Tweaking My Learning
As an older senior software engineer, I picked up JavaScript gradually by using it -- looking up what I needed when I needed it. That works, and as long as you get things done, it’s usually good enough. Learning by doing is often recommended because it tends to stick.
The downside is that it can leave gaps in your knowledge. Mine sometimes feels like Swiss cheese. The problem is the “unknown unknowns” -- you don’t know what you’re missing.
At the beginning of April 2026, I came up with an idea for a web application. I don’t expect to make much (if any) money from it, but I’m building it anyway. Since revenue isn’t the goal, I’m treating learning as the return on my time investment. To that end, I’m currently reading JavaScript - The Comprehensive Guide by Phillip Ackermann. It's just under 1,000 pages; at 50 pages per day, I plan to finish it in about three weeks.
So far, most of what I’ve read is familiar. I created a document in Obsidian for things I didn’t already know. For each item, I add a header with the page number and a short title, followed by my own explanation. When I’m done, I have an AI review it. It often reduces the size of the text, sometimes points out misunderstandings, and occasionally adds useful details. I then copy the revised version back into Obsidian, overwriting my original.
An example entry in the Obsidian document showing my notes on Tag Functions;
much (!!) of this info is not in the book.
The workflow now looks like this:
- I read the book; most of it is familiar, so progress is fast
- For new material, I write it out in my own words in Obsidian
- An AI reviews it and helps catch mistakes
- If something isn’t clear, I question the AI and verify its answers
- I copy the result back into Obsidian, making minor tweaks for brevity
This process helps reinforce what I already know while making sure new information is understood correctly. The repeated exposure helps with retention, and if this is still not enough, I have a document for future reference.
This approach works best for deepening existing knowledge rather than starting from zero, but for that purpose, it’s both efficient and reliable. I'm definitely going to use it again for the next refresher!