The problem this solves
“I want my practice to be harder on purpose. What does that mean?”
Primary keyword: how to use desirable difficulties
What you'll learn
- What 'desirable' difficulty means
- Three diffs that hurt but help
- A weekly difficulty-design log
- When difficulty stops being desirable
The science behind it: Desirable Difficulties
Desirable difficulties are learning conditions that feel harder in the moment but produce stronger, more durable, more flexible learning than easy conditions.
Why it matters
Choosing difficulties on purpose lets learners exploit struggle as a feature rather than avoiding it as a bug.
How to apply it
- Add spacing, interleaving, and self-testing to study plans on purpose.
- Choose practice material at the edge of current ability, not below it.
- Resist the urge to smooth every difficulty out of the experience.
Common mistakes
- Treating ease as evidence of learning.
- Removing difficulty whenever learners complain.
- Confusing necessary support (scaffolding) with removing all challenge.
Read the full concept: Desirable Difficulties.
Where this fits
Part of module Difficulty and Deep Work.
More articles in this module
- What Is Deliberate Practice? : what is deliberate practice in real life
- Design a Deliberate Practice Session : deliberate practice session
- Use Productive Struggle : productive struggle
- Build Frustration Tolerance : how to build frustration tolerance
- What to Do When You Hit a Wall : stuck on a hard topic for weeks