How to learn technical things like a pro and not get overwhelmed - A beginner's guide

So much to learn and so little time!  Are you a beginner in tech and feel overwhelmed by the plethora of programming languages and technical frameworks out there? By the innumerable, often conflicting opinions of people in the industry? You may be thinking to learn JavaScript, HTML, and CSS because the web development scene is hot on Twitter. But perhaps you're also intrigued by data science and ML. But what about DSA? You've to learn that as well because you must get into competitive programming as soon as you can. And you've to contribute to open source and manage college and walk your dog and…  Hey, stop! I might as well be talking to myself again.

Don't worry if you're going through this dilemma right now, you're not alone. I've faced this predicament myself and wasted a considerable amount of my time, but I'm writing this blog so that you don't have to.  Before we get into the details of how to best navigate it, I want to let you know that you have enough time to learn and explore all that you want. Your feelings are valid and genuine, they come from the realization you have of your potential and intelligence. You want to grow and expand your horizons. You don't want to put yourself in a box. Nothing stunting will ever come out of that mindset. You just have to learn how to learn multiple things and how to learn them well.  

So let's get into it!

1. Go quiet in your head

The first step is to get rid of all that clutter in your head. Let's do it this way. There are small mischievous rats running around there. One by one, grab them, lift them up, and place them in a jar. When finished, tighten the lid of the jar and throw it into the ocean. Done? Okay, let's proceed.  

2. Focus on one thing

The surest way to learn nothing is to try to learn everything at once. You've to understand that people who are good at multiple things didn't learn them all at once. The key is to learn one thing for a certain period of time, master it or at least reach intermediate level, and only then move on to the next thing. You've to decide your priorities for yourself. Sit down, think it through, and choose what matters to you the most. Although, it's perfectly okay if you can't decide just yet. You can try out a little of everything that interests you. It'll help you orient yourself properly in the right direction. You can do it. You've time. The world isn't ending. Well, at least I hope it's not!  

3. Plan things quarterly

Plan your quarters or semesters. Once you've decided your top priority, you can plan other things around it. Your priorities may shift with time, but the most important thing is to plan ahead. This is how I've planned my quarters:

• Quarter 1: Data science basics.
• Quarter 2: Backend development with flask and Django.
• Quarter 3: SQL and Data science advanced.
• Quarter 4: Machine learning and TensorFlow. Of course, I'll be learning DSA as well as managing college, but I'll know my goals, and I'll figure out a way to achieve them.  

4. Fine tune the details

Now you must plan everything that'll help you accomplish your quarterly goals. Below are a few tips:  Follow structured courses rather than straying from one YouTube video to another. Avoid tutorial hell. Always practice along. Set weekly goals. Measure your progress. Do a personal project at the end of each quarter to validate your learnings. 5. Believe in yourself and stick to the plan, This is perhaps the most important step of all. Work according to the plan and work diligently, but be patient with yourself. You might not be able to finish all the tasks in your to-do list some days. Things may get hard. You can take a day or two off. You can even change your plan if it doesn't work for you the way you expected. But what you mustn't do is give up.  Just trust the process and go on. Believe me, greatness is coming!  

Thanks for reading.