Outside formal study.
WHERE IT HELPS
Working out what to learn first Explaining as you go Answering the questions a beginner has and cannot easily search Reviewing your attempts Suggesting what to practise
HOW TO START
"I want to learn [skill]. I know nothing about it. What should I learn first, in what order, and what should I practise?"
Then work through it, asking questions.
WHAT IT CANNOT REPLACE
Practice. Reading about a skill is not having it.
A model can explain how to play an instrument. It cannot make your hands work.
FOR REVIEWING YOUR ATTEMPTS
Where you can describe or show your work, feedback is genuinely useful.
"Here is what I produced. What is wrong with it?"
THE SCEPTICISM TO KEEP
In an unfamiliar field, you cannot evaluate the explanation.
Verify against a proper source for anything that matters.
THE HABIT THAT WORKS
Learn, attempt, get feedback, attempt again.
Not: read explanations indefinitely.
