being able to communicate what you’ve learned is one of the main skills that differentiates a good developer from a great one (IMHO).

When facing procrastination, think of process over product. I often procrastinate when I’m overwhelmed by the thought, “Ok, I have to get X done”. Instead, it can be beneficial to think, “Ok, I will spend an hour on X” — which isn’t overwhelming, doesn’t require a long breakdown of tasks, and gets me started (90% of the battle)

Know when to apply a particular concept is as important as knowing how.

Spread it out over many sessions and over many different modes of learning.

test yourself as you’re encountering new material. Recall is a simple example of this mini-testing.

taking a couple minutes to summarize or recall material you are trying to learn

Recently, I found this great application called Highly (you should use this!). They make it really simple to highlight any article that I’m reading on the web using a Chrome extension.

Highlighting or underlining are also techniques that often lead to this illusion of learning. On the other hand, brief notes that summarize keys concepts are much more effective.

First, survey and priming — this involves scanning a book or the syllabus of a course, for example, to get a general idea of the bigger picture. Second, observe an example. Then, do it yourself. And, finally, do it again and again in different contexts.

take breaks, meditate, think about other things, and give yourself plenty of time in both modes.