If you think you need to spend countless years to get good at something—guess again.

I picked up web design in November 2023 to create a platform to host my newsletters. About 6 months later, I was receiving compliments on my website's design. Most people were shocked to learn I didn't have years of experience behind me.

I'm not telling you this to brag, but to illustrate how I learned quickly (and you can too).

The biggest mistake people make when learning a new skill?

Wasting time watching endless tutorials.

It feels productive, but it's a trap.

This is passive learning. It feels like you are progressing, but you're not taking action, so nothing sticks.

When you finally sit down to build out the project, your mind goes blank and you forget everything.

Back to watching endless videos.

Trapped in tutorial hell.

The funny thing is, when we play video games, we want to skip the boring tutorials (at least I do), and get straight into gameplay. You trust you'll figure it out by experimenting with different buttons on your controller.

[PRESS 'X' TO SKIP TUTORIAL]

Yet when it comes to "real life"—we fall into the opposite trap—over-consuming content instead of taking action.

You get stuck in this loop because you're attempting to avoid the uncomfortable emotions that come with learning something new.

Frustration, confusion, and overwhelm are all natural parts of the process.

You tell yourself you need to gather as much information as possible before starting, but this usually comes from a fear of making mistakes and stepping into the unknown.

Like when you get stuck watching endless self-improvement & business videos (I know, I've been there). You can watch people like Alex Hormozi all you want, but are you applying what they say to your life and business? If not, you're not actually learning anything, you're just mentally masturbating.

Trying to avoid uncomfortable emotions is what's keeping you from making any real progress. True growth happens when you can lean into the discomfort and learn by building.

Building Is The Key To Mastery (& Fulfillment)

The fastest way to learn a skill is to build something with it.

This is where real learning happens—by building, running into problems, and solving them.

By actively building, the lessons stick and you retain more of what you learn.

Beyond learning—building offers a sense of fulfillment. We feel more satisfied when we are moving towards something, whether it's building our bodies in the gym or working on a creative project.

I'm convinced most people feel unfulfilled and lack a sense of purpose because they are not building something that feels meaningful. They don't balance consuming with creation.

We are designed to build.

Benefits of Building:

• Build real-world experience. Each problem you solves gives you insights tutorials can't and you increase XP in that skill.
• Learn through roadblocks. Troubleshooting challenges helps you learn faster and retain more.
• Feel more fulfilled. The feeling of satisfaction as you work towards something meaningful to you.

Here are the projects I'm currently building, giving me purpose and a reason to feel excited each morning:

• This newsletter
• Digital product (The Player's Codex)
• Body (fitness goals)
• Business & brand (overall growth & development)

Each of these is a 'build in progress' for my character, and keep me moving forward with a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Escaping Tutorial Hell.

The escape route is simple.

Just start.

The real fun begins when you pick up the controller and start actively playing the game yourself. You don't gain xp by watching someone else play.

Follow these steps to escape tutorial hell and learn anything fast.

1: Outline a project (like building your own website or digital product).

The project acts as your frame.

With a project in mind, life itself becomes one big tutorial.

You prime your brain for pattern recognition.

You notice specific info in books and experiences that is relevant to what you're building. You filter out the noise.

For example, I'm currently building The Player's Codex—a notion template designed to help you escape the clutches of an unfulfilling existence and build a life you're excited to wake up to. (Drops Nov 17th.)

By working on this project I learn what I need to build it out in Notion. Any tutorials I watch are framed through the lens of this project, thus my brain picks up on exactly what I need and discards the noise.

Start your own project.

Create an outline with steps and milestones you can iterate on. If you have no clue, just guess. You figure it out as you go.

For web design, sketch a rough sitemap. List out pages and links. Create a customer journey. (If you need guidance on website strategy—book a free call here.)

For a digital product or course, outline the key points you want to cover.

If you're writing a book, list chapter names and key ideas for each chapter.

2: Start with the fundamentals.

Find beginner level videos so you can learn the basics—just enough to get you started. Ideally, you're building the project alongside them.

For example, when I learned Webflow, I went through a 2-hour beginner level course that taught the basics. I built a super simple website by following along. It helped me understand the fundamentals of Webflow and how to navigate the software.

3: Build your project (embrace discomfort).

Once you have a grasp on the fundamentals—start building your own project and learn along the way. Don't waste any more time watching endless tutorials that are irrelevant to your project.

For example, after the beginner course, I started building my website with what I already knew. For specific features I wanted, I figured them out along the way. I would look up specifics, such as:

• "How do I make a sticky navbar?"
• "How do I create a scrolling progress bar for my blog?"  

Of course I bumped into roadblocks and technical issues. I got frustrated when things didn't work or look the way I wanted. But I figured it out.

These moments are part of the process and necessary for growth. The uncomfortable moments are when your brain does the heavy lifting (like in the gym) and forms new connections. Your mind is absorbing information and working to make sense of it.

If you stick with it, suddenly everything clicks.

I mentioned in my last piece, but spend at least an hour a day learning and building. Make this non-negotiable. This consistent habit will also speed up your progress. Instead of spending a few hours here and there—you're spending 7 hours a week minimum.

In a month that's 30 hours. If you can dedicate a few more hours some days, that's 40-50 hours. I can guarantee your skills will massively improve in 3 months of doing this.

Small habits = big changes.

You can pick up on any skill fast if you don't waste time with theory and instead start building.

Stop staring at the menu screen and press play to start.

I hope you find this useful.

Until next time my friend.

—Priscilla [Player 2]