Boost Your Motivation to Learn Hard Things | Scott H Young

There are three common patterns to the problem of motivation:

• Drive: You don't have a strong enough desire to learn.
• Anxiety: You have a strong aversion to learning.
• Distraction: You have something else that draws your attention.

The difficulties we have in learning are not just related to strategy. Sometimes you know what to do, but don't do it.

Without a drive to learn, it's hard to get going. Weak drives include expectations from family, teachers, or employers. It's the things you have to do, but don't want to do.

You can change this, but you need an inspiring goal to get you started. If your project doesn't excite you, no advice will help.

Sometimes you are excited to learn, but you still avoid getting started. You may worry about the fear of failure, feedback, or performing. If you expose yourself to the thing you find unpleasant and nothing bad happens, your fear will lessen.

Reframing is often helpful in overcoming this problem. Begin each studying session with the idea that you will find it hard.

Distraction is not always bad. The problem is when distraction becomes compulsive. Create rules that will prevent toxic distraction.

• Set time limits and caps on all digital distractions.
• Work on one project at a time, see it through until the end.
• Never quit on the uphill. Don't stop when you've just got a question wrong.