One evening while scrolling through LinkedIn, I noticed an interesting trend.
A lot of posts and guides for preparing for technical interviews were packed with huge lists of Linux commands — hundreds of them, sometimes organized by category or popularity.

These posts often go viral, getting thousands of likes and shares, especially among junior engineers and students.
At first glance, it looks like a great resource: a complete “cheat sheet” for Linux!

But this can actually lead newcomers down a less effective learning path.
Focusing on memorizing endless lists of commands might feel productive, but it doesn’t teach you how to actually work with Linux in real-world scenarios.
It encourages surface-level knowledge instead of real understanding.

Let’s dive deeper into why the focus should be on solving problems, not on memorizing commands.

Don’t Focus on Memorizing Commands — Focus on Solving Problems

When learning new technologies and tools, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of focusing on memorizing commands instead of understanding when and why to use them.

Many beginners, especially when starting with Linux, rush to read lists like “Top 50 Linux Commands” and try to memorize them all.
At first glance, this feels productive — after all, knowing commands is important, right?
And initially, it does seem effective: you can recognize commands like ls, cd, mkdir, and so on.

But here’s the problem: these knowledge fragments remain disconnected.
You know what some commands do, but not when or why to use them in real-world situations.
This leads to shallow knowledge that doesn’t translate into practical skills.

The Right Focus: Problem First, Tools Second

Instead of asking:

“What are the 100 most important Linux commands?”

Ask:

“How do I set up a web server on Linux?”
“How do I find and fix permission issues?”
“How can I automate a backup process?”

When you approach learning this way:

  • You face real problems.
  • You search for solutions.
  • You learn commands and tools naturally, in a meaningful context.

And because you’re solving real tasks, the knowledge sticks.

Examples

❌ Wrong Focus:
Memorizing the chmod command without understanding Linux permissions.

✅ Right Focus:
Learning how to troubleshoot and fix “Permission Denied” errors — and in the process, understanding what chmod, chown, and ls -l really mean.

❌ Wrong Focus:
Learning 10 different ways to list files (ls, find, tree, du, etc.) without knowing why.

✅ Right Focus:
Trying to analyze disk usage on a server — and discovering that du -sh and find are the tools you need for that specific problem.

Final Thoughts

It’s normal to want shortcuts.
But real expertise isn’t about how many commands you know and can recite.
It’s about how well you can identify a problem and apply the right tools to solve it.

Next time you study a new technology, remember:
👉 Focus on tasks, not lists.
You will naturally learn the tools as you work on solving real problems.