Wes's Research

I have come to accept that I’m really not smart. I’m slow, forgetfull, concepts never seem to stick, I have to force myself to not take things for granted.

Congratulations! You have just discovered that you have an asset! Forgetfulness, an awareness of one’s limitations and an understanding that learning can be challenging are all things that actual newbs are not aware of. You no longer suffer from hubris.

Your newfound recognition of your limitations is the foundation upon which you must build and shore up a structure for acquiring new knowledge, outlining plans which recognize your limitations and executing these plans in a predictable manner.

These problems are the same problems that most programmers (hell, most people) face. This is what the life-hacking movement is about. It is about understanding that we are all human, and that improvement in our lives requires recognition of our weaknesses.

If something is not working for you, what you should do is look for alternative methods to achieve your goal. If you do not absorb knowledge through reading books or theories, perhaps reading code would be better for you, or perhaps you are a social learner and need to talk to other programmers about what it is that they do.

Remember that every challenge is an opportunity. There are even people who have turned their quests for self improvement into niches and businesses in their own right. If you see something that doesn’t make sense to you, it may not make sense to other people. If you find a way to make a task easier, others might find it useful too.

I hit the point you’re at about 5 years ago. I’m beginning to feel competent and trust my ability to build things. There’s a lot more that i want to learn and become better at. It’s a long process, but many have tread the path before you, and many will follow in your steps.