> 1. Explain things - either to my co-workers or to the computer.
That is SO true. Explaining things to others is a great way to make sure you really understand something. Hence the old saying "to truly understand something, you must teach it".
I'm ashamed to have forgotten to include this point in my response, but I think people looking to learn new things should make it a point to look for opportunities to teach / lecture / explain / whatever, as much as they can. What has worked well for me is volunteering to present at the local Linux User's Group or Java User's Group or something like that. It forces you to really do a deep dive into a very focused area for a while, to make sure you can do it justice.
That is SO true. Explaining things to others is a great way to make sure you really understand something. Hence the old saying "to truly understand something, you must teach it".
I'm ashamed to have forgotten to include this point in my response, but I think people looking to learn new things should make it a point to look for opportunities to teach / lecture / explain / whatever, as much as they can. What has worked well for me is volunteering to present at the local Linux User's Group or Java User's Group or something like that. It forces you to really do a deep dive into a very focused area for a while, to make sure you can do it justice.