Wednesday, May 27, 2020

How to Get Good At Math

Sure, math comes more easily to some than to others, but everyone can "do math" if they put some effort into it.  Most of us aren't going to win a Fields Medal (I'm too old, for example), but "I can't do math" should have the same shock value in our society as "I can't read" does. How to get better?  Stick-to-it-iveness, or sitzfleisch:
To get things done, you have to do. That’s it. You need sitzfleisch (ZITS–flysh), or “chair glue,” which—as Quartz’s Anne Quito notes—is a German word for the ability to sit through a boring or complex task for a considerable amount of time, however long it takes.

So how do you cultivate the focus and discipline to finish a task? By continually doing the dull stuff. You do it until you’re used to it and getting through is a habit.

And when you're good at it, it's not "boring" anymore.  Most of us enjoy doing things we're good at.

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