Escaping Tutorial Hell Part 1: The 20-Minute Rule (Active Recall)
We have all been there. You buy a 10-hour course. You watch the whole thing. You nod along, feeling smart because you understand ev... ...ery step the instructor is taking. Then, you open the software to do it yourself... and your mind goes blank.
"Wait, which menu was that in? What was the setting?"
This is called the Illusion of Competence. Just because you understand the logic while watching, doesn't mean you have acquired the skill. You were passive. The instructor was driving the car, and you were just the passenger looking out the window.
The Problem: The "GPS Effect" Following a tutorial step-by-step is like driving with a GPS. You get to the destination, but you don't learn the route. If the GPS turns off, you are lost. To learn the route, you have to turn the GPS off and struggle to find the way yourself.
The Solution: The 20-Minute Rule Stop binging tutorials like Netflix. Learning requires Active Recall. Here is the workflow I use to master new tools:
Watch for 20 Minutes: Watch a specific chapter or concept. Do not touch your mouse. Just watch and understand the "Why."
Close the Video: This is the scary part. Minimize the browser. Do not leave it open on a second monitor.
Attempt from Memory: Try to replicate what you just saw.
You will struggle.
You will click the wrong buttons.
You will get frustrated.
The Struggle is the Learning: That moment of frustration? That is your brain actually building the neural pathway. If you just copied the video, that pathway never forms.
Verify: Only open the video again if you are completely stuck.
The Shift: When you follow a tutorial, you are memorizing Clicks (Spatial Memory). When you use the 20-Minute Rule, you are learning Logic (Conceptual Memory).
Rule #1: If you can't do it without the video open, you didn't learn it.
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