Learn by skipping the details

Learning is usually motivated by a specific goal. The goal isn’t really about learning itself. You’re learning because you want to ship a product, speak a new language, or play the guitar.

The problem is most of us get caught up in every little detail. In programming, we want to know the exact syntax before we write a single line. In language learning, we study grammar rules but never actually speak. When learning guitar, we obsess over music theory, when really 4 basic chords is enough to get started.

The people who are okay skipping the details get there faster. The fluent speaker who never read a textbook. The developer who can ship an app but might not know how to remove an event listener. The musician who can play a song without knowing all the notes.

You go back and learn things later, or as you go. Putting something into practice makes you love it and want to get better at it.

If you wait until you’ve learned everything, you’ll never get anywhere.