The flow state is a place where things feel effortless. You know exactly what to do and you can do it. So we often expect learning to be the same. But learning almost never feels effortless. You have to explore, try to understand and rethink concepts all the time. And, most importantly, you will make mistakes. All of which is frustrating.

Learning is challenging. Learning is frustrating. And sadly there is no hack.

But frustration has a bad reputation. Once we feel frustrated, we stop learning. We don’t understand. We start making mistakes. We quit. But actually, this feeling of frustration is the perfect cue to keep learning, not to stop learning.

You feel frustrated because you challenge yourself and your understanding. You reach a critical point full of questions and almost no answers. Wrangling to come up with a solid understanding. This is a crucial part of learning.

As mentioned in the previous part, focus and frustration will trigger a bunch of neurochemicals needed for learning - epinephrine, acetylcholine and dopamine. Don’t let this neurochemical cocktail go to waste.

Stopping to learn when you are frustrated will not only waste these neurochemicals but they will also reinforce the bad habit of giving up. Making it more likely to give up the next time when things get frustrating.

Therefore, don’t abandon learning. Don’t run away. Stay with the frustration a bit longer. Give your brain the chance to figure things out and reward trying despite the frustration. Even if you can’t figure things out completely, try coming up with the best understanding you can and sticking to learning.

Learning is supposed to be frustrating.