Feynman: if you can't explain it to a 12-year-old, you don't really understand it.

Modernized: if you can't write it down, you don't really understand it.

How I learn#

Finish a technical book → write a 1500-word "what I learned" essay. No looking back at the book allowed.

This exposes everything I thought I understood but didn't. Wherever I get stuck, I go back and re-read that section. Then write again.

Two or three iterations move knowledge from recognition to recall.

The cost of not writing#

Without writing, you can read along going "yes, got it." You close the book. Three days later, when you go to use it: 70% of the details aren't there.

Reading-comprehension is recognition. Writing-out is recall. Different by orders of magnitude.

This site#

Many notes here are products of this — I'm learning something, force myself to organize, publish to add accountability.

The discipline of finishing applies: write and ship is when learning actually completes.

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