, and “I want to learn web design” - a choice of a specific activity (websites or applications? Is it only a design or layout too?). So it will be easier for you to search for materials for further education.
So, you chose what you decided to learn. Take a piece of paper, a pen and draw a diagram on which you try to display what you think your chosen subject includes. Break your goal into small parts that you will need to master.
For example: One of my goals is web design. Since this is a rather voluminous concept, I have broken it for myself into the following subgoals:
a) the theory of design (here I included everything related to the web and non-web areas regarding user perception - combinations of colors, fonts, usability);
b) layout (html, css);
c) mastering the tools (Photoshop, in my case).
Chose subgoals? Fine. Now it is time to find materials on them and correct, if necessary.
Look for articles, tutorials, thematic blogs - everything that meets your chosen sub-goals. Pay attention to the fact that the findings correspond to your level of perception, were clear and comfortable to explore.
For example: Personally, I found for myself everything in Habré, rummaging through thematic sections and Q & A. As a rule, comments are as helpful as the topics themselves, and often more useful.
I copied all found references and recommendations into a text file, then looked through, read reviews and decided whether I needed it or not.
In the process of searching, I had to correct my initial list of subgoals - for example, the “layout” was broken up into “layout: theory” and “layout: practice”. Thus, I received the following list with which I decided to start:
a) design theory (Steve Circle “Don't make me think!”);
b) layout: theory (Jeffrey Zeldman "Designing with Web Standards");
c) layout: practice ("30 Days to Learn HTML and CSS" with Nettutsplus);
d) the development of Photoshop (lessons with Nettutsplus).
This is where the most interesting begins (what I mentioned at the very beginning) - a system of creative blocks.
For starters, I recommend honestly admitting how much free time you have per day that you could spend on training. Do not plan in the style of "come after work and free."
First, piling over something for more than 2 hours without a break is too heavy and is fraught with a decrease in productivity.
Secondly, you can have quite different household chores and other activities that you would like to spend time on.
In general, your task now is to choose a specific number of times in which you can do exclusively training.
For example: I chose for myself 1.5 hours on weekdays and 2.5 hours on weekends.
Here, for example, my schedule for a normal weekday:
6 - 6.30 - I get up and put myself in order;
6.30 - 7.30 - a creative block (yes, one of my creative blocks is half an hour, but I always try to form a gap with floating borders for this, making contingency discounts);
7.30 - 8 - I get to work;
8 - 17/18 - work;
17/18 - 19 - dinner, housework;
19 - 20 / 20.30 - 2 creative blocks;
20 / 20.30 - 21 - rest;
21-21.30 - translation;
21.30 - 22.30 - the affairs of the site;
22.30 - 23 - rest;
23 - 23.30 / 00 - Ruby;
23.30 / 00 - 00 / 00.30 - bath, then sleep.
As you can see, I have a lot of floating borders at time intervals. I try to make a discount on various circumstances and not to drive myself "in debt of time" in front of me.
I have a few gaps for rest. This is necessary to relieve the brain a bit (sometimes I play something, just lie on a bed or continue to do something from a schedule or creative blocks, if I am very passionate about it).
So, you have chosen the amount of free time on creative blocks. For example, 2 hours a day.
First, decide for yourself what working period is optimal for you and your brain. How much can you continuously learn something, perfectly assimilating everything?
For example: For me, this is a half-hour period, then my attention decreases, I start spinning, running around for tea, trying to open a browser, and so on.
Suppose this is an hour for you.
That is, you can optimally spend 2 hours a day on 2 blocks (one hour each). Fine!
Secondly, choose the best time for learning. When no one bothers you? When you do not pull? When do you best assimilate information?
Put the unit at this particular time. Try to make a creative block your habit (you do it every day, at the same time, regularly). Then you will notice that by the appropriate time you are already ready to engage in training, and you no longer need to pre-configure yourself.
I would strongly recommend having creative blocks at a time when no one will interrupt you. During the block you are just learning. Everything, this is your time for study, not for running around at work, not for conversations with the second half, not for solving some problems. Only study exactly 1 creative block.
Third, take your list of learning objectives and their sub-goals and think about how many blocks you would like to give each item. So, following our previous example, you can devote 2 hours each day to 2 creative blocks of an hour. Total: 7 days * 2 hours, where 1 hour = 1 creative block. It turns out 14 blocks.
Distribute 14 blocks between your goals and sub-goals, assigning each a certain number, in accordance with the importance and complexity.
For example: Here is my schedule for web design:
(9 + 3 + 4 - 90,5 - layout; 30,5 - theory; 40,5 - photoshop)
0.5 (layout - theor)
0.5 (layout - theor)
0.5 (layout - theor)
0.5 (layout - pr)
0.5 (layout - pr)
0.5 (layout - pr)
0.5 (layout - pr)
0.5 (layout - article)
0.5 (layout - article)
0.5 (theory - circle)
0.5 (theory - circle)
0.5 (theory - circle)
0.5 (flash - splint)
0.5 (flash - splint)
0.5 (flash - splint)
0.5 (flash - article)
So, as you can see, I added some more blocks for reading feature articles and blogs.
