Article 0004: Boredom is you New Ally: Learning Curve
by: Nizar Gharib
“Feeling the dopamine while getting to know someone for the first time is a nice feeling, it can last for a week, a month, … a year? Feelings will not remain the same after this period, unless you have an exceptional relationship, is that right?”
Do you remember the early days of your relationship with ChatGPT? I am certain that it was captivating and open-mouthed, at that time you were discovering many exciting and surprising things about it. Nevertheless, it is not that entertaining anymore, especially if you are utilizing it for business. Of course, the mentioned example is a theoretical statement that can be applied to any other software, language, or skill that is being discovered and developed and does not necessarily work with all people.
Why does it get harder on the way?
In fact, the learning process, especially technical learning, usually pass through different phases, these phases were recognized by Psychologists and were sorted as the following figure:
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Fig. 1 – Learning Curve |
At the beginning of a project, the common tendency will be to showcase some muscles and capabilities, both parties are astonished; the client is astonished by the provider’s showcasing, the provider is astonished by the client’s friendly attitude. By the time, when requirements get more detailed and specific, things get complicated, and the fun is not there anymore.
Learning a new language, spoken or programming language, at the very earliest, it’s fun and exciting that you get to explore new phrases and pronouncing muscles, it’s really fun and entertaining when you express yourself in a new way and you feel the progress is clearly recognizable; on the other hand, the bar will be started to get higher and the productivity rate will be much less than before. That causes a feeling of boredom, frustration, and maybe self-undermining.
The above assessment often comes from the inner self, on the contrary, if your friend is evaluating the situation, they will absolutely be amazed by the progress you achieved.
So, going to the main point of this article, what is the learning curve?
It is simply a term initially introduced by psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus to measure the production efficiency and project costs, specifically measuring the repetitive tasks.
The basic concept of this term is that each person needs time to learn how to perform a new task. Then, when this task is repeated, the person learns how to perform faster.
Let us put it into action, where is it used?
It can be used for measuring two main functions:
- Learning a new skill
In this case, the measure is only descriptive, meaning that it should be taken into account, not more than that, during the learning process. Moreover, not necessarily to visualize and measure the process itself. That point means the learning curve is not something that is utilized, it is rather about understanding the human brain’s nature; hence, this understanding will lead to a more peaceful and sustainable mind-set.
- Measuring task progress over time
When measuring the progress using the learning curve, it is always utilized by measuring one variable at a time, in addition, it is best to measure concrete results, such as: sales, products, and so on.
What can be the benefits of the learning curve?
The benefits of considering the learning curve can be sorted in:
- Planning strategies to improve productivity
- A motivation for the individual to keep an eye on the progress
- On an organization level, Identifying key points for accurate predictions and better business decision-making
What is the psychological impact of the learning process in accordance with learning curve?
The phases of the learning process and its impact on individual may vary depending on personality and environment, however, it is usually a combination of achievement and excitement, then overwhelming, anxiety, frustration to boredom and giving up if it was a sad story.
If it were going to end sadly, what could the solution/mitigation be?
What we want to get is to translate that process from a bitter memory into a winner. In my opinion, there are multiple tricks that can make it more appealing, such as: patience, awareness, sharing, and awarding.
To sail safely through this journey, it is good to practice patience and be aware of the stages that are coming ahead. Also, sharing the path with a friend or a colleague, and awarding oneself can erase boredom and make it more entertaining by being engaged into discussions and arguments about the related topics. Building strong habits can also maintain consistency, I suggest the Atomic Habits by James Clear for great techniques and methods of how tiny steps can result in considerable commitment.
In addition to the above-suggested solutions, it is worthwhile having a look at another curve called: Dunning-Kruger Effect Curve. It shows the relationship between confidence and experience, see figure – 2 below, it clearly demonstrates how confidence changes along with the amount of information learned. We soar high at the very beginning of the learning process with tremendous amounts of excitement and competence feeling, to drop down steeply to what is called the valley of despair, where what-am-I-doing-here kind of questions pop up, however, things get slightly easier and digested by time utilizing consistency and patience as key.
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Fig. 2 – Dunning Kruger Effect Curve |
It is worthwhile superseding both curves to have an approximate idea of how confidence relates to knowledge in the context of time, see fig.3, this helps managing expectations; hence, being prepared for fluctuations. Having a look at fig.3 allows one to reflect on personal previous experience.
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Fig. 3 – Superseding Learning Curve and Dunning-Kruger Curve |
Conclusion
In conclusion, this effect can be considered in relation to a wide range of activities, such as: new projects, campaigns, career, skilling up, and so on. The learning curve is an effective method for either measuring productivity or being aware of underlying challenges that most of the time cannot be measured solidly.
Nizar Gharib
Digital Construction Coordinator
Nizar Gharib’s professional journey is a diverse tapestry. His career began with roles requiring exceptional attention to detail, including sewing semi-handmade bags and quality control in commercial outlets. Subsequently, after graduation, he transitioned to civil engineering, contributing to DFMA steel projects and residential construction for developers. His skill set further expanded with positions as a digital construction coordinator and BIM specialist at XD House.
Outside of work, Nizar is an active individual who enjoys volleyball, cycling, jogging, and spending quality time with his family.