Desirable Difficulty

Short-term pain for long-term gain. Reading is hard work. Practicing is hard work. Working out can be quite a struggle, but yes, the reward comes after the struggle. I look better and feel better. Because of that, I read even more voraciously and have more stamina to practice (my Swedish).

I’ve always loved reading (still do), and although not a struggle for me, reading is still hard work because of the effort exerted and time spent. Reading a new or difficult subject for domain knowledge is a lot harder than, say, reading science fiction or fantasy (my favorite genre) for leisure. But both types of reading have helped shape my thinking and change my life in very positive ways.

I love how Naval Ravikant (in The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson) puts it:

“If I am reading a book and I’m getting confused, it is just like working out and the muscle getting sore or tired, except now my brain is getting overwhelmed. In the long run I’m getting smarter because I’m absorbing new concepts from working at the limit or edge of my capability.”