Give It a Google

I think most people understand how to google around for recipes or quick youtube lessons. The real challenge is googling to first gain entry-level vocabulary and understanding of a complicated topic so that you can then google for what you really need. Learning to break a complex task into a series of manageable steps to be queried is a valuable skill. Googling until you actually know what you don't know can save a ton of time. Sometimes it requires googling the same thing many times with only slight search term changes, comparing different sources, learning to tell expert from amateur opinion, and knowing when you are being sold something.

A few of these examples are great reasons to Google - but also to remember that for many new-to-you activities, you'll be very bad at it at first. And the feeling of being bad at it often causes people to drop it before getting past the initial pain, to the point where they are basically competent enough to actually enjoy it.

But getting past that initial time hurdle isn't enough for you to be basically competent either - you might no longer be put off by the overwhelm of a new thing, but you might still be really really lousy at it. A more methodological approach is called for, hence:

https://lifehacker.com/learn-anything-in-20-hours-with-this-... 1. Deconstruct the skill: Break down the parts and find the most important things to practice first. If you were learning to play a musical instrument, for example, knowing just a few chords gives you access to tons of songs. If you want to learn a new language, learn the most common 2,000 words and you'll have 80% text coverage. 2. Self-correct: Use reference materials to learn enough that you know when you make a mistake so you can correct yourself. 3. Remove barriers to learning: Identify and remove anything that distracts you from focusing on the skill you want to learn. 4. Practice at least 20 hours.

Personally - I tend to get lost in over-analysis without even actually starting! Googling the thing isn't step 1 for me, but all the steps - an end to itself. I've got to constantly monitor myself on that one.

Googling is great, but I'd like to highlight that two distinct examples weren't necessarily Google at all. Sure - The Wirecutter appears in the first page of Google search for "best dishwasher" but you could also simply start on The Wirecutter page. Same for the humidifier.

The Wirecutter is great, and as the article points out, not just because of the review, but because of all the detail about what went into it, and the meta-information (eg: dishwashers need to be cleaned! Who knew? You can pre-clean your dishes too much for the dishwasher to work right? Humidifiers can over humidify!?)

For a specific subset of The Stuff in the article, starting at The Wirecutter would be a fine thing as it would be very difficult to find that info and metainfo through Google!

It is also worth noting and well worth the purchase price (or often free online through your local library) to look at Consumer Reports. The OG consumer product reviews, and, unlike The Wirecutter, funded entirely by subscriptions, versus referrals. Depending on the specific product, The Wirecutter or Consumer Reports much be more up to date, have better coverage, a different take, or coverage at all.

One small difference between CR and The Wirecutter? CR has created a formal standard, and is trying to actively review for, and push for additional security and privacy in consumer devices: https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/consumer-reports-to-...

Googling isn't a standalone skill. It comes with the ability to ask the right questions, and that's only possible with some diagnosing skills.

The author's dry throat issue is an excellent example of this. If you just look for "sore throat", you likely won't find much. You first need to form a few hypotheses and test those with better-formed searches.

This is also where broad technical knowledge comes useful. It's easier to form an hypothesis if you understand what you're working with. This is how you can quickly identify DNS problems, frayed cables, bad fuses, lack of an ingredient, and various other common culprits by their symptoms.

This is just a list of things the author has googled recently. Might be a good read if you happen to share the same questions and don't know how to google them yourself.