When I start learning a new library or SDK, I usually prefer reading the official documentation and experimenting on my own instead of following videos or courses. However, I'm not sure how to use the documentation efficiently. Should I read and take notes on most of it, or focus on building small projects and looking things up as I go? What techniques help you learn and retain the important concepts without wasting time on information you may never use?
2 Answers
You generally don’t need to memorize the entire documentation. Most of it covers features you may never use. Read the getting-started material to learn the basic structure, then start implementing something and search the docs whenever you get stuck. Repeatedly using the same concepts is usually more effective than trying to absorb everything in one pass.
I treat documentation as a reference manual rather than a textbook. Skim the overview, installation steps, and basic concepts first so you understand how everything is organized. Then build a small project and return to the docs whenever you need a method, option, or example. After looking up the same thing a few times, it usually starts sticking naturally.
That makes sense. I’ve been studying Django and taking notes on fundamentals like models, views, and database management because I want to build a website. I’ll try combining that overview with more hands-on practice instead of trying to memorize everything.
So the cycle is basically read a little, implement, look things up, and repeat. I was worried that needing to return to the documentation meant I was learning inefficiently, but it sounds like that’s a normal part of the process.