Teaching what you just learned locks it in

Explaining a new skill to someone else, even briefly and even if they didn't ask, forces you to notice the parts you only half understood. You can nod along with a concept in your own head for weeks, but the moment you try to say it out loud in plain words, the gaps show up fast.

I do this with my own team constantly — the moment I try to explain something out loud, I find the part I only half understood. This doesn't require a formal lesson. A short explanation to a coworker, a family member, or even a note you write to your future self does the job. The act of putting it into words is what does the real work.

Try this today: pick the last small thing you learned while building, and explain it out loud to someone in one or two plain sentences, as if they know nothing about it. If you stumble, that's the exact spot to go back and understand better. If you don't, you've just proven you actually know it.