This is a pretty big question. Learning has many flavours of frustrations that go with it. Here's one: Learning itself is pleasant. I think we're wire to enjoy

This is a pretty big question. Learning has many flavours of frustrations that go with it. Here's one: Learning itself is pleasant. I think we're wire to enjoy it. If you had a judo lesson now and learned a simple trip, you would have fun. Give most people their first programming lesson and they'll enjoy jumbling up letters or whatever you do. Not knowing is unpleasant. In your first lesson you have no expectation. In the second, you double your knowledge. On the 20th, you are dealing with forgetting and you've accumulated bits you find difficult. You are still a beginner, but now you have expectations. You can trip or throw a cooperative opponent but you keep repeating mistakes, frustration. There is still a gulf between where you are and scoring on an uncooperative opponent. You can jumble words, add numbers or record form data in your db. But, the gulf between doing that and writing your spaced learning iWatch app is big. Basically, you suck and you are judging your performance by the standards of a programmer, judo player or whatnot. Sucking.. sucks. I'm about 5 weeks into learning a language and I'm in this spot right now. week one was really fun. Every lesson meaningfully improved my vocal, grammar, etc. I know about 1200 words and a decent amount of the basic grammar. You need about 2500 words before you can understand a simple paragraph or video snippet. I'm nearly useless outside of the context f a lesson translating single sentences. I can't think in the language (I translate) which means (A) it's difficult and frustrating and (B) I might understand your first sentence as you wrap up your third…even if I know all the words. None of the gammer is natural to me. etc. etc. Basically, there's a massive gap between where I am and where it felt like I would now after the first lesson. Massive. Even if I conjure up discipline I didn't need in week 1 and push hard this week, I'll still suck. My vocal might go up to 1500, but I'll regress on something. It's whack-a-mole time where revision is 75% of the work and 50 new words is a drop in the ocean. Thinking of it, I realize I might have taken the wrong side of the debate. Learnings sucks. I hate it. But, for the sake of it I'll keep arguing this point. This expectation/reality gap is as irrational as it is inevitable. You know it how long it will to learn things in advance. I know I can't get fluent in a language in 25 hours of practice, but it does create frustration. Since I'm not going with the "learning sucks, I hate it" conclusion, lets wrap up with stoicism. Good as any, ne? Do thy duty though the the skies fall down upon thee. Seek not vain pleasures of the moment. Rather, take comfort each day knowing that thou hath done thy work. Focusing on your goals to much can make learning emotionally hard (frustrating, etc.), unless your goal can be achieved very quick. If your goal requires 100 hours over 2 months, when you are 46 hours deep, you feel like you aren't making any progress. You are probably wrong, but it doesn't feel like it. Don't focus on the end goal, just do your 2 hours and pat yourself on the head. Good stoic. Nice stoic. Here's a Senecan biscuit. Well done.