What methods do programmers prefer to use when learning new subjects or technologies

Question

When you are learning a new subject or technology what ways do you use to remember your achievements ?

In the past I have used a variety of methods including some of the following :-

• Paper-based Journal (A4 paper cut in half with a guillotine, and bound with a plastic spine.) I keep this chronologically, and frequently reorder the pages to group continuations or similar pages together.
• Emails - I frequently email snippets of code to myself
• Test programs - Short self-contained snippets of project code.
• ProtoPage.com - web based repository of notes.
• Memory - frequently the least reliable method, but occasionally it's better.

Finally :-

• Stack overflow - I previously asked a question on here as I was working on the solution. Then came back to provide my own answer. Is this an acceptable use of Stack overflow ? Banging in questions as I think of them, and then coming back to provide an answer an hour, few hours, or maybe days later whn I've worked through it. Maybe coming back in the meantime to see what answers I'm getting, maybe providing me with new directions to try.

I was tempted to create a blog where I can store all these kinds of voyages of discovery I have but I think there may be greater value putting it on here.

Thoughts, opinions, and your methodologies girls and guys please.

Answer 1

If you build a core library for all your applications, you can use that for reference/commenting etc. You dont need to remember the full implementation of code, you just need to rememeber a reference to where it is (which is naturally/structurally categories by your code)

Answer 2

The thing is a Blog is exactly the means to achieve what you are wanting to. Its an online reference, allows for collaboration and you won't get shot to pieces when you post "random" questions on SO all day long, and answer them in a week when you find the answers.

SO is basically Q&A whereas a blog is a running counter of your problems and solutions to your coding problems.

It doesn't hurt either, can get some nice recognition from your blog, and gain yourself some reputation/followers in a community.