# TIL rules to remember

I have been writing "Today I Learned" posts ([TILs](https://tils.hanlho.com)) for a few weeks now and I started writing them as a complement to long form blogging. But I found myself spending 45-60 minutes, sometimes longer, per TIL instead of 15-25. This defeated the purpose of quickly recording and internalizing learnings.

So I went back to the [source](https://dev.to/jbranchaud/how-i-built-a-learning-machine-45k9) and came up with these reminders to myself:

* **Keep them short and focused.** Target less than 250 words.
    
* **Spend less than 25 minutes on writing.** Ideally 15.
    
    * **Write only about what is clearly figured out.** Too much research while writing endangers the constraints.
        
* **Remember: a TIL is *not* blogging.**
    
* **Experiment with including more high-level technical learnings as well.** So far most TILs have been tooling and LLM tips. Also include architecture, design, testing, process.
    

*TILs should be quick captures, not polished essays. The value is in consistency and volume, not perfection.*