[CHRONICLE#1] - Writing as a learning compass
Navigating "a sea" of information
If we perform a simple Google search like "learning about [insert topic]", we will find an overwhelming amount of information with a simple click.
Ideally, after this first phase we would pick a resource(or a series of resources), start learning, and as we become more skilled in what we are trying to learn, switch to more advanced resources.
However, very often the reality looks like this:
- We pick a resource and start learning
- We encounter another resource (book, video, article etc) that we think is better
- We restart from this new resource
- We repeat the process
This is something many people are familiar with (myself included), and it is so common that there is even a specific term for it: tutorial hell .
We could also think of it as"being stuck in the noise", but there has to be a better way.
Differentiating the signal from the noise
Searching about the term noise on Wikipedia, we find the following definition related to communication systems:
In communication systems, noise is an error or undesired random disturbance of a useful information signal in a communication channel.
Given the above definition, we can think about the signal as the "useful information" we want to obtain.
Writing as a way to improve learning
It is clear that the above process is not a very effective strategy, as it keeps us stuck in the early stages, jumping from resource to resource, in other words: "it keeps us in the noise".
Moreover, if we look at research about learning, one thing seems to be well established: In order to be effective, learning has to be active, meaning that we have to engage with the material by hands-on practice, testing ourselves on it, writing about it etc.
With this in mind, I started looking for a strategy that would help me "default" to active learning and help me connect the things i learn to form a clearer picture. Writing seems to be a very effective way to do this. To quote American author WIlliam Zinsser:
Writing is thinking on paper
So i decided to create this blog as a personal project to document my learning journey, improve my skills, and get better at "differentiating the signal from the noise."
Stay tuned and happy learning!