Fourth, you can continue to deal with the blocks as you prefer - to plan concrete blocks for the whole week ahead and make them static; to choose blocks in the morning to suit your mood (as I do, for example, every day has a different schedule, but within a given number of blocks per day and a course chosen in advance) and so on.
I would advise to mark something else done in order not to get confused: you can create a schedule for every day at once, by writing down all the blocks, or you can simply make a list of them and cross out what was done (and so every week).
Fifth, do not forget to take the time to adjust your blocks. After selecting a schedule for the week, update it to the next one at the end of the current one. You may already learn something, and you will want to re-form blocks or add something more time, and something less. Do as you like.
From my own experience:
Have a nice trip. You will definitely learn everything you want. Do not hurry. Do not doubt. Do not throw. And the results will definitely appear.
Some time ago, I was eager to learn web design and any programming language. And, of course, I had a logical question "where to start." Moreover, the situation was aggravated by the fact that I had no experience in web design or programming at all.
What to do? How to learn the most? Where to go and what to grab?
Through various trials and mistakes, I have developed a convenient self-learning system for myself, which I would like to tell about (what if someone is useful to you too?).
')
For a start, many thanks to Habra and the habrews, from the articles and comments of which I made unreal amount of useful information. I was extremely inspired by the idea of ​​creative blocks from this topic, which I took as the basis for self-study.
Stage 1: Choosing a Direction
First you need to decide what you want to learn. Do not be lazy to answer yourself the questions about why you need it, what it will give, whether you are really interested. It helps a lot to choose what you can actually learn for a long time, enjoying the process.
For example: I had a desire to learn how to sew. I got a bunch of manuals, textbooks, sat down for them and realized that the process itself was boring for me. I was annoyed by chewing the basics. I wanted to rather sew the conceived complex outfit. This was a hitch - I wanted not to learn sewing, but quickly get the desired result, so the learning process itself was perceived as an annoying waste of time.
Try as much as possible to specify for yourself what you will learn. Suppose, for example, “I want to learn how to program” turns into a desire to learn a specific language, and “I want to learn web design” - a choice of a specific activity (websites or applications? Is it only a design or layout too?). So it will be easier for you to search for materials for further education.
Stage 2: Draw a map
So, you chose what you decided to learn. Take a piece of paper, a pen and draw a diagram on which you try to display what you think your chosen subject includes. Break your goal into small parts that you will need to master.
For example: One of my goals is web design. Since this is a rather voluminous concept, I have broken it for myself into the following subgoals:
a) the theory of design (here I included everything related to the web and non-web areas regarding user perception - combinations of colors, fonts, usability);
b) layout (html, css);
c) mastering the tools (Photoshop, in my case).
Stage 3: Choose a route
Chose subgoals? Fine. Now it is time to find materials on them and correct, if necessary.
Look for articles, tutorials, thematic blogs - everything that meets your chosen sub-goals. Pay attention to the fact that the findings correspond to your level of perception, were clear and comfortable to explore.
For example: Personally, I found for myself everything in Habré, rummaging through thematic sections and Q & A. As a rule, comments are as helpful as the topics themselves, and often more useful.
I copied all found references and recommendations into a text file, then looked through, read reviews and decided whether I needed it or not.
In the process of searching, I had to correct my initial list of subgoals - for example, the “layout” was broken up into “layout: theory” and “layout: practice”. Thus, I received the following list with which I decided to start:
a) design theory (Steve Circle “Don't make me think!”);
b) layout: theory (Jeffrey Zeldman "Designing with Web Standards");
c) layout: practice ("30 Days to Learn HTML and CSS" with Nettutsplus);
d) the development of Photoshop (lessons with Nettutsplus).
Stage 4: Plan your trip
This is where the most interesting begins (what I mentioned at the very beginning) - a system of creative blocks.
For starters, I recommend honestly admitting how much free time you have per day that you could spend on training. Do not plan in the style of "come after work and free."
First, piling over something for more than 2 hours without a break is too heavy and is fraught with a decrease in productivity.
Secondly, you can have quite different household chores and other activities that you would like to spend time on.
In general, your task now is to choose a specific number of times in which you can do exclusively training.
For example: I chose for myself 1.5 hours on weekdays and 2.5 hours on weekends.
