Tuesday, May 26, 2026 · 9:41 AM
i hate the phrase “desirable difficulties” already
fair. it sounds like productivity jargon with a gym membership.
but the idea is useful: some learning friction feels worse now and helps later.
spacing practice out instead of cramming. mixing problem types. testing yourself before you feel ready.
wait why would i test myself before i know it
because trying to pull it out of your head is part of building the ability to pull it out later.
that sounds fake but annoying
it’s the difference between recognizing a song when it plays and being able to sing it from memory.
rereading feels smooth because the page is helping you.
that smoothness can trick you into thinking the knowledge is yours.
pretty much. familiarity is not the same as retrievability.
so if studying feels good, be suspicious?
not always. but if it feels good because nothing is being demanded from you, maybe.
what’s the mixed practice thing
blocked practice is twenty of the same kind of problem in a row.
it feels great because you already know what move you’re supposed to use.
mixed practice forces a harder question: what kind of problem is this?
so it trains diagnosis, not just execution
yes. that’s the Range connection.
varied practice helps you spot the deeper pattern, not just the worksheet format.
instead of memorizing the shape of the worksheet
but drills do work sometimes, right?
yes. important caveat.
difficulty is only desirable if it improves later recall, transfer, or diagnosis. random suffering is not a learning strategy.
and drills can be great in clean domains with fast feedback.
so the move isn’t “make everything hard”
right. add the kind of friction that makes your brain do the future job.
future job meaning recall it, choose it, use it somewhere new
non-influencer study plan?
space it out, mix related problem types, try retrieval before you feel ready, then check feedback.
less rereading, more recall. difficulty has to earn its keep
Read Tue, May 26 · 9:59 AM