When you set out to learn a new topic, you want answers to these questions: What topics should I learn first? What learning tactics should I use, and how do I apply them? How do I retain everything I’ve learned? Enter Principles of Learning. It’s a free learning guide that…

Most people want to get better at problem-solving, but aren’t sure how to go about it. So they default to what I call the “problem-solving treadmill.” The problem-solving treadmill is all about quantity: solve as many problems as quickly as possible. Solve one problem, move along to the next. Solve…

Programmers often mistake a working program for an effective one. Their code could be a nightmare to read and debug. It could take forever to run. It could be filled with poorly named variables. No matter. As long as their code works — that is, it yields the correct result…

The hosts of the Crafting Code podcast raise an interesting question on an episode about deleting code: is code an asset or a liability? It’s a good question to consider, since most of us think we make something better — from a recipe to a piece of art — by…

I was like a fish out of water without my laptop by my side. I needed a new computer battery, so I left my MacBook at the Apple store. I was hoping that they’d simply swap out the old battery with a new one on the spot. That was wishful…

You’ve probably heard of deliberate practice: an intentional and informed type of practice that’s used to enhance performance.[1] It means entering your practice with purpose, rather than mindlessly going through the motions. …

Programming is a fantastic skill to develop. But, as a self-taught programmer, I’ve found the learning process unnecessarily ambiguous and complex. I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out what to learn (and when to learn it), which resources to use, and how to learn a vast number of technical…

Something about Julia Child caught my attention. This American author, teacher, and television personality is famous for bringing French cooking to America. Indeed, mastering the French cuisine and having such a remarkable cooking career is impressive. But what’s equally impressive is that Child found her “life’s calling” — French cooking…

There’s so much new and dense technical information coming at you when you begin learning to program. How do you learn and retain it all? That’s a question I’ve asked myself many times on my own programming journey. In an attempt to find an answer, I’ve experimented with many learning…