Choosing What to Learn Is Harder Than Learning

Source: Dev.to

The Context Behind This

I’ve been spending a lot of time learning and trying to grow as a developer.
What I’ve been struggling with lately isn’t motivation or interest.

There are many valid paths: different stacks, tools, roles, and opinions about what actually matters. Because of this, I often find myself switching between topics, starting something with genuine interest, then pausing when I begin to question whether it’s the “right” choice.

The learning itself isn’t the hard part.
Over time, I noticed a repeating loop:

• explore options
• pick something
• doubt the choice
• go back to exploring

Each step feels reasonable on its own, but together they slow things down more than the lack of knowledge ever does.

I’m starting to realize that clarity doesn’t come before action. It usually comes after spending enough time on one thing.

Instead of asking:

What is the perfect thing to learn?

A better question might be:

What is something useful I can commit to for a while?

I don’t have a final answer yet. I’m still experimenting, still narrowing things down, and still figuring out how I learn best. For now, I’m focusing on reducing decision fatigue by choosing fewer things, sticking with them longer, and allowing myself to learn without needing certainty upfront.

I wrote this to be honest about a phase of learning that often stays unspoken. If you’re navigating similar uncertainty, I hope this makes the process feel a little less isolating.