A quick intro - I did my BS in Electrical Engineering and Masters in CS. For almost 5-6 years, I've worked on variegated software stacks, but mostly in the kernel and low level storage and networking stuff. As a result, I have been largely ignorant about front-end, ML, web services, distributed systems etc.
Two of my quirks are - I get a little nervous/insecure if I come across something that I don't know. I think it's cultural and the way I was raised - to be good at multiple pieces at once. I try to overcompensate for this by almost immediately trying to pick up the technology by picking up a book or signing up for a course but I almost always never follow through. Over many years of working, I've realized that one of my best ways to learn that has stuck is by doing. The ones that I've spent time on, I have almost always spent nights working on a small project that has reinforced my learnings and myelinated by neurons.
But as I try to expand more and more, I realize that this is a grossly inefficient. I can't afford to spend more and more time on all these technologies given my current job and also other things in life. I have a fairly simple social life and I almost always never watch TV or any other shows. I had hobbies but I don't really indulge in many of them. All of this is adding up to my stress levels and that's showing up in life and work as well.
So how do I effectively learn and at the same time enjoy the fruits of life without actually stressing the F out?
Two of my quirks are - I get a little nervous/insecure if I come across something that I don't know. I think it's cultural and the way I was raised - to be good at multiple pieces at once. I try to overcompensate for this by almost immediately trying to pick up the technology by picking up a book or signing up for a course but I almost always never follow through. Over many years of working, I've realized that one of my best ways to learn that has stuck is by doing. The ones that I've spent time on, I have almost always spent nights working on a small project that has reinforced my learnings and myelinated by neurons.
But as I try to expand more and more, I realize that this is a grossly inefficient. I can't afford to spend more and more time on all these technologies given my current job and also other things in life. I have a fairly simple social life and I almost always never watch TV or any other shows. I had hobbies but I don't really indulge in many of them. All of this is adding up to my stress levels and that's showing up in life and work as well.
So how do I effectively learn and at the same time enjoy the fruits of life without actually stressing the F out?