Reflect: Am I Asking the Right Questions To Make Progress?
Asking questions and doing self-tests of your knowledge makes you a more active learner. Instead of simply following instructions or a set syllabus, it may be more helpful to understand the purpose or the process behind why something should be done in a certain way.
With the example of the budding guitarist, a learner who feels stuck could delve into music theory or investigate why certain chords are more challenging to play in sequence.
A hobbyist chef or baker could study the chemistry of which ingredients work best to bring out desired flavours, or how different cooking techniques affect the final output.
An important question to revitalise your learning is reflecting on why you want to keep learning a skill. Has the purpose of learning this skill changed? Has your interest in a hobby wavered? What was the initial motivation for starting on this learning journey?
Sometimes, it could be a matter of bad timing, the authors of The Plateau Effect: Getting from Stuck to Success suggest. In this case, it may be worthwhile to simply wait and take a break before resuming your learning or practice. Periods of rest and inactivity are vital to helping you recharge.
Act: Keep At It
If you’ve decided that a skill or hobby is worth your effort, press on. Psychologist and professor Angela Duckworth at the University of Pennsylvania defines “grit” as “the perseverance and passion for a long-term goal”.
A test she developed, called the Grit Scale, measures how much grit a person has. The test has been used with thousands of military cadets, college students and spelling bee competitors. She found that grit was a stronger measure of success, above other metrics such as self-control and verbal ability.
It is easy to worry about being stuck at your current level, or how far away you are from a goal. With reflection and clarity on the next steps, you might just be one or two small corrections away from making a big leap in progress.