"sam is typing..."

It’s hard to learn new stuff - but it’s an important part of both my job and my hobbies. I have a full time job. I believe in the importance of time to relax. I have a broad range of interests. It can be difficult to find time to learn and do all the things that I want to, because everything gets in the way of everything else.

I noticed that even when I only looked at things a little at a time, if I approached it right then understanding would still trickle in over time. I didn’t have to set aside entire weekends to tackle something new, I could spend half an hour a few times a week instead and I’d still get it done.

This might not be efficient, but it is effective. It works for me.

The way I write these little blog posts isn’t too far away from this either. Every day I open my text editor, have a quick skim through the 20-or-so drafts I currently have and write little pieces here and there. Sometimes a new idea is fresh in my mind and I create a new draft.

This works so well for me. Some days I write 500-1000 words. Other days I write 50-100 words. It doesn’t really matter, every day I skim through my ideas and every day I end up writing something.

I keep meaning to go rewatch Rich Hickey’s talk on Hammock Driven Development, because I’m sure there’s parallels there. I’m not sure watching that a few seconds at a time would work, though.