When teaching a child to speak we tend to speak very slowly and over-emphasize the sounds. By doing this the child is better able to hear what the words should sound like. When first learning to play the piano, a student is taught to strike the keys firmly, so that the sound is loud and clear. Subtlety and nuance come after the student is able to hit the right keys in the right order! In the same way when you are learning a new skill, overdo it!
When learning something new, it’s often helpful to slow down and exaggerate the movements. Push the limits so that you know where they are. So, for instance, if you are learning new typing skills, slow down and really punch those keys! If you’re reading code, print out the code and use highlighters and pencils to mark it up rather than the editor on your computer.
If you’re learning a new refactoring method or design pattern, rework the example code over and over again – as if you were grinding your crayon into the paper. Or take a random piece of code (https://developers.google.com/code-search) from somewhere online and mark it up. Be creative and have fun with it!
The important thing here is to learn the nuances of doing it slowly, while also figuring out where the boundaries are. At what point does it stop working or become counter-productive? What are some nuances about this technique that I wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t try it this way?
How might you overdo what you are learning today?