To be ready to learn is to be in the right emotional and mental state, a state of openness and willing to work. Be confident. Hard work can feel painful, so take breaks to recharge not just mentally, but also emotionally.
Learning is both memorizing and connecting — it’s just dots and dashes. It’s both data and creativity. The different levels of connection can lead to different utilities.
The more the data points, the easier it is to notice a trend, to make connections, to be creative. One can start making connections from the very get go (which I highly recommend), but in practice, commonly discussed ideas need a critical mass of understanding to make sense.
There’s definitely an Pareto ratio where the early learning can bring you very high ROI. Languages have it, music has it, any STEM subject has it.
From (4) and with my personal learning style, I like to bootcamp through till I feel comfortable with the subject. This helps me get comfortable with the subject and also get the basic intuition of how things work in that domain.
As much as bulldozing it nice, it also needs a lot of well thought out breaks. There’s only so much cramming one can take in before feeling stuffed. It’s a feeling to notice. Brains work in the background too. Let it work for you, not you working for it.