Here, for example, my schedule for a normal weekday:
6 - 6.30 - I get up and put myself in order;
6.30 - 7.30 - a creative block (yes, one of my creative blocks is half an hour, but I always try to form a gap with floating borders for this, making contingency discounts);
7.30 - 8 - I get to work;
8 - 17/18 - work;
17/18 - 19 - dinner, housework;
19 - 20 / 20.30 - 2 creative blocks;
20 / 20.30 - 21 - rest;
21-21.30 - translation;
21.30 - 22.30 - the affairs of the site;
22.30 - 23 - rest;
23 - 23.30 / 00 - Ruby;
23.30 / 00 - 00 / 00.30 - bath, then sleep.
As you can see, I have a lot of floating borders at time intervals. I try to make a discount on various circumstances and not to drive myself "in debt of time" in front of me.
I have a few gaps for rest. This is necessary to relieve the brain a bit (sometimes I play something, just lie on a bed or continue to do something from a schedule or creative blocks, if I am very passionate about it).
So, you have chosen the amount of free time on creative blocks. For example, 2 hours a day.
First, decide for yourself what working period is optimal for you and your brain. How much can you continuously learn something, perfectly assimilating everything?
For example: For me, this is a half-hour period, then my attention decreases, I start spinning, running around for tea, trying to open a browser, and so on.
Suppose this is an hour for you.
That is, you can optimally spend 2 hours a day on 2 blocks (one hour each). Fine!
Secondly, choose the best time for learning. When no one bothers you? When you do not pull? When do you best assimilate information?
Put the unit at this particular time. Try to make a creative block your habit (you do it every day, at the same time, regularly). Then you will notice that by the appropriate time you are already ready to engage in training, and you no longer need to pre-configure yourself.
I would strongly recommend having creative blocks at a time when no one will interrupt you. During the block you are just learning. Everything, this is your time for study, not for running around at work, not for conversations with the second half, not for solving some problems. Only study exactly 1 creative block.
Third, take your list of learning objectives and their sub-goals and think about how many blocks you would like to give each item. So, following our previous example, you can devote 2 hours each day to 2 creative blocks of an hour. Total: 7 days * 2 hours, where 1 hour = 1 creative block. It turns out 14 blocks.
Distribute 14 blocks between your goals and sub-goals, assigning each a certain number, in accordance with the importance and complexity.
For example: Here is my schedule for web design:
(9 + 3 + 4 - 90,5 - layout; 30,5 - theory; 40,5 - photoshop)
0.5 (layout - theor)
0.5 (layout - theor)
0.5 (layout - theor)
0.5 (layout - pr)
0.5 (layout - pr)
0.5 (layout - pr)
0.5 (layout - pr)
0.5 (layout - article)
0.5 (layout - article)
0.5 (theory - circle)
0.5 (theory - circle)
0.5 (theory - circle)
0.5 (flash - splint)
0.5 (flash - splint)
0.5 (flash - splint)
0.5 (flash - article)
So, as you can see, I added some more blocks for reading feature articles and blogs.
Fourth, you can continue to deal with the blocks as you prefer - to plan concrete blocks for the whole week ahead and make them static; to choose blocks in the morning to suit your mood (as I do, for example, every day has a different schedule, but within a given number of blocks per day and a course chosen in advance) and so on.
I would advise to mark something else done in order not to get confused: you can create a schedule for every day at once, by writing down all the blocks, or you can simply make a list of them and cross out what was done (and so every week).
Fifth, do not forget to take the time to adjust your blocks. After selecting a schedule for the week, update it to the next one at the end of the current one. You may already learn something, and you will want to re-form blocks or add something more time, and something less. Do as you like.
A few notes from a seasoned traveler:
From my own experience:
- Avoid the over 9000 tutorials. I got into it. I constantly came across textbooks better and better, and I clutched at one thing, threw it, clutched at another. Do not. Just spend more time choosing a material. If there are several favorite books or courses, select one and write the rest somewhere. As soon as you finish the first, you can choose another and continue to learn.
- Try to combine theory and practice. Initially, I tried to study the layout by reading a single theory. The reading was stored in my head for some time and safely disappeared. It is easier to remember and understand something, applying it in practice. Invent yourself an exercise, a project, a task — anything, and work on what you have learned.
- Over time, I came to the conclusion that it makes sense to write down what was learned. I usually use the Cal Newport recommendations for this (I write in the form of "question-answer" - I formulate a question from what I read, write the answer to it in theses, combine the theses into a brief conclusion). It is useful to once again formulate for yourself the read and then look for the necessary information easily.
- Do not tune in to the fact that learning something is easy, and a straightforward piece from simple to complex, in which you will gradually move. Because with this attitude it is easy to merge on any snag, having justified myself “I can’t, I don’t understand, I don’t, it means it's not mine.” Sometimes there will be downtime, sometimes you have to go back, and this is normal. Water wears away the stone, as they say.
Have a nice trip. You will definitely learn everything you want. Do not hurry. Do not doubt. Do not throw. And the results will definitely appear.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/144742/
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