If you’ve ever spent an hour (okay, maybe a day) trying to fix a bug, rearrange your room layout for the fifth time, or automate something that most people would just do by hand—you’ll get this post. Figuring things out isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s become a mindset, sometimes a compulsion, and always the way I learn best.

The Start: Where My Curiosity Comes From

I grew up surrounded by questions. “What if I did it this way?” “Why does this system work like that?” My parents say I used to take apart remote controls just to see what was inside (and, sorry, only some of them made it back together).

As I entered high school and the IB programme, this urge shifted from physical things—gadgets, rooms, DIY stuff—to digital puzzles and business problems. The truth is, I rarely find a “right answer” on my own. Instead, every dead end makes me want to try another path.

School vs. Self-Taught Knowledge: Solving in 3D

School feels structured—study the lesson, answer the worksheet, take the test. But the things I love obsessing over spill way outside those neat boxes. Take software development: No matter how many tutorials I watch, the moment I actually have to connect two tools, set up an automation, or customize a business dashboard, nothing works on the first try.

I’ve realized this is normal. Figuring out is less about getting instant results, and more about building a map, one mistake at a time. Textbooks teach you rules; “figuring it out” teaches you when to break them, re-make them, or throw them out entirely.

Obsession in Action: Stories From My “Why Not?” Experiments

• Property Management Systems: I thought building one would just mean connecting a few forms and databases. Days later, when troubleshooting failed automations, I was knee-deep in API documentation, community threads, Slack groups, and a sea of question marks. Was I frustrated? Sure. But there’s nothing quite like finally watching something work as intended, knowing you wrestled it into existence.

• Smart Automations at Home and Office: Why settle for ordinary ACs when you could (in theory) control all 30 from your phone? Implementing this meant endless learning—protocols, hardware quirks, failed integrations—but every step made the next problem easier (or just different).

• Interior Design & Workspace Optimization: It started as an interest in furniture; it became a deep dive into lighting, ergonomics, and mood boards. I lost count of times I rearranged layouts until something just “clicked”—those tiny changes add up to a space that genuinely works for me.

Getting Stuck: Why It Doesn’t Scare Me Anymore

Early on, being stuck felt like failure. I’d stall for days over a single problem—afraid to ask for help, feeling like I should know the answer already.

That’s changed. Now, I see being stuck as a signal: I’m somewhere new, about to learn something important. The trick is to notice when brute force is not enough—then it’s time to Google, ping a mentor, or take a walk and return with a fresh mind.

Some of my best insights have come after I “gave up” for an hour, only to have the answer pop up when I returned. The process isn’t magic—it’s about giving your brain the right kind of challenge, and not quitting too early.

Patterns I’ve Noticed When Figuring Things Out

1. Break the problem down. Small wins snowball into big results.

2. Don’t hoard frustration. It’s always easier to solve something with help (from people or the internet).

3. Document what went wrong. I keep digital notes—even for errors and failures. Sometimes the fix comes in handy months later.

4. Celebrate “partial” successes. Sometimes getting 80% done is the win. You can finish polishing after a break.

Why I’m Sticking with This (and Hope You Will Too)

I get that “obsessed” might sound intense, but honestly, it’s the only way I know how to learn—total immersion, trial-and-error, hands dirty in the process. Everything I can do now (whether that’s setting up a workspace, building out an app, or automating a daily task) started because I was willing to stay stuck long enough for a breakthrough.

If there’s one message I want to leave you (or future me) with, it’s this: Give yourself permission to not know. Get obsessed. Keep figuring it out.

Because getting stuck is never the end of the road—it’s just the start of a new one.