When learning a new IT skill it is not uncommon to experience a sense of confusion at times. This should not be looked at as problematic, as long as the confusion is resolved and a certain clarity of mind achieved. It is simply part of learning a new, sometimes difficult skill. This is even common among experts, such as the late nobel laureate Richard Feynman shares in the short video below, when in his case he discusses physics:

(Side note: Richard Feynman is quite an interesting character, I highly recommend checking out one of the books about him, such as Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!)

So whether you are implementing complicated business analytics formulas in Excel, or whether you are learning to program, initially welcome confusion but try to gradually clarify your thinking. Try to break the problem at hand into smaller pieces, understand them individually, and then combine them back together in front of the “mind’s eye”.

The reason I used the word perennial in the title of this post is that if you want to keep learning, there will always be some level of confusion. The difference is, that with experience, you should be able to resolve mysteries quicker and you generally become better in problem solving because you’ve worked through more cases. The most important thing is not to move on until you resolve all your confusion!