Nothing hurts like knowing you’re wasting your time

Force yourself to keep searching, trying, and iterating—turning effort into something that actually works—and over time, it stops hurting. Once you push through that painful phase, you’ll start to enjoy it.

There’s something in every person called human nature, rooted in biological instincts from tens of thousands of years ago. At its core, human nature avoids discomfort. That’s why, when you’re in pain or anxiety, you can drift off to sleep—your ancient instincts are shielding you. Human nature also carries a built-in loss aversion, which is why, when people feel lost, they fill their time with busywork that leads nowhere. They stop thinking and stop feeling anxious, much like early humans couldn’t accept going home empty-handed from a hunt.

The solution to a problem always lies outside the problem itself. To step beyond it, you have to overcome human nature and stop thinking within the same framework.