Making Yourself Learn Things You’re Bad At to Improve Learning

Hi, this is Ray.

Confession: I’m bad at dancing. Like… really bad. Imagine a confused giraffe trying to do the Macarena. That’s me. And because I’m bad at it, I avoided it for years. Why suffer through something you’re not good at when you can just stick with stuff you are good at, like eating tacos or quoting Star Wars?

But here’s the twist: forcing yourself to learn things you’re bad at might be the best thing you can do to improve all your learning. Turns out, discomfort is where growth happens. And while it feels awful in the moment, your brain is secretly upgrading.

Daily News for Curious Minds

Be the smartest person in the room by reading 1440! Dive into 1440, where 4 million Americans find their daily, fact-based news fix. We navigate through 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive roundup from every corner of the internet – politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a quick, 5-minute newsletter. It's completely free and devoid of bias or political influence, ensuring you get the facts straight. Subscribe to 1440 today.

Sign up now!

Why Avoiding Hard Things Feels Natural

Our brains love efficiency. If something feels hard, the brain thinks, “Nope, danger ahead.” Psychologists call this cognitive ease. Easy tasks feel good; hard tasks feel bad. That’s why you’ll happily solve a crossword puzzle but groan at long division.

But just because something is uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, the struggle is often the secret ingredient to learning.

The Science of Struggle

When you learn something difficult, you activate more brain regions than when you do something easy. Struggle stimulates neuroplasticity… your brain’s ability to form and strengthen new connections.

Think of it like lifting weights. If you only curl soup cans, your muscles won’t grow. But pick up something heavy (even if you wobble), and your body adapts. Struggling through difficult learning tasks is the brain’s version of lifting heavy.

Why Doing What You’re Bad At Improves Learning

1. Expands Neural Pathways

   Learning tough skills forces your brain to build new circuits, making it more flexible for future challenges.

2. Improves Transfer of Knowledge

   When you stretch yourself, you become better at applying what you know to new areas. That “learning agility” is what makes great problem-solvers.

3. Boosts Resilience

   Failing at something and trying again builds grit. You become less scared of mistakes, which frees you to learn faster.

4. Sharpens Focus

   Struggle demands attention. You can’t half-focus on learning guitar chords if you’re terrible… your brain has to give it everything.

How to Learn What You’re Bad At Without Quitting

1. Start Small

Don’t dive into the deep end. Break the skill into tiny, manageable chunks. If you’re bad at math, start with a single problem, not an entire textbook.

2. Redefine Failure

Failure isn’t proof you’re dumb. It’s proof your brain is rewiring. Treat mistakes like checkpoints, not game overs.

3. Get Feedback

When you’re bad at something, blind practice won’t cut it. Find a teacher, coach, or peer who can guide you away from repeating errors.

4. Mix It With Strengths

Alternate between what you’re good at and what you’re bad at. This balances motivation (yay, success!) with growth (ugh, struggle!).

5. Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection

If you could only play one note yesterday and today you can play three, that’s a win. Reward progress, no matter how small.

Weakness Training as Side Quests

In RPGs, you don’t just max out one stat. If you only train strength but ignore agility, you end up with a tank that gets wrecked by faster enemies. Learning things you’re bad at is like grinding your weak stats. It’s not fun, but it makes your character (you) way more powerful overall.

My “Bad At It” Learning Story

A few years ago, I decided to learn calligraphy. Why? Because it looked cool and I thought it’d make my notes look like Tolkien maps. Problem: my handwriting already looked like a doctor scribbling while on a rollercoaster.

At first, I hated it. My letters were uneven, my hands cramped, and I wasted more ink than a malfunctioning printer. But slowly, I got better. And here’s the kicker… learning calligraphy made me more patient. That patience carried into other learning areas, like coding and kendo.

I’m still not great at calligraphy, but I’m way better at learning because of it.

Why This Works for Everyone

Even if you’re already skilled in one area, practicing something you’re bad at strengthens your overall learning ability. That’s why musicians benefit from learning math, athletes benefit from mindfulness, and nerds like me benefit from trying sports (even if badly).

Learning outside your comfort zone teaches your brain adaptability… and that’s the ultimate learning superpower.

Your Turn

Pick one thing you’re bad at. Cooking, drawing, singing, coding, dancing… doesn’t matter. Commit to practicing it a little each week.

It’ll feel uncomfortable. You’ll want to quit. But stick with it. Because every time you push through that discomfort, your brain grows stronger.

In the end, it’s not about becoming great at the thing you’re bad at. It’s about becoming great at learning anything.

And if you’re like me, you’ll at least get some funny stories out of it. (Seriously, the giraffe Macarena is unforgettable.)

References

1. Ericsson, K. A. (2016). Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. https://peakbook.net

2. Bjork, R. A., & Bjork, E. L. (2011). Making things hard on yourself, but in a good way: Creating desirable difficulties to enhance learning. Psychology and the Real World: Essays Illustrating Fundamental Contributions to Society, 2, 59–68. https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu

3. Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House. https://carolinedweck.com/books/mindset