How To Make Learning Fun (Even If You Hate School)

One of the biggest reasons people my age hate school is because it feels forced.

We're told what to learn, when to learn it, and how to learn it—regardless of whether we care.

But it wasn't always like this.

When we were kids, we followed curiosity like it was second nature.

We asked a million questions. We explored, experimented, and wandered.

But when we enter school, a lot us feel like that curiosity gets locked in a cage.

I can personally attest to this feeling with my relationship with math.

I've never vibed with it—especially now, in pre-calculus.

It's not impossibly hard, I just don't want to study it.

And yes, this could be a matter of self-discipline, but I just find it strange that I can immerse myself in learning about health, philosophy, or business in my free time—yet when it comes to learning math in school, I zone out every five minutes.

Why?

Because those topics feel relevant—they align with my goals.

That's when it hit me:

We're naturally engaged with things that feel connected to our future.

We're goal-oriented creatures. If we can't see how something matters to our life, we tune it out.

So maybe the trick to making learning more fun—even for the stuff we normally hate—is to tie it back to something meaningful.

I remember when I was deep in my crypto phase (yes, I had one).

Back then I was obsessed with trading memecoins and looking at charts 24/7. So when we started learning graph functions in math class, I was actually into it.

Even though chart patterns doesn't really help much in memecoin trading, the perceived relevance made me want to learn.

I was actually intrigued because something in my mind thought it would help me get better at trading if I understood the graphs (even though that REALLY wasn't the case LOL).

The same thing happened in Government & Politics and Macroeconomics.

At first, I didn't care about them.

But once I connected them to my goals in pursuing a career in public health and adult life—understanding policy, systems, and finances—they became much more interesting.

This perspective on learning changed how I saw everything.

It made me realize that the secret to making learning fun, fulfilling, and exciting is to relate what your learning to any personal goals you have.

• Biology isn't just about cells—it's about how your body works, how to eat, train, and stay healthy.

• Math isn't just formulas—it's financial literacy, problem-solving, and (for my case) discipline.

• Studying in your free time isn't a chore—it's training your brain for the real world.

Learning becomes meaningful when it aligns with your mission.

And the sooner you connect what you're learning to where you're going, the faster school stops feeling like a prison—and starts becoming your training ground.

This is the 6th installment in my project of publishing a mini essay every day to achieve 100 public pieces. Check out the full list here, and the previous letter here.

If you liked this post, I’m sharing more unfiltered lessons as a 17-year-old trying to figure this whole life thing out—check my other socials here🫡.