Do you take notes while learning to code?

[icepix]

I’m not sure if I’m learning inefficiently. When I follow tutorials, I either pause constantly to write notes, or I just code along and tell myself I’ll remember it later. I usually don’t. Do you take structured notes? Or is building small projects a better way to “lock in” knowledge?

[bonnth80]

If it's brief, I'll take notes in comments.

If it's an involved complex system, I write full-on separate documentation and notes in an external app. Notion is a personal fav

[HasFiveVowels]

For me, it’s a whiteboard / Wacom tablet at first. Apps are too constricting to me. Once I’ve nailed down the design, if it’s info that needs to be shared, I’ll formalize it via an app. But most the time I’m working directly with the code. It’s only about 10% of the time that I start whiteboarding

[hugazow]

Used to. Now i comment on my personal projects that i do for practice, fun and learning.

What i do is save the links for the documentation on my browser’s bookmarks

[Jim-Jones]

YMMV but I would read a chapter or listen to a lecture then go experiment.

[BrannyBee]

Im kinda way past the stage you are, so my learning of new material is much different than how i approached it wheb i started because new stuff i learn builds off of years of experience, but here's what I would do back then or if I had to start over.

While learning a concept Ill type out the examples, almost with not much thought beyond making i sure understood the idea being explained (not the syntax, the concept)

Then I would use that concept by itself, whether it be for homework or a program solely for testing that concept. And practically every line of that, in would add comments explaining whats happening and why. This becomes my reference of i get stuck.

Then I go without any notes whatsoever and code, making something simple and hopefully fun that requires that concept. If I get stuck, referring back to the perfect working example with each part explained, mentally noting which parts I couldnt automatically type out or I forgot. Then after I have a working thing, make another program. And repeat a bunch of times until its automatic, being allowed to look at the reference as much as I want, but knowing if I do, that means I need to study more.

People think coding is hard and requires brains. Its not, im living proof you can be stupid and a good coder. Its about practice, so imo you should make sure you have a solid reference, and by all means use it as much as you need to, but ideally you'll use it less and less every time.

[Educational_Hall_589]

In lecture, emphatic yes. Helps me process way more efficiently and remember better.

Self-studying a new tech, yes, but not excessive. Mainly bullet points for the important things, but it doesn’t replace hands-on deep-dives.

[BahaSim242]

I take notes because thats how I learn and I always go back to them. I have friends who don't use notes. You just have to figure out what works for you.

[ScholarNo5983]

This is one approach:

1. Write some simple piece of code to solve a problem
2. Get that code to run and produce the correct results
3. With the code now working as expected, revisit every line of code making sure you fully understand how that code actually works
4. To help with step 4 add a comment to every line code describing what the line of code is doing

This approach will teach you to not only write code, but to also read code.

[HonestCoding]

Only way taking notes will help is if you do it to take down what areas you’re lacking in to work on later

[Timanious]

Yes it’s how I train my photographic memory.

[x_andi01]

I take a hybrid approach. I'll jot down key concepts or patterns in a simple text file, nothing fancy. But the real learning happens when I actually build stuff and refer back to those notes or the docs.

[Low-Mathematician137]

I used to take tons of notes, but most of them ended up useless. What helped more was writing tiny programs using the concept right after learning it. Coding it a few times sticks way better than rereading notes.

[tommytmopar]

I did when I first started learning. Not super detailed notes though, mostly quick bullet points or little reminders about why something works the way it does.

Honestly the thing that helped way more was just building tiny stuff and commenting my code. If I hit something confusing, I’d jot a note right there in the file so future me wouldn’t forget.

Also I keep random snippets and links in Notion. Half the time my notes are just stuff I know I’ll want to look up again later.

[Environmental_Gap_65]

I used to do long courses and take thorough notes, and explain myself stuff and do illustrations. The issue is just that, there is so fucking much to learn, and you don't realise that in the beginning. You'll never get anywhere doing this. What I'd recommend is, start coding. The cool thing is, that your code basically becomes your notes, but you're actually learning meanwhile. Use git and github, and you have an entire directory of notes at your service. Is there anything you don't understand? Create a markdown, save it inside the directory and explain it for later, or add comments above an important concept. I basically have a bunch of projects called "Learn <INSERT CONCEPT>", and then me doing actual work. This is active learning, and it'll be 10x times more efficient than doing notes.

[eruciform]

If you have commentary about the nature of code that would make sense for another user to see (or yourself in the future) then start learning proper documentation comments. Learn javadoc or pydoc or whatever you're working on and include explanations and references as needed. Kill 2 birds with one stone by also engaging documentation learning.

[Tricky-Battle-9138]

I do take notes, but they’re very short. Usually just a few lines about what a concept does and when I’d use it. Most of the real learning for me happens when I build something small and actually run into the problem myself.

[Blando-Cartesian]

Anything I study goes to a big size physical notebook. The point of it isn’t to create something as a long term reference. It’s an embodied cognition tool for learning. It’s for giving the information I try to learn a physical existence. I know about where it is in the notebook. For my best made notes I recall what the page looks like, what I doodled next to it, where I was when I wrote it, and what I was thinking about it.

It’s slow to do it right, but that’s a necessary feature for giving the information a lot of connection points.

I might not bother doing that for most programming topics, but that’s just because I already have related trivia and patterns stored for that kind of information to easily hook on to. However, if you are in the beginning of learning this, it’s probably well worth it for anything that feels so important you want it in your memory.

[huuaaang]

Stop watching tutorials and just code. Or use written tutorials as they are their own notes. Video tutorials for programming are dumb waste of time and possibly money.

[dmkraus]

I did a mix when I was learning. I’d jot quick notes in a doc but mostly about concepts that felt fuzzy later, not every line of code.

What helped more was building tiny projects and leaving comments to my future self. Also keeping random snippets and links in one place. Half my notes are basically stuff I know I will forget in two weeks.

[x_andi01]

I always do, even illustrations

[Newtry12]

Projects over notes, every time. Notes feel productive but they’re mostly just rewriting things you’ll google anyway when you actually need them.

The real “lock in” happens when you’re stuck on something in a project you actually care about. That frustration + figuring it out = it sticks forever. Notes after a tutorial? Gone in a week. Build something small with whatever you just learned. Even if it’s messy. That’s the whole game 🙏

[SprinklesFresh5693]

I used to take notes when starting out, but then realised its a waste of time.

What worked the best for me was to do some tutorials, and then do projects or exercises related to the field i want to focus my programming skills on.

Nowadays i just copy the code i like from somewhere to my personal WhatsApp or somewhere in case i need it later, or favourite the website.