How to Kick-Start Your Learning When You Get Stuck

Why is it that learning something new can feel amazing on some occasions but drive you insane on others?

When your learning is going well, you feel unstoppable. You consume all the information you can get your hands on, the ideas just keep on coming, your project develops in leaps and bounds, and you get to spend hours lost in a state of flow.

But then, of course, there are those other times. Those are the times when, no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to get to grips with the new skill you’ve been so keen to learn. You stare at a blank sheet of paper or screen, and, rather than feeling inspired, you feel desperate.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with lots of creative media, from photography to charcoal drawing, and from metalwork to guitar playing. No medium has ever challenged me as much as clay. I’ve always yearned to be able to work with clay. I love the way it feels, its malleability, and the transformation it goes through in the kiln. But it’s the one medium that I always get stuck on and I don’t know why.

Not liking to be beaten, I recently decided to give clay another go. I went to an open session at my local community center. How did I get on? Well, I can’t say I created a masterpiece, but I did have fun making a clay tile. I’m hoping this might be the experience that helps me turn the corner, and begin a more positive relationship with clay. The experience also got me thinking about kick-starting the learning process when something isn’t clicking.

What can you do when your learning gets stuck in a rut?

Feeling stuck while learning can be even more frustrating for multipotentialites than the average learner. After all, you’ve tried your hand at plenty of completely new things before. You’re doing exactly what you’ve always done, with the same preparation and flexible expectations. Why are you feeling stuck this time?

As compulsive learners, we multipotentialites spend more time at the start of learning curves than most people. No one knows better than we do that learning new skills can be challenging. And yet, on occasion, it feels like there’s something bigger than the usual beginners’ difficulties in our way.

So what can you do when the new skill you want to learn is proving particularly tricky to pick up? Here are a few ideas to get you moving forwards again.

1) Try an alternative approach

At school there were some math concepts which I totally got first time around and there were others that I found really hard to grasp. In situations like these, it’s often worth taking a 360 degree look at the challenge to see if there’s another way to approach it.

For example, it might help to do something practical, to gain experience of applying your skill to a ‘real life’ context. Using my math example, I could have learned about statistics using real life data and outcomes rather than purely theoretical number exercises.

On the flip side, if your learning has been mainly practical, it could be time to read up on some of the background. If you’ve been using written instructions or learning from a book, you could try using video tutorials or taking a class. It might also be useful to ask someone for help, as other people often provide different perspectives which might be all you need for a breakthrough.

2) Take a breather

I’m a great believer that the subconscious can work things through and find its own solution, given a little space and time. You may have had an experience in the past when something you were struggling with suddenly made sense, as though all the little pieces had finally dropped into place. That’s the power of time out.

When I get frustrated with something, my mind becomes far less receptive to learning and that’s my cue to take a break. I often give it a breather for an hour, a day, or maybe even a week, until I can find the focus to return to study.

3) Change your environment

Moving into a different space or environment can reinvigorate your mind. If you’ve been working indoors, try opening a window to get some air flowing, or experiment with learning in different places such as cafes, the library, or a park, and see if that helps. As strange as it sounds, sometimes just moving to another part of the same room, or standing rather than sitting, can be all it takes.

Many people find that background music helps them concentrate, so try digging out your favorite playlist, and boogieing around the room while you learn!

During our lifetimes as pluralists, we’re going to take on the challenge of learning potentially hundreds of new skills, so it’s worth stocking up on a range of techniques to help troubleshoot when problems that arise. Happy learning!

Your Turn

Have you ever had difficulty getting to grips with a particular skill? Did you decide to tackle it head on, take a breather, or give up on it entirely?