I think about this twice a day.
Every morning when I sit down to read & then when I sit down to write, I say to myself,
"Accept the initial agitation."
When you try to focus, Andrew Huberman explains, "the brain circuits that turn on first are of the stress system."
Meaning:
"The agitation and stress that you feel at the beginning of something—when you're trying to lean into it and you can't focus—is just a recognized gate.
You have to pass through that gate to get to the focus component."
There's a common misconception, Huberman continues,
"The misunderstanding around how certain brain circuits work has led to this idea that there's some secret entry point—maybe marked 'flow' on the door—and there's a trampoline up to that door, and you just open that door, and you're immediately in [a deep state of focus].
And nothing could be further from the truth."
The truth is:
"There is a gate of entry. You have to wade through some sewage before you can swim in clear water. That's the way I always think about it."
I once told Andrew that I say to myself, "accept the initial agitation," every time I sit down to read or write, and he said, "the agitation is indeed the doorway to the whole process."
The clip below is from Andrew's 2020 interview on Rich Roll's podcast (https://youtu.be/SwQhKFMxmDY)