How to study CyberSecurity when you feel blocked

I think we’ve all felt this way at some point in our lives. And not necessarily when jumping into cybersecurity or a new field. It also happens at school, at university, or at work... When we simply don’t feel like doing the things we know we should be doing.

But have you ever wondered why this happens to all of us?

Right now, as I’m returning to self-study topics related to mobile pentesting to improve my current set of skills, I’m feeling it again. That sensation of hitting a wall.

After doing a bit of reading and some light research (not that much, although I know there are some great books about how to study effectively), I think I found a few concepts that helped shed some light on my behavior when it comes to sitting down and focusing on a topic I don’t quite master… yet. (We’ll talk about that later. You’ll see.)

Now, I’m not planning to become an expert on the science of studying, or turn this into one of those YouTube channels that promise to teach you how to get an A+ in everything. I never really believed those methods worked for everyone. In the end, each person has to discover their own systems.

But here I am, with a bit of free time (while procrastinating other tasks), and feeling like chatting with you—who might also be feeling a little blocked or lost while trying to continue professionalizing and learning new things.

So the real question is:

How do we start learning again, and most importantly, make the process enjoyable?

The truth

The truth is… no one really cares if you fail.

And if that’s not the case, then that’s exactly why I’m writing this; to help you continue your journey. So... just think that I want you to succeed, no matter how long it takes.

Why do we resist studying?

The first thing we need to understand is the emotion that appears when we think about studying. You feel resistance, but why? Most likely, as I discovered, it comes from fear.

Fear of failure. Fear of frustration. And the uncomfortable reality that frustration is an unavoidable part of the learning process. And we don't really like how that feels.

But keep in mind that frustration, like any other emotion, is temporary. And that a problem without our emotional reaction is just an ordinary situation.

I remember reading something in a Hack The Box learning module that stuck with me:

“Sitting in a chair in front of the computer, afraid of not being up to the task, is irrational. After all, we have not yet worked through the material, but we are already beginning to program ourselves to fail.”

And that’s exactly what we do.

The comparison trap

Another thing we struggle with when trying new things is comparison.

We think we’ll never be like those people we see online—the ones making YouTube tutorials and that everyone in the community seems to know. But they had to start somewhere too.

And none of us had the same upbringing, or natural talent.

By the way, there is no such thing as natural talent.

What you see as talent is often the result of years of training, failure, and persistence in learning from someone who simply didn’t give up.

That takes time.
It takes effort.
And above all, it takes consistency.

What we call talent is often just the visible result of someone refusing to quit after the frustrating moments.

Goals make the difference

So why are some people able to push through all of that? Because they have a clear goal in mind.

When you know where you’re going, obstacles stop looking like walls and start looking like part of the road. You now expect them and accept the frustration and resistance that comes with them, because you know they are temporary.

I think what I’m trying to say is... Don’t be discouraged by failure.

Because the difference between a winner and a loser is often simple: The winner has failed more times than the loser.

You just never saw those failures.

Fear of the future

Another common problem is worrying about what might happen in the future.

Meanwhile, we ignore what we can do right now to change that outcome.

In other words, we sabotage ourselves before we even start. We don’t allow ourselves to be bad at something for a while.

And again… who cares if that's the case?

Enjoying the learning process

First, make sure you actually feel ready and eager to learn something new. Then we need to figure out how to make the process enjoyable. Approaching the topics with curiosity is key.

Also, pay attention to your inner voice when you sit down to study. If you catch yourself thinking:

“I can’t do this.”
“I’m not good at this.”

Try adding one simple word: "yet".

I can’t do this... yet.
I don’t understand this... yet.

And eventually, the mindset shift will help you overcome the frustration. Because we now know that it is a temporary thing, but our goal shouldn’t be.

Asking the right questions

Another factor we should pay attention to is how we study.

In cybersecurity especially, the most important—and often the hardest—thing is not finding the right answer. It’s asking the right question.

Remember when learning how to Google things correctly was considered a skill? It was the same idea: asking the right question so we could find the right answer. Now we have AI tools, but the same principle still applies.

Why does this matter?

Because we’re not afraid of failing when doing something we already know how to do. The task isn't difficult anymore.

But asking the right question when we barely understand the topic? That’s much harder. And that’s why sometimes we feel completely stuck, because we don’t even know where or how to start.

How to get unstuck then?

Here’s a small suggestion for that first barrier. If you feel blocked, just start by reading a tutorial on the topic, any tutorial. Or watch a YouTube video.

But do it without expectations.

While you’re watching or reading, start writing down every question that comes to mind. Questions will naturally appear as you start acquiring a new skill. And once you have those questions, you can begin searching for answers with a bit more context.

And that’s when learning starts to accelerate, because you are asking the right questions and linking the answers to your just acquired context.

There are no bad questions

Also remember: there is no such thing as a bad or good question.

If I tell you that asking “What day of the week is today?” is a bad question… the answer is still Monday.

And if it’s a good question… well, guess what? The answer is still Monday.

So the idea of “good” or “bad” questions is mostly irrelevant. What we can have instead are broad questions and precise questions. And the difference depends entirely on how much context and knowledge we have.

The more precise the question, the easier it becomes to find the right answer. Because in this case, the precision in our questions can greatly affect the result and the answer we are looking for. But again, precision isn’t about being “good” or “bad” at asking questions.

It’s simply about having more context or information.

Conclusion

Remember, the feeling of frustration is temporary. It will pass, but the experience we gained along the way will remain.

Fear in this scenario is irrational. Most of our fears come from external expectations and opinions. But no one else is you, and no one else can achieve what you’re capable of achieving—especially if you decide to commit to it.

Failure is, and will always be, part of the process. Our failures are crucial to our learning curve because they provide us the tool to do better next time. We now know what to expect when the same problem presents itself again.

There is not such thing as good or bad questions. Those states are irrelevant to the answers we are looking for. But learning how to ask more precise questions will help us find answers faster.

And over time, we won’t just improve at the technical topics we’re studying—we’ll also get better at dealing with the stress and frustration that come with learning something new. Which means we’ll feel less blocked the next time we sit down to study.

And don't forget to make it fun, because in the end, the art is not just about capturing the flag… It’s about finding the path that leads to it.

Happy Hacking!