writings of a personal documentarian

85% of the way through the process of gaining a deeper understanding of these techniques [my goal being to share my knowledge with interested humans!]. Looked at the notes that I had written out a year ago, on Apple Pages. It was covered in cobwebs, random and unorganized.

One afternoon, after an impulsive decision, I shared a mnemonic language-learning hack with a co-worker. The best way to self-test is to explain it to another person.

Eased myself into this “refreshing phase” by listening to podcast episodes that I’ve saved before as well as episodes from a Spotify playlist I curated before. I put the notes [into different categories by theme & from the different blog posts that I had read before] into an offline plain-text file instead of Apple Pages.

Also listened to articles in audio format, listening to an AI, [sometimes three times] while working at my day job.

Some of these strategies [that I’ve written about in posts before] I’ve applied to this so-called “accelerated-learning refresher learning-project.” Before work in the afternoon, after I drove on the freeway and arrived in the downtown parking lot, I implemented the ‘two-min rule’ by starting ‘retrieval-practice’ and ‘free recall’ and then leaving it there, uncompleted. I did this by writing down everything [on a blank page in my composition book I got from Savers] that I retained in my memory about what I had just looked at in my new and updated plain-text notes.

On the page were the notes that I had drugged up from my memory. At least I wrote something down for two minutes.

A few days later, I walked on an avenue I really like near my house in Millcreek Utah; Stratford Ave in Highland Park. Feet hit the pavement leisurely while reviewing my notes again [for one more free-recall sesh outside]. I really enjoy walking on Statford Ave, seeing the ivy-streamed fences, the color-covered houses. It reminded me of the time back in 2018 when I would walk in the Fan District in Richmond, Virginia, pretty much doing the same activity that I was doing here.

When I was reviewing my notes, saying out loud the concepts that confused me, there came up a lot of questions. These questions are in another plain-text file. I’ve decided to write all of my content first in plain-text files.

These questions are awaiting answers, but they are there for now, in checklist form [‘a concept checklist’]. The important thing is taking imperfect action. I don’t have expertise in this specific sphere of self-education, but I have semi-expertise which I can use for my own learning-projects down the line and to share with the goal of assisting others with theirs.