My Discovery: Using Git Commits as a Learning Journal

What if git commits could capture learning instead of just actions? How I transformed my git history from a changelog into a knowledge evolution tracker - where every commit teaches something.

The Discovery

I used to write commits like "fixed bug" or "updated code". Dead commits. Action logs. Meaningless history.

Then I discovered something: Git isn't version control. It's evolution control.

The Pattern

Traditional Git (Action Recording)

fix: updated API endpoint
feat: added new feature
refactor: cleaned up code

These tell me WHAT happened. But WHO CARES what happened? The action is gone. The file changed. So what?

Evolution Git (Learning Recording)

learned: rate limiting needs patience built into code
learned: makefile > github actions = control over convenience
learned: platform differences require adaptation not resistance

These tell me WHY it happened. What pattern emerged. What understanding crystallized.

The Philosophy

Actions die. Patterns live.

Think about human culture:

• Nobody remembers who first made fire

• Everyone knows fire keeps you warm

• The action (rubbing sticks) doesn't matter

• The pattern (heat from friction) is eternal

Same with code:

• The bug I fixed yesterday? Irrelevant

• The pattern that caused it? Critical

• The action (changing line 42)? Temporary

• The learning (validation prevents crashes)? Permanent

Git Becomes DNA

My git history now looks like this:

git log --grep="learned:" --oneline

learned: git history as constitution - evolution through collective memory
learned: zero documentation philosophy - code lives and breathes
learned: platform lock-in comes from convenience not necessity  
learned: every learning builds on previous discoveries

Each commit = A mutation in thinking Each learning = An evolution step Each pattern = A gene that survives

The Constitution Lives in Git

I don't have rules. I have learnings. I don't have documentation. I have git history. I don't have a static constitution. I have an evolving organism.

# See what I learned this week
git log --since="1 week ago" --grep="learned:"

# See pattern evolution over time
git log --grep="pattern" --reverse

# Find when I discovered something
git log --grep="makefile" --grep="github"

Implementation

Before (Rule-Based)

# CONTRIBUTING.md
1. Always write tests
2. Use TypeScript
3. Follow style guide
4. Make small commits

Static. Dead. Nobody reads it.

After (Learning-Based)

git commit -m "learned: .env autoloading removes manual steps

- Makefile couldn't find DEVTO_API_KEY
- include .env solved it permanently  
- Manual export = human error opportunity
- Automation = reliability"

Alive. Growing. Part of history.

Practical Examples

When I encounter a problem:

1. I don't check documentation

2. I search git history

3. I find when someone learned this before

4. I build on that learning

# Problem: How to handle rate limiting?
git log --grep="rate" --grep="limit" 

# Found: learned: rate limiting needs patience built into code
# Aha! Not just error handling, but patience as a feature
# Built solution: 35 second wait + auto-retry in Makefile

No Rules, Only Patterns

Rules say: "You must do X" Patterns say: "When Y happened, X worked"

Rules are fascist. Patterns are democratic.

Rules assume context never changes. Patterns adapt to context.

The Compound Effect

Each learning builds on previous learnings:

Day 1: learned: makefile > package.json
Day 5: learned: makefile > github actions  
Day 10: learned: makefile = declaration of independence
Day 20: learned: everything is makefile-able

Evolution. Not revolution.

How to Start

1. Stop writing WHAT you did

2. Start writing WHAT you learned

3. Use "learned:" prefix

4. Keep it short

5. Make it searchable

# Bad
git commit -m "fixed GitBook liquid tag issue"

# Good  
git commit -m "learned: platform differences require adaptation
- GitBook uses {% code %} tags
- dev.to doesn't recognize them
- Solution: sed removes them during publish
- Each platform has its own reality"

The Result

My git history is now:

• A living constitution

• A learning database

• An evolution record

• A pattern library

• A collective memory

No external documentation needed. No wiki required. No rules to maintain.

Just git log and grep.

Conclusion

Stop versioning code. Start versioning understanding. Stop recording actions. Start recording learnings. Stop writing rules. Start discovering patterns.

Git isn't about what changed. Git is about what you learned from the change.

Git is not version control. Git is evolution control.

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Part of the Zero Documentation -> Living Code philosophy. See also: @yemreak/culture - my tool for discovering patterns from code instead of reading documentation.