pm-learning

Design deliberate practice that actually builds a skill — targeted, effortful, feedback-driven — instead of mindless repetition that just entrenches your current level. Use when asked how do I practice X effectively, my practice isn't working, design a practice routine, or deliberate practice for. Produces a breakdown of the skill into trainable sub-skills, drills that target your specific weaknesses at the edge of your ability, a feedback mechanism, and a session structure — because time spent practicing is not the same as time spent improving.

Learn something deeply by trying to explain it simply — the Feynman technique — surfacing exactly the gaps where your understanding is fake. Use when asked help me really understand X, explain this back to check my understanding, use the Feynman technique on, or do I actually get this. Produces a prompt to explain the concept in plain language yourself, a check that flags where your explanation went vague, hand-wavy, or jargon-hid a gap, the specific things you don't actually understand yet, and how to close each — because if you can't explain it simply, you don't really know it.

Map what you don't know about a subject — including the gaps you can't see — so your learning targets the holes instead of re-covering what you already know. Use when asked what don't I know about X, find my knowledge gaps, what should I learn next in, or map my understanding of. Produces a picture of the subject's territory, what you already know vs the gaps, the dangerous unknown-unknowns (things you don't know you're missing), which gaps matter most for your goal, and a prioritized learn-next list — so effort goes where it counts.

Turn 'I want to learn X' into a realistic, staged roadmap — the fundamentals to master first, the order that avoids overwhelm, and the milestones that prove progress. Use when asked how do I learn [skill], make me a learning plan for, where do I start with learning, or roadmap to learn X. Produces a staged path from beginner to capable (fundamentals → building blocks → real application), the highest-leverage things to learn first, the traps and dead-ends to skip, milestones to measure progress, and the best resource types for each stage — tuned to your goal and time.

Design a real project to learn a skill by building something — the fastest way to actually get good, instead of endless tutorials. Use when asked I'm stuck in tutorial hell, what project should I build to learn, learn by doing, or a project to practice X. Produces a project scoped to your level that forces the skills you want to learn, a breakdown into buildable milestones, the specific skills each milestone teaches, where to get help without copying, and a stretch to grow into — because you learn a skill by using it on something real, not by watching more tutorials.

Set up a note-taking system that you'll actually use and that makes your notes findable and useful later — not a graveyard of notes you never reopen. Use when asked help me take better notes, set up a note system, my notes are a mess, or how should I organize my notes. Produces a system matched to your actual need (capture, study, or thinking), a simple capture-and-organize flow, a findability method (tags/links/structure), the review habit that keeps notes alive, and a warning against over-engineering the system instead of using it.

Actually remember and use what you read — an active-reading system that beats the highlight-and-forget cycle. Use when asked how do I remember what I read, I forget books right after finishing, help me retain what I study, or take better reading notes. Produces an active-reading method (questions before, engagement during, retrieval after), a lightweight note format that captures the few ideas worth keeping, a spaced review touch, and how to actually apply what you read — turning passive consumption into knowledge you keep.

Diagnose why you've stopped improving at something and get a plan to break through the plateau. Use when asked I've stopped getting better at, I'm stuck at the same level, how do I improve past this plateau, or why am I not improving. Produces a diagnosis of why you've plateaued (comfort-zone practice, missing feedback, a specific weak sub-skill, or just needing recovery), the specific change that resumes progress, a targeted practice plan for your actual bottleneck, and honest expectations — because plateaus are usually a practice problem, not a talent ceiling.

Set up a spaced-repetition system to actually remember what you learn — good cards, the right review rhythm, and the mistakes that make flashcards useless. Use when asked help me memorize, set up flashcards / Anki, how do I remember what I study, or spaced repetition for. Produces card-writing guidance (atomic, one-fact, testable — not walls of text), a review cadence that leverages the forgetting curve, what's worth making cards for vs not, and the common failure modes that make people quit — turning cramming-and-forgetting into durable memory.

Learn a complex topic in progressive layers — a one-sentence version, then a paragraph, then the real depth — so you build a mental scaffold instead of drowning in detail. Use when asked explain this in layers, teach me X from simple to deep, I need to understand this progressively, or start simple then go deeper. Produces a topic explained at escalating depth (ELI5 → informed-adult → the real thing), each layer building on the last, checkpoints to make sure a layer landed before the next, and where to stop for your actual need — so you never get lost in detail without a frame to hang it